Felicia Sullivan and Her Journey To The Sky.

Being in PR, I meet a lot of people. Bloggers, editors, producers, and stylists. Meeting new people is what I love most about my job; it keeps it exciting and fresh. For 2009, I made a vow to start going out more and networking on behalf of my clients. I don’t mean by way of being pushy and salesman-like, but its important that I reach out to people who write about fashion for a living, and introduce them to my designers, in a casual, social setting. My genetics have set me up so I want to be in bed by 9pm, but sometimes I gotta just push through.

Felicia Sullivan is one of those bloggers I met this year, and its been a wonderful thing. Felicia initially found out about Objets d'Envy and wrote about the fabulous Lavaliere necklace. She loved it so much, she bought one and I’ve seen her wear it, she rocks it. So through this initial e- meeting, Felicia and I started to get to know one another, and I also learned about her memoir, The Sky Isn't Visible From Here.

I recently read this book and five pages in I wanted to go over to her house and give her a hug; she's been through a lot. But as the book goes on, you get to know about Felicia and what makes her the amazing and extremely talented person she is today. They say pain is the touchstone to growth, and I truly believe that, especially in this case. Through the book, Felicia talks about her journey through childhood with an addict mother and weaves it into her life as an adult. Even with the obstacles that she continuously overcomes, she is growing and building a terrific life featuring hard and high paying jobs, a wonderful education, and a life that she built 100% on her own.

I thought people would like to learn more about Felicia and her experience writing this and also know about what she's up to these days. So, following is an interview:

Kate: OK, your book blew me away. I wanted to give you a big hug, some cookies and milk. I don’t know, cookies and milk just seem to make it all better, no? You are a great writer and clearly this is the profession for you. But writing this memoir must have been a challenge, was it hard to figure out where to start?

Felicia: First off, I will never refuse a cookie. Milk, maybe, but cookie endowments are always welcomed, encouraged, and appreciated. In some way or another, I’ve always written about my mother. When I was eight I published a haiku that likened my mother’s voice to thunder. She’s always been my subject – I can’t really recall a time in which my work hasn’t revolved around her – the one person I couldn’t, but desperately wanted to, understand. For years I was working on a novel of lifeless, unlikable characters that did mildly interesting things. I was writing a safe book because I was afraid to commit my memories, this horrific life lived, this very unsafe book, to paper. I was ashamed of my past, of living in poverty, of a mother who loved and terrorized me. I had lived a life of my own invention for so long, I couldn’t imagine otherwise.

At one point the weight of these two lives – the accomplished, in-control professional and the frightened child who never really mourned the loss of her mother – were becoming difficult to bear. Something had to give. One afternoon a friend of mine and I were trading stories about our mothers and we realized that we had both been shamed into secrecy. We were made to feel shame by our mothers, our impoverished upbringing, and a culture where not loving your mother is unthinkable.

I wrote the first ten pages of Sky in 2002. It was the first chapter, “Fighting Shoes,” and I had originally wrote the piece as a stand-alone fiction story because I needed a tremendous amount of distance from me and the characters. And then I started writing scenes and incidents, and the chapter evolved into a beautiful mess of a map and I spent a few years assembling the map and myself, I guess.

K: You really put yourself out there and I admire that so much. I think a reason why the book is incredibly moving, is that you are so real and you lay it all out for us to see. Was there something therapeutic about writing this? I mean, having to hash up really uncomfortable stuff must bring up some feelings.

F: Writing Sky, committing these painful memories to paper was cathartic, but I always tell people that writing a memoir is not akin to journaling. I had to work out a great deal of my issues before coming to Sky because I needed the characters to be sympathetic and myself not portrayed as a victim. I needed distance from what I had experienced and perspective. I always needed to be fair and compassionate in terms of how I portrayed my mother because while she was an incredibly flawed women, she was at times extraordinary, and this is what makes it all so heartbreaking.

