Celebrity Spottings at Blogher ‘10

Ok, so I knew there would be a couple of celebrities in advance of the Blogher conference, but there were a few surprises.

After I hit the registration table at Blogher, I went upstairs and a woman told me that Bruce Jenner was pouring OJ over at the Tropicana stations. I had to see.

Bruce Jenner & I

He was so nice. I told him how I’m a big fan of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and he chuckled and said “those girls sure give me a hard time don’t they”, I chuckled back.

A couple short hours into the conference, I met up with Rebecca Weinberg, Emmy award winning stylist from “Sex & The City” at the eBay Fashion Lounge. You may read my interview with Rebecca here.

Tamra Barney & I

So I heard that Tamra Barney from “The Real Housewives of Orange County” was going to be at the Quickie booth, so I had to take a look. She wasn’t there. As I was walking away, guess who was walking right towards me? In the same color dress no less. Yup! It was Tamra! She looked beautiful. I asked if I could get a quick photo with her and she said absolutely. Then she noticed my orange Linea Pelle bag and said “I have the same bag in tan”, I replied “No way, Linea Pelle?” She said “yup, I love their bags”. “Me too” I said and told her how I went to their first ever sample sale in NY recently and had a blast. Not only were we wearing the same color dress, we have the same bag. Ahhh kindred spirits! (Click here to read my Linea Pelle blog post.)

Padma Lakshmi & I

So the last celebrity of Day 1 was none other than Padma Lakshmi. The hubs loves her and I mean loves her. I knew in advance she was going to be there and joked with him about me being in the same room with her. So I made a sign. It read “We love Nick DeVito” and was hoping I could take a photo with it. I knew the hubs would love it. Padma was at the Hillshire Farms booth as part of their sandwich showdown. The staff loved that I made a sign to hold up with her. We took the picture and Padma gave me 2 autographed photos of her, one for me and one for the hubs.

Day 2 I ran into Tamra again. I wanted to see if she was wearing a navy dress like me. No such luck.

Veronica Webb & I

Then guess who was at the Eucerin booth? Super model Veronica Webb! First of all she is stunning and had the cutest dress on and beautiful jewelry from her own jewelry line. Second, she was super nice. I mean ok, all the celebrities were nice, but Veronica was so genuine. Her hair stylist was there with her too and just as sweet. I told her about my NJ Unemployed group I founded and she wanted to hear more. No sooner did we take a few photos, but she had already talked me up on Twitter. How cool! Eucerin has a great spokesperson in Veronica. She was super sweet.

*Veronica Webb’s jewelry line will be available in September. She promised her Blogher girls will be amongst the first to hear about it. Stay tuned!

Who would’ve thought all these celebrities would have been supporting their brands at Blogher? Certainly not me, but I loved every minute of it.

Fashion With Rebecca Weinberg

I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Rebecca Weinberg, Emmy Award winning stylist for “Sex & the City” at the eBay Fashion lounge at Blogher ’10.

 

Katie:                    I’m a huge “Sex & the City” fan. Which character was your favorite to style?

Rebecca:              Well I think Carrie certainly, because Sarah Jessica really inspired so much of what we put on her. She really added a lot to her character. It’s really a marriage between the character, the actual actress and the costume designers. That was a perfect marriage!

Katie:                    Debbie  wrote to me and asked “How do you feel about girls who are 5’10” and higher wearing the popular shoes that have a heel 4” tall and up?”

Rebecca:              There’s a place for everyone and everything. Would I prefer that on a small petite girl? Perhaps. It becomes a little overwhelming when the girl is 6’5”. Trends come and go, that trend will also go. If it empowers them, so be it.

Katie:                    Hilary asks “What trends have you started? What was your favorite/signature look from ‘Sex & the City’?”

Rebecca:              There are so many signature looks. It’s funny because one of the dresses I used on “Sex & the City” is actually here. I found it on eBay. It was just a classic coffee shop girl look that Carrie went shopping with Miranda in. The sweatpants and high heels perhaps, because it was so odd and off. I loved the Richard Tyler dress when Carrie goes to kiss Big in the park, that beautiful dress which I had to have 4 made because she gets thrown in the lake. So I think that’s a beautiful look. There are so many.

Katie:                    What’s the must have fashion item for fall?

Rebecca:              I think some of the key items are having a great dress, not a great black little dress. Finding a great color that is going to enhance your inner happiness. I only buy one or two dresses a season. I like to buy one designer and I like to buy one branded. A high designer or a vintage. I’m not a big dress wearer per se in my real life. A dress is a good way to feel good about yourself. As a stylist, I love to find the confidence in women and a dress somehow does that for you. You take a place like eBay and you can have the world at your fingertips to shop, and its overwhelming, but at the same time if you have an idea of who you are and a certain sensibility you can find great value.

A little side note – there’s a new application out for the iPhone that you can click and drag different items and put them on images of yourself so you can see what they look like. It’s from eBay and just launched in July. If you are afraid to wear aviator glasses, click it and drag it to an image of yourself and you can see what it looks like.

Katie:                    Do you have an iPhone?

Rebecca:              No but I do have an iPad.

Katie:                    What style advice do you have for people with a limited budget?

