As promised in my last post, I’ve put together a fun little video showing moments from the 3 day GHC event in Orlando, Florida. This will be the first video out of 3 that I’m putting together. The next two videos will be on tips and tricks for the conference, followed by a swag haul discussion.
Overall, the conference was fun, eye opening, and sprinkled with some inspiring tales and speakers. Would I go again? You’ll have to stay tuned for a future video, but I would say that if you’re a young student graduating soon and looking for a job, it’s worth your time!
Tomorrow morning I head off to the airport to go to my first professional conference. I’ll be heading to Orlando, Florida to attend the Grace Hopper Conference, the largest conference for women in Tech! I’m super excited, but also nervous.
As someone who considers themselves an introvert, this is going to be quite the adventure for me.
My hopes for Grace Hopper: 1. That I have fun! That’s the most important part. As long as I’m enjoying myself, then it’s worth it! 2. Meet new people and create connections. You never know who you might meet and how that connection could change your future. 3. Learn about interesting tech. From Google Assistant programming to Netflix using technology for storytelling, I can’t wait to see what I learn. 4. Learn about other companies and education programs that lead the way in the world of tech. 5. Become inspired. There will be over 20,000 women in attendance. Working in tech you’re often the only woman in the room, so I’m pumped to be surrounded by so many intelligent, passionate, and confident women.
My goal is to make a few videos about the experience, share some tips, and help future conference goers feel confident and excited. I’ll add these to my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, so make sure to subscribe!
My first Infinitely Loft box has arrived! I signed up on the 16th, and my box was here by the 20th. I love that fast shipping!
Let’s start by discussing the sign up process. After going to the website, there was some basic information about the service and then a subscribe button. Once you’re signed up and you’ve purchased the service you’re able to view the pieces available. That for me was a bit of a negative because there were no samples or items ahead of time to let me see if the service would work for me, but I figured I’d give it a try anyways.
Once you’re logged in, it’s time to build your closet. It’s recommended that you add at least 20 pieces in your closet so you’re guaranteed to get items you want. I had fun looking at the wide variety of items from bottoms (shorts, pants, skirts) to tops and dresses, so I ended up adding 30 items to my closet. There were more pieces I wanted to put in my closet, but my size wasn’t available. I’m not sure if the size will ever become available, or how that works exactly.
Another fun feature is that you can make some of the items a “priority item” which means you want Loft to prioritize those pieces over others if they are available. I did that for a handful of pieces, and got one of them in my box.
Each box has 3 items in it, and when it ships you get an email with a summary showing which items are coming. For me that ruined the surprise a bit, but also set expectations correctly where I could get my gears turning on if these pieces would do the trick for what I had coming up.
As you already know, my box came super fast, which for me is a huge plus. I’ve had trouble with rental dresses for events from Rent the Runway coming on time, and Stitch Fix doesn’t ship super fast since stylists have to spend some time reading your request and picking items, so this was a nice treat!
My first rental box consisted of three short sleeved tops, all size small. Let’s take a peek at what I got.
Top #1
The first top is a white short sleeved shirt with a floral design. The top of the shirt around the neck area is all elastic, which I wasn’t sure I’d like, but it works. It’s a super flowy top and really comfortable and airy. Great for Spring, Summer, and Fall.
Top #2
My favorite top of the bunch is this beautiful green wrap shirt. When I went to put it on, the floss thin “belt loop” on the side snapped, but I just wrapped the ties around myself like normal and everything looked fine. I love how this top flows, and feels. I think it’s definitely something I’d consider purchasing officially. It’s also a top that will work well for a conference I’m holding in a few weeks.
With the rental program, you can buy items you like at a discounted price. This top would set me back $29.50 if I decide to keep it. A really great price, and about half as much as most of the tops I get from Stitch Fix.
Top #3
The last top is similar to the second, but there’s a few differences that make a major difference. On top #2 there’s a little snap at the chest to keep the shirt closed, this one didn’t have that, instead the chest was gaping open. You can see my bra popping out a bit already in this photo. If I pull the top down to where it should properly sit on me, my chest and bra are on full display. Both tops are the same size, but this one left me feeling exposed. I’d say the cut of this top is also bigger/roomier than the previous, making it too big for a size small. I won’t be wearing this one out unless I wear a camisole under it, so I’ll definitely be returning it.
Final thoughts on box #1: So far, Infinitely Loft has got me curious and wanting more. I didn’t necessarily go into the rental service with plans on keeping everything, but I do like the idea that I can get items for cheap if I fall in love with something. I may opt to keep one to two items this go around. I definitely look forward to getting my next rental box and seeing what’s inside.
Questions you might have: 1. Did the items seem pre-worn? Nope! Everything seemed brand new! 2. Did they smell? No way! Everything smelled fresh and new. The service does clean every item after every rental. 3. Is it worth the price? Based on the fast shipping, and the wide variety of clothing options, I’d say yes, but we’ll see after I get a couple more boxes!
Want to give it a try, and get $20 off your first box? Sign up here!