K: You are sober two years (congrats!), and a big part of the book is your journey down a road filled with alcohol and drugs. Your friends even try and get you to slow down, but it takes you a while to come to that stopping point yourself. As you know, I am sober as well and talking about our pasts and “war stories” can be painful, but also amazingly beautiful because it’s a part of growth. Were you sober when you began this book? If so, was it painful to recall those memories? If not, was it part of a realization that maybe you needed to remove all substances from your life?

F: This is a terrific question, and I wish more people had asked me this. While writing about my childhood was relatively easy, while I was writing Sky I was coming to terms with the fact that my drinking was becoming a serious problem. I was in an unhealthy relationship for over a decade, and I found that ending this relationship, while trying to write about me in the present, was the hardest part of writing the book and living though writing it. As you know it’s rarely one experience that ignites the sobriety light, rather an accumulation of bottoms. A year before my

book would be published, I had attempted several “breaks” from alcohol and I was failing miserably. And when I grew tired of being helpless, embarrassed, and sad, I realized that this couldn’t be my life. There is something better. Looking back, I regret nothing…well, maybe I regret that I hadn’t stopped drinking sooner.

K: Any thoughts on how being sober has helped you to accomplish such amazing tasks?

F: It’s no coincidence that a great deal of auspicious things happened in my life after I stopped drinking. Alcohol was this terrific crutch, it was a salve for fear and I was walking around anesthetized and frightened of living my life. And when I got sober and the band-aid ripped off, I had no crutch, so I decided to start making proverbial leaps of faith. Because honestly, anything was better than living a life in a perpetual fog. And suddenly the world seemed less scary and there were so many possibilities.

K: The response to the book has been so positive, and you have been out and about doing readings all over. You often talk about how much you love your publicist; she’s working really hard for you and getting great responses. So, from a PR standpoint, what do you think makes her so amazing? (I love getting the view from the client.)

F: I adore my HarperCollins publicist because she’s willing to try anything. She’s honest with me and sets realistic expectations, but doesn’t condescend at all. It’s a nice collaboration, because we talk about blue-sky ideas and how we can make them real and workable. I think the best relationship you can have with a publicist is if the two of you bring ideas and work to the table.

K: Where will you be reading this summer?

F: Check out my events here!

K: You do a lot with your life, you also have a blog, www.feliciasullivan.com, and you just launched the Fashion For All clothing drive. Tell me a little about how FFA came about?

F: For the past few months, I’ve volunteered for New York Cares and it’s changed me in ways I hadn’t imagined. There is something truly gratifying about placing your needs aside and helping someone who really needs a meal, shelter, and companionship. These are basic needs that people have that are not being met in today’s economy. A great deal of my volunteer work has been in meal service, and I was inspired by providing dignified, “white glove” meal service to those who are homeless or simply struggling to make ends meet.

Combining my love of fashion and style and need to give back to the community in which I grew up, Fashion For All was born. The mission of Fashion For All is to provide an annual day of dignified shopping for residents in low-income communities across the country. Our partnerships with local community activist and outreach organizations, as well as prominent fashion and beauty brands, enable us to provide a day of luxury shopping and white-glove, personalized service for residents in low-income communities, as well as access to local organizations and programs, which provide educational, career, and parenting resources.

During these very difficult economic times, regardless of one’s financial situation, everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. With the Fashion For All Shopping Experience, women, who, tirelessly struggle to provide for their families will be rewarded with not only a day of indulgence, but convenient access to community outreach programs. So whether she’s seeking career counseling, professional attire, or terrific parenting programs, we hope to offer community residents access to the resources they need. What hopefully will kick off as an annual event might dovetail into a non-profit. I hope to take this idea and scale it nationally.

K: What have been the biggest challenges getting that off the ground? I know you had to approach sponsors in addition to spreading the word so people could donate the clothes!

F: I don’t think any one task stood out as terribly challenging. I think all the minor logistical details provided to be a bit of a workable nightmare. For the most part, the event was easy, just detailed.