Rebecca:              You don’t need a lot of items. You need key items. Key items that are perhaps timeless and you can work into a season, or you can work into your every day that can be more seasonless. I’m a girl on a budget, I have a daughter and I have more responsibility than whats in my wardrobe. I think some of the key things are a great jean, a great blazer. Whether its from a website like eBay or you are going into a shop. Find items that will transcend from work into evening or work into dinner out with the girls. Picking up your kid and bringing him home from school. I feel like going too trendy may not be the way to go if you are on a limited budget and you can’t afford head-to-toe something. There’s so much to choose from. I feel that sticking with a brand or a silhouette that you know works for you is always a safe way to go. As a shopper, more than a stylist, I’m a shopper. I love the Bill Me Later aspect of eBay, which really allows you to stylize your expenditures. It’s something that I’ve been taking advantage of lately to help me stretch my budget.

Katie:                    You’re most proud fashion item in your closet?

Rebecca:              I have to say I’ve been enjoying my Lanvin dress lately. I don’t get too dressed up that often. But my coveted  coveted coveted are my studded combat boots. I’ve been wearing combat boots since I was 15 years old and I’m still wearing them and I keep going back to them.

Katie:                    One fashion piece you’ve loved all your life and still do?

Rebecca:              Blazer. I am a blazer girl. I’m not a hand bag person. I love a blazer with a patch pocket, because I can keep whatever I need in that patch pocket and that’s one of my go-to standby’s. I have a lot of blazers. Single button, two button , three button, open, I just love that. Roll the sleeves up and get down and dirty.

Katie:                    What celebrity do you think has the best overall style?

Rebecca:              Well I think Sarah Jessica is one of them. I love Gwen Stefani. I think they both have a real sensibility about who they are and what they can handle. I think those two girls are great. Daphne Guiness also has great personal style.

Let’s Talk About Swag Baby – Blogher Sponsor’s and SWAG

Getting my swagger on…

With my background in event planning, I have attended many a conference in my day. The rows and rows of exhibitors handing out pens, notepads, magnets, stress balls and letter openers. But at Blogher 2010… no way! These exhibitors know how to conference! Offering full size bottles of products, toys, celebrities, it was unbelievable.

My friend Hilary (@mrsmonj) wasn’t able to attend Blogher because she just had baby #2 and sold her ticket to me. I was thrilled because I wanted to attend so badly, but the conference was sold out. It was my mission to score some cool finds for her and the fam. Playtex provided me with two baby bottles for her newborn, I got a cute stuffed animal from the Quickie booth for her little girl and a fellow Blogher attendee Jen (@jenrab) gave me a onesie and formula for me to bring back for Hilary. Score!

I had always wanted to try out a Soyjoy bar and to my surprise they were there. So I took a banana and a blueberry bar. I love the banana! Gonna have to stock up on them. They make for a great snack post workout. Butterfinger was also there showing off their bite size Butterfinger Snackerz which were delish! GoodSkin Labs provided a wrinkle treatment for fine lines. Bausch & Lomb handed out Biotrue a contact lens solution and Hasbro provided the Trivial Pursuit Steal card game. Perfect for travelling, it’s so compact.

I landed a sample of Wrigley’s Extra Dessert Delights in Mint Chocolate Chip which tastes just like the ice cream. It is out of this world! I was a bit disappointed though. There was a note on the gum to all Blogher attendees to visit a website, enter a code and receive another free sample. I went on the site to obtain another sample, and the site said the program closed. There was no disclaimer on the note, though. Oh well!

Loved the Eucerin booth! Received the Daily Skin Balance and Everyday Protection lotion in full size bottles, plus some hand lotion. I’ve been using the Daily Skin Balance every day since I received it and love the fresh scent. The scent stays on your body all day long which I love. Couldn’t be happier with this swag!

Aquaphor gave out a lip repair as well, which I’m loving and using nightly and throughout the day if my lips need a little pick me up. Super hydrating!

The Yellow Umbrella teamed up with makeup artist Debra Macki for the conference and I won their raffle. Whoo Hoo! I won a Debra Macki mineral eye shadow palette in Monaco which is beautiful. The Hautelook company was handing out full size Lorac 3D lip glosses and I scored one in Vivid. In the bottle it looks hot pink but on, it has a gold sheen. Super cute!

Playdoh gave away an adorable travel case with tons of playdoh and gadgets to build something fun. My nephews were thrilled I went to the conference for this little treat.

Scored some Cherry Vanilla flavored Nyquil which sounds delish, but I’ll wait till the winter when it’s cold season to test it out. Vicks also supplied me with a full size container of vapor rub. Again, I will wait till cold season hits me and will be all over my Vicks vapor rub.

The P&G booth was my favorite booth hands done. They had an entire house set up with different products in each room with someone explaining them. It was so cute. I scored a Venus Embrace razor (which I love and use at home), Oil of Olay Total Effects Bodywash & their Regenerist Anti-Aging Eye Roller, Secret Clinical Strength deodorant that’s waterproof (perfect for the pool), PUR water filter and Febreeze Set & Refresh Air Freshener in Spring & Renewal (no plugs or batteries needed) which smells divine. Loving it!

I came home with bags and bags of swag and couldn’t wait to rummage through it all. The hubs said “I wonder how many pens you got”. After all that, one. I got one pen. Now that’s some swag.

Blogher 2010 – New York, NY

Where do I even begin? Blogher 2010 was absolutely incredible! From the great seminars, inspiring keynotes, the celebrities, fun exhibit halls and I can’t forget the swag. This was the best conference I have ever been to (and I’ve planned conferences). San Diego Blogher 2011 here I come!

It was so nice to finally meet some of my tweeps face to face, plus make some new friends. Plus the hubs and I had a little date night Friday and headed over to China Grill. The food was amazing and their mango martini to die for. People have asked me what the highlight of my trip was and I don’t have one. I have a gazillion!

Due to all the fun things I want to talk about relating to Blogher 2010, I’m going to break it down in different posts based on topic. Stay tuned!