Phreshly Squeezed

When I was at the Paris Ethical Show last year, I set out to make some connections for JUZD’s Fashion Style Culture blog. Conversing with some of the exhibitors, I found that many of the designers were not into having blogs (interesting how this would quickly change in 2009) and were not really interested in entertaining my poor French at the time. But one of the exhibitors, Tamara Rubilar of Estrella Bijoux, did take the time to talk to me about her line and asked me several questions about the benefits of having a blog. Since then, we’ve kept in touch – just recently, Tamara launched her Spring/Summer 2010 collection for her jewelry line.

Tamara presents her line boldly with two collections this spring: the French collection and the Glam collection. Presenting two different viewpoints, the two lines are cohesive with Tamara’s aesthetic. The French collection, inspired by the pearl necklace style of Chanel, is comprised of necklaces made from vintage jewelry, pearl necklaces, vintage chains and cameos. The Glam collection, though, reminds me more of the collection that I had seen at the Paris Ethical Show in 2008; chic and long necklaces composed of natural materials found in Latin America (including hand painted tree bark), recycle pearls, and silver chains are what the Glam collection features.

Based in Montreal, Canada, Estrella Bijoux was founded in 2006 by Tamara Rubilar with the mission of presenting jewelry and social and ethical responsibility together. By making use of reusable materials, Tamara is innovative in her approach to creating jewelry, as well as creating awareness of sustainable development. Drawing from her Chilean roots, Tamara explores the many resources that Latin America has to offer the world. Estrella Bijoux is currently available in several boutiques in Montreal, as well as online at http://www.bijouxdefantaisie.com/.

Pearl necklaces of the French collection

One of the chic long necklaces of the Glam collection

Images courtesy of Tamara Rubilar of Estrella Bijoux

With concentration in Apparel Design in the Fiber Science and Apparel Design (FSAD) program at Cornell University, senior Abbey Liebman unveiled a fashion first on March 13th – a dress that not only gleamed in the sun, but also charged electronics with the use of solar energy.

Showcasing her line at the 26th annual Cornell Design League Show, Abbey’s collection featured separates and dresses constructed from jersey knits, hand-painted crepe de chine done in a silk painting process, silk crepe, brocade, and twill, along with the use of leather, suede and beading for trims. Inspired by her trips to the Southwest, particularly Utah and Arizona, the designs carry a hint of a Western style in terms of seams and color choices. The piece that’s been drawing attention, the solar powered dress, was a collaboration between Abbey and Juan Hinestroza, assistant professor of fiber science and director of the Textiles Nanotechnology Laboratory. The garment relies on the Cornell-developed and patented technologies by Hinestroza and George Malliaras, associate professor of materials science and engineering. What these two technologies offer is the ability to coat cotton in a pattern that is no more than 80 nanometers thick, but allows for the transmission of current as though it were a metal wire.

Aside from pursuing her interests in fashion (with impressive work experience under her belt – internships in the design studios of Cynthia Steffe, Zac Posen and Jill Stuart), Abbey also possesses an interest in costume. Working at Cornell’s costume collection as an assistant to the curator, she notes that the collection is incredible with at least 15 000 pieces dating back as early as the 19th century.

Be on the look out for more of Abbey’s designs as she graduates from Cornell University this May!

On the runway at the Cornell Design League Show on March 13th, 2010

Abbey's work with seperates

Hand-painted crepe de chine through silk painting process

Side view of one of Abbey's dresses

Back view of the dress

The solar powered dress that can charge your gadgets wherever you are

Images courtesy of Abbey Liebman

Aside form writing about fashion, I discuss career development from time to time on The Ability Project blog. Recently, I interviewed Lauren Berger, the Intern Queen, for her thoughts on her past experiences and on working in general. For many of us, internships seem to be the holy grail in college, and in a sense, they are. After all, they are the stepping stones and building blocks for our first résumé out of college, and are ways of improving our soft skills and strengthening technical ones. And for those aspiring to work in fashion, many of you have been warned that it is a tough business, and it is as hard to break into as any other, but it is even harder to persevere and continue to thrive in creativity and innovation, especially with the advent of social media.

For the original article, check out The Ability Project blog

We’ve taken a bit of a hiatus with our blog, but we’re back now with the latest in our “Don’t Listen To Us” series. This week, we’re featuring the well-known Lauren Berger, otherwise known as The Intern Queen. Completing fifteen internships throughout her college career, Lauren surely knows the ins and outs of the internship world and makes it her goal to educate college students in hopes of aiding them in landing “that dream internship.” So in 2006, Lauren had the aspiration of providing a website aiding college students since she had noticed that few of her peers had even one internship under their belt and that she was sought after by friends for her advice. With support and funding, Lauren launched The Intern Queen, which lists fabulous internships across the US, in June 2008.

Lauren Berger, The Intern Queen Last Monday, I caught up with Lauren and had a quick chat with her about her thoughts on her past experiences and internships in general. What was incredibly surprising was that of the fifteen internships that she had pursued, many were not gained through networking, but rather, purely through applications. And while networking is highly advocated, there is still much to be learned through such a road. Such path teaches you lessons and necessary skills about tailoring your résumé and cover letter, finding out what you truly enjoy, and self-motivation.

While some may wonder why Lauren chose to undertake fifteen internships in her four years of college, as opposed to settling into a internship for a longer period of time, her response is one that resonates clearly. She had moved around a lot with her internships, living in New York, Los Angeles, and Orlando, which didn’t leave her with the options to think about staying. And more importantly, having so many internships allowed for greater exposure to potential careers and more varied experiences in terms of work and life. And of course, Lauren still places an emphasis on school, as it is the place to prepare and refine your soft skills (i.e. working under pressure, teamwork, punctuality) for the real world.

One of the many tips that Lauren offers to students looking for an internship is to look for structure in the program, which can easily be done by asking the interviewer to describe a day of his life at work.

Currently, Lauren is available for speaking engagements at schools, organizations, events, or conferences, and is continuing to assist students in landing the internship of their dreams. For more information and internship listings, visit Lauren’s website http://internqueen.com/ and follow her on her twitter account InternQueen for daily tips.

Headshot courtesy of InternQueen.com