I hope you can join me in wishing Felicia the best of luck on her journey to grow Fashion For All and all of her fabulous future endeavors! Check out her daily blog posts at www.feliciasullivan.com!

Everything Looks Better on Little Girls...

I don't have kids of my own, and on many occasions I thank my lucky stars. I leave my keys everywhere, and sometimes wonder if I might do the same with kids. But someday, hopefully when I am grown up, I will be blessed with one. For now, there are six little girls in my life who just happen to love shopping and fashion. There is no shortage of excitement when I visit with fun fashions from NY like big bell bottom pants, frilly cotton skirts, and of course, the Rainbow Bracelet from Objets d'Envy. So, ever since Lisa Kanouse came into my life with her fabulous Saurette collection, I have been planning out the next 3 years of fashion for these girls. When I tell you this collection is unique, I really really mean it. I don't just write about things for the heck of it. I write about things that I am obsessed with.

There is something about the way Lisa has captured the feel and look of a girly girly girl. Her billowy dresses with racer back cut, big floral prints which I get lost in and find myself wandering off into Candy Land.

For Fall, she is introducing fine sweaters with the cutest prints of butterflies and more flowers, but in a more understated way as to say, "Yeah, I'm a hot 5yr old, so what?"

If you are in New York the weekend of June 6th, Saurette will be selling her Spring/Summer collections at the Designer Soiree located at Chacala NY, 394 Broadway, Fourth Floor. We are in the beginning of the warmer months and now is the time to grab your girls some summer fashions! And don't forget to follow the collection on Twitter, @saurette

Oh, and Daily Candy Kids has my back on this.

Clearly Lenz, Clearly a Great Deal!

I've been know to be impulsive. I am not going to deny that fact. I see something I want, and I need to have it that moment, or in five. I get something set in my mind and can't seem to kick it until its mine, all mine. So, I have been talking about getting a new pair of glasses( pair #3) and I specifically wanted that Buddy Holly style frame. You know? The ones all the cool kids are wearing.

While browsing on Twitter one day, as I do every day, I came across @clearlylenz and they were promoting these frames. I was so excited that I could easily pick the frame, send my prescription via email and have them shipped all for $70! I may have blacked out. Just like runners high, I also get shoppers high.

I paid my money and exactly one week later they arrived.

During this week of waiting though, I totally panicked. I didn't try them on and realized my impulse got the best of me. Friends actually said "Wow, you didn't even think you should try them on before you bought them?" People, I don't have time for this.

But, it had me thinking: As cheap as $70 is, its still $70. So when I did get them, I quickly took them out of the package and tried them on for all to see. What a hit! Perfect fit, perfect prescription and exactly what I envisioned. I love this website www.clearlylenz.com for all of their style options and the basic fact that they are the most affordable glasses I have found anywhere, hands down. So, here's me and my glasses. Whadyathink?

Pretty Little Things from Canada, Eh?

Every so often I go back in my files and review past clients and designers that I met along the way. I have folders in my inbox of correspondence and also files on my computer with their collection at the time we were in contact. Its nice to see the progress made over the years ( assuming they grew, even if just a bit), and I like to check in with them, just to say hi and see how things are going. Kick PR doesn't solicit business, we have been lucky with that and work mainly on referrals. Its honestly the biggest compliment a gal could ever get! ( well, I like when people comment on my new shoes :)

A few weeks ago I was going through my inbox and came across correspondence with the designer Corrine Anestopoulos, behind the jewelry like Biko from Canada. Its funny how things work out, because I emailed her on a Tuesday and she emailed me back that day saying she was coming to NY for the first time in years the next day. Kinda crazy, I believe in more than just coincidence, and luckily so does she.