Fall is only a few days away, and we all know it’s hands down the best season around. With that said, Fall is a time of fashion renewal for me, since I also tend to believe Fall has the best fashion as well!
I recently ordered a Stitch Fix, with goals of getting some pieces for a big work summit I’m planning and hosting early next month, and while some of the pieces were cute, it wasn’t what I was hoping for. Knowing there’s not much time between now and my upcoming travels, I wondered what else is out there that might give me a professional but fun look for some of my big events. I then remembered Loft recently launched a rental program. This Summer I found some super cute pieces at Loft, including my favorite romper ever! Figuring I’ve had luck lately, maybe I should give Loft’s rental program, known as “Infinitely LOFT” a try.
So, I’ve signed up, and now I wait! I’m looking forward to sharing my review with you on Infinitely LOFT, and I’m hoping for the best! What made me decide to give it a try was the fact that if you fell in love with pieces, you could buy them, and buy them at a discount at that! The price point also seemed fairly reasonable at $64.95 a month.
Between my summit I’m holding, and my first Grace Hopper Conference coming up in just a couple of weeks, I need some cute options that I don’t necessarily need to commit to full time. Here’s hoping my first box of 3 rental pieces comes soon! I’ll report back here when they do.
I’ve been on a quest for a long time, I’m talking years, to find a pair of flats that would work for me. For many years I gave up trying to find flats and decided to just wear sneakers or boots. One of the main reasons for giving up on flats was due to them never quite fitting my very narrow feet. My heels and ankles are really skinny and narrow. It’s made finding flats that don’t slip or flap off almost impossible.
Eventually, I discovered Tieks. They seemed interesting so I gave them a try. Overall, they looked ok, came in a ton of colors, but I had and still have problems with them.
Tieks don’t come in half sizes. These are the one pair of shoes I’ve found that I could actually benefit from a half size in. Usually I’m a solid 7 in everything, but their 7 is a bit tight, and an 8 is too loose around the middle of the shoe.
Not washable. My feet sweat like crazy in Tieks. I’m assuming it’s because they are so tight and are made of leather.
You need to break them in, at least I had to. Some people have had really great luck with Tieks and can wear them out of the box; not me. I’ve had to wear Tieks around my apartment in socks, and then usually stick some big fluffy socks in the toe sections when I’m not wearing them just to give them a little extra wiggle room when they are brand new.
They hurt my heels. Yes, I could put bucket this in with item #3 but I felt this needed it’s own callout. I’ve had grooves in the back of my heels and blisters from Tieks.
While I do have 4 pairs of Tieks, I was still on a mission to see if there was anything better out there. I had seen a number of ads for Rothys and I kept wondering if they were too good to be true. Their price tag, like Tieks, is on the steeper side so I wasn’t sure if it was going to be worth taking the plunge, but their return policy seemed pretty liberal so that was in the back of my mind. Then a couple of months ago, my friend and coworker got a pair and they looked pretty nice. They seemed to work out well for her, and she had no complaints so I figured what do I have left to lose.
Well, I took the plunge and I bought a pair of “The Point” shoes in Orchid, a beautiful purple. My research on the site showed that the company, and customers, recommended going with the Point version if you have narrow feet. When I pulled mine out of the box, they were literally the most comfortable flats I ever put on my feet. From the first moment I tried them on I literally had no complaints. I leapt and danced through my apartment. Still skeptical though, because in the past flats have felt ok temporarily, but then after a full day wearing them I wish I hadn’t, I decided to bring them to the office. You can return Rothys as long as you haven’t worn them outside and they are still in new condition. I packed them up in my bag and slipped them on when I got to my desk. Here’s what went down.
There was no heel slippage. My shoes stayed on my feet successfully.
No noticeable pain, although one foot felt a little tight near the toe area on one side. The site suggests sizing up a half size in The Point but I was too nervous so I didn’t.
My feet sweated a bit, but I felt the shoe was more breathable than Tieks.
I’m now on my third full day of wearing Rothys and I can officially say I’m a fan. Here’s why I recommend them:
No heel pain. None! This is unheard of for me.
No heel slippage. There’s a nice heel backing in the shoe that makes things stay in place.
Super comfortable! After wearing them for extended periods of time I have no complaints and they do stretch a bit, in a good way.
True to size for me, but if you have a wider foot, going up a half size is probably a better idea.
Washable! Apparently you can throw these suckers into the washing machine!
Removable insert – and you can buy different color ones if you’re into spicing it up a bit.
They are actually comfortable.
When I bought my pair, since I was still skeptical, I looked for a coupon code to get some money off. A lot of people post links to get $20 off so I was able to find one pretty quickly. If you want $20 off your first order to make it a little less pricey, check out my link! As a disclaimer, we both get $20 🙂
I’ve been on a quest for a long time, I’m talking years, to find a pair of flats that would work for me. For many years I gave up trying to find flats and decided to just wear sneakers or boots. One of the main reasons for giving up on flats was due to them never quite fitting my very narrow feet. My heels and ankles are really skinny and narrow. It’s made finding flats that don’t slip or flap off almost impossible.