So, Corrine came in to my office and had her whole current collection as well as some pieces she was launching. She had been staying in Brooklyn for the week and hitting the pavement looking for stores to carry her line. Like so many fashion collections, its so much better to see things in person, especially a collection like this. I love this Biko line and I thought you would too, that's why I asked her to send me some images so I could show you my favorites. She had the whole collection laid out on the table, and I think I may have lunged for the earrings seen here. They actually come in a few styles ( click here). These earrings here will run you no more than $50, which is a huge bonus not only now, but always. Because even when times are good, who doesn't want a good deal? The glass encasing regal designs such as crowns, horses and crests just won me over from the start. Small and simple, but definitely pieces that stand out.

And then she pulled out her Clip Pendant Necklaces which she said have always been her best sellers because of their "multi style" (is this a phrase you ask? I am not sure, but its fitting at the moment). The pendant clips off and the chain is long enough to double up or wear single, and the pendant clips on wherever. My favorite is this one, the Triangle Horses Clip Pendant, for a whopping $69. Its a locket also, and I plan to put pictures of Elton in there, because as you know I am obsessed with Elton, my dog.

Biko is available online at www.bikodesigns.ca and she uses PayPal that does the CAD to USD conversion for you. Easy breezy.

Lunch with Leanne ( Marshall, that is)

This is the first installment of Lunch with Leanne. However, Lunch with Leanne ended up being Coffee with Leanne, at 6pm. So, the name may change, stay tuned. The idea is to catch people up on what Leanne has been doing since her big win on Project Runway, Season Five. Shes made a big move to NY from Portland, and has some pretty cool things in the works. When you meet Leanne, you get a sense that she is truly, deeply in love with designing and she wants to be a designer, not a celebrity. That’s not the case with some other PR winners we know. I won’t name names, but you know who I am talking about. Fierce.

Kate: Hey Leanne! Thanks for meeting me for a quick chit chat. So, we are in Brooklyn, NY. Park Slope to be exact. And you just moved here from Portland, OR. How do you like our little city?

Leanne: I like it actually. I mean, the weather has been horrible, kind of like Portland, but I’m getting used to Brooklyn living. I think it’s hard to move anywhere; you have to start a new routine and get used to the new ‘hood. And of course I was a little homesick, but that went away. There is so much to see and explore here.


K: So, are you using your apartment as your studio?

L: I actually found an amazing studio in DUMBO. Its right under the bridge and the space is so inspiring. When I need a break, I walk down to Fulton Ferry Park and just take in the view. It’s amazing. That’s a change, having a studio. In Portland my apartment was my studio. I didn’t have enough money for a studio or supplies for that matter. Winning money gave me the ability to have a studio just for design!


K: So now that you have proven your design skills to all of America (yay!), what are your next goals?

L: GROW GROW GROW! I want to be in boutiques and also online stores. I’ve been thinking about putting my things up on Etsy again ( Do you Twitter? Follow @etsy). I was on there before the show and I really like that website. It’s hard though, and overwhelming, because in the end of the day I am just one person. The sales and outreach takes a backseat because I need to focus on designing. Right now I’m finishing up my collection for Bluefly.com, and that’s taking a lot of time, but I am excited.


K: So, the Bluefly collection, what’s the going to be like?

L: It’s totally my design and creative vision, but made for the everyday woman who loves fashion. Often designers will create some seriously couture and intense pieces for the runway, but adjust them for the consumer market. There are eight pieces all together in this collection. Hopefully they will go live June 15th!

L: And after Bluefly I will totally focus on Spring '10, which is underway now. I am going to make sure I leave enough time to design this collection so I don't get stressed and feel pressured under a deadline. As you know, I was sewing up until two minutes before the doors opened for Fall 09 presentation. I don't want that stress again. And I really want to show under the tents (Bryant Park) before it leaves that space.


K: Wow, that’s an awesome goal! How are you making that happen?
L: Well, I am trying to make it happen, it’s so hard though. It’s expensive and you need sponsors. I am in the process of finding sponsors and I would love to talk to any companies that would be interested in working with me for Spring 2010, because it’s going to be an amazing collection!


K: It must be kind of frustrating to see past winners, again, won’t name names, easily get sponsors and exposure when they didn’t really have to try? I don’t have to tell you that you are one of the best designers I have seen, and I get sad when I realize you have to try harder when your product is better.

L: Yeah, it’s annoying because I don’t have a loud, bold personality. Again, my goal for Project Runway was to gain exposure for the Leanne Marshall collection, not to become a celebrity. I’m just not interested. I do wish I had a little more of that “go getter” trait in me, because maybe it would be happening faster, but that’s just not me. So I look to people to give me that boost, and I’m working on finding those people to help me.


K: I think so many people would love to see you rise up in the fashion world, and who knows maybe someone will read this and reach out to help! You just never know.

L: Yeah, that would be great! I have to get out there and show people that I am a good designer and just need a little push to get ahead.


K: We all need that. As the Beatles say, “With a little help from my friends.” You can substitute “friends” with “sponsors.” Ha-ha. Ok, so leave us with a fun fact that no one knows about you.

L: Hmmm, ok I guess this was going to come out at some point! Well, you know how everyone hates doing laundry? Well I really hate it and I knew that when I was down to one or two pairs of underwear, I needed to do the laundry. Well, in an effort to push it off a little more, I decided to make my own. Yeah, I made my own underwear. Really uncomfortable and I seriously gotta give props to underwear designers/ makers. I failed miserably, but it put off the horrible chore for a couple more days.


Home-made underwear, that's a first! We'll be keeping you posted on Leanne's process of finding sponsors, Spring '10 inspiration and her other fun projects coming up! For more on Leanne, go to www.leannemarshall.com.

Fashion shots done by amazing photographer named Caitlin Bellah. Her site is HERE.

The Chic Behind Chictini.com

About a year ago, I was on PR Couture and read an article about a new website called Chictini. The reason it was featured on PR Couture was for its wonderful use in the PR world; it’s a new and innovative way to get buzz about the product you design or promote. I immediately started posting items from my clients and the responses were great. It’s a website that relies on voting by the members and people either click Chic or Weak next to the item you post. But no need to worry if you get some Weak hits, Meri Kate O'Connor explains why below. She also talks a bit about how Chictini came about and why its a useful resource for all!


Kate: Hey Meri Kate! Thanks for taking the time to chat with me about Chictini.com. What exactly is your role there?
Meri Kate:(Pictured below): Well we all carry multiple hats but I am one of the senior content editors. That mainly entails scouring through the site to ensure the best user-generated content is being properly pushed to the community and seeking new trends, products, and even individuals that editorially we should be giving a spotlight to. In addition I also work on audience development and making sure our tight little community stays happy.


K: So, what was the idea behind launching Chictini.com? I see it as a fabulous tool to create a buzz (aka PR) but I’m sure a site like this is useful for many things.
MK: Well Chictini started off as a fun little project amongst friends to get recommendations from others on what to get. We literally just wanted to find out some cool outfit ideas and see what clothes to buy. We always thought of the notion that you sometimes you don’t know what you want, until its presented in front of you. That’s why we felt Chictini could be an incredible resource for helping designers and accessory makers of all scales – it really puts eyeballs on their collections that otherwise they may not have gotten, in a very cost effective manner. But then we discovered Chictini can be used for so much more as the community really picked up on its own via word of mouth. We started getting not only general members sharing products, but designers themselves, stylists, retailers, buyers, publicists, marketers, media members, various socialites, and even random celebs. It was at that point we saw that our site was a great platform for not only social shopping, but an interactive medium for individuals to promote and understand the market in a whole new way.


K: I love the voting aspect of it, that way its not some club that people have to get accepted into, but you are getting actual people telling you what they like and what they don’t. Kick PR has posted several things on there that more often than not people Chic it, rather than Weak it, which is fabulous! Are people responding well to that type of grading system?
MK: Yes people are really passionate about the voting system! Even when an item a user submits gets “weaked,” they want to know about it! We always want our members to be confident in their tastes, but we also want them to prove their eye for fashion and get a real broad perspective. We’ve had users submit items because they wanted to get feedback before they actually purchased it, and we absolutely love how they are embracing the community opinion. So hey, if you get something “weaked” out, try again and submit something you feel will definitely top your last submission. The whole point is to better your focus and your fashion sense.


K: And do you have any idea how strong the clickthroughs are? Any way to track who clicks through and then buys?
MK: Our site alone generates a ridiculous amount of referring traffic to other sites each day and that’s not including our other media apps that are out there on blogs and social networks being used by our members. There’s definitely a correlation as to the more chic votes an item gets, the more clickthroughs it will receive. As for tracking and seeing who buys – unfortunately no. We leave that to the submitter to see how well they fared and to ID their links. But we have received many thanks from various members who did ID their submissions, in helping them get sales, so we’d like to think people are benefiting from our site.


K: I also think having the Chicbook is a great idea, because in the end of the day everyone wants to promote themselves, even if just a bit. Are people getting into that?
MK: Absolutely. People love showing off their style – come on, what’s the point of being fashionable if no one will see it? Our ChicBook feature has become very popular and many members are using on their own personal blogs and sites. Just like we want our members to show they know what items are hot, we want them to showoff they can rock the whole ensemble too! (Kate here: On the right here is a look I found on the Chicbook page that I quite like. You go girl!)


K: Have any editors gotten wind of Chictini yet? Started using it as a resource for their stories and features?
MK: Yes, while our site is mainly user-generated content, editors in the know have been using our site to find pieces for features because they are seeing what people are liking upfront, as well as individuals for possible styling features.



K: As someone who also writes for the blog, are there any standout designers you might want to mention here?
MK: Well 2009 is going to be very exciting and interesting because of the economic climate and designers are really going to have to strut their absolute finest. We think from an urban outerwear market, we have always been big fans of GlamourKills and think they are really on their A-game in catering to the youth, hipster market. Then we have up and coming Nary Manivong ( Kick PR FAV!) who really caught my eyes with his cute, yet bold cocktail pieces from his Fall 09 women's collection and is someone we are really pulling for to break through in 09. For the men, I really like Spurr’s upcoming pieces. A bit conservative but I think they have some great jackets that would be great on the boys.

Wow, this was really informative and I am so behind Chictini, 100%! I'm excited to see it grow and will of course continue to post all of the things I find in my fashion journey, clients or not! So, if you are into this type of buzz and fashion exposure, head over to www.chictini.com and take a few minutes to browse and get an idea of what its all about.

More Tunes for Spring Cleaning

If you are like me, every spring you toss out pieces of clothes that never should have been stored in the first place. In fact, after remembering that you never wore that red and black leather mini, you realize you shouldn't have bought it in the first place. But there's that nagging sidekick on your shoulder that says " But what if there is a party coming up where the theme is NASCAR? This would be perfect!" Well, I kicked that little lady off my shoulder this year for good and weeded out those demons.

Usually the bags of clothes I intend to give away to Salvation Army or Beacons Closet sit in my hallway for at least six months. No joke. So, when I found out that Felicia Sullivan, (author, fashionista and overall hilarious chica), was holding a clothing drive in May called Fashion For All, I kicked it into gear. It did take me a bit, but with more good music and some light dancing, I now have about three bags to donate for Fashion For All. Here is what I was listening to:


1) My Girls by Animal Collective
2) In a Daydream by Freddy Jones Band ( college anyone?)
3) Back Together by Citizen Cope
4) Automatic Stop by The Strokes
5) Right Here by Brandi (sigh...)
6) Princess Jean Jellypop by Scott Sullivan ( super fun, bobbed head)
7) Listzomania by Phoenix ( again, head bobbing)
8) Islands on the Coast by Band of Horses
9) Stir it Up by Bob Marley
10) Human by Killers

There were others that I am a little too embarrassed to post here, but you get the idea. Keep it light, keep it fun and it will go by super fast!