A few weeks ago, I was super honored and incredibly humbled to be asked by Vanity Fair to join their "My Brooks Brothers" movement. For the feature I opened up about one of the most impactful and memorable moments of my career. Below is a snippet from the interview:
"The founder of the inspirational and aspirational lifestyle blog Fash Boulevard, Anna James is a style editor for Lauren Conrad, a successful merchandiser, a brand consultant, and a firm believer in the power of positive thinking. Her impressive career has been marked by a series of sartorially motivated leaps of faith—and a particularly fetching grey, wool skirt that may have been the key to landing her the job of her dreams. Her modish mantra on the path to success: work hard and they will notice.
My career has been a road of pure unpredictability, and my saving grace has always been preparation: confidence for me comes from having a plan. I’m super apprehensive by nature, so I like to stock my closet with outfits that I feel comfortable in—and not necessarily fashion that is au courant.
In fact, a well-turned-out ensemble was the linchpin in one of the most memorable moments in my career—and one that changed the course of my life. It was the gorgeous, grey wool Brooks Brothers pencil skirt and black cashmere sweater that I donned for my college internship interview. Every year, Max Azria picks one intern from thousands of applicants across the country. It’s truly the opportunity of a lifetime for someone interested in fashion, and when I found out that the scout was coming to Auburn my senior year, I knew I needed an outfit that was professional, stylish, and possessed a classic, universal appeal—and one that would help me feel confident, which was crucial. When the day of the interview arrived, it was peppered with bad luck: as I anxiously made my way through campus, I heard a strange snap, which was immediately followed by me falling to the pavement where I discovered the heel of my shoe lying two feet away. There are few things more sartorially frustrating than a broken heel, but I didn’t have time to wallow. I jumped up and ran to the campus store, only to discover a freshly turned “Closed” sign on the door. Thankfully, I waved down an employee, who took pity on me and let me in. Not surprisingly, the campus book store's shoe selection was bleak at best. I had one option; an obnoxious pair of chunky hot pink fabric sandals with the schools logo glittered all over them and an oversized bow draped across the toes. As I sprinted through campus, I got news that they had already decided on an intern from another state and would no longer be holding interviews. Something in my heart told me not to give up and suddenly I found myself chasing down the scout as she hurried to catch a flight. I don’t know if it was my raw emotion or my unbridled moxie at tracking her down—but somehow the impromptu meeting went well and two months later I was headed on a cross-country road-trip to start my new internship in LA. Landing that job was a pivotal moment in launching my career, as it gave me the confidence to keep pushing myself to explore what else I was capable of—which, after a few gut-wrenching events, led me to launching Fash Boulevard. So, whether it’s been curating a great wardrobe or building what has been an incredible career (so far), I am a strong believer in the idea that the best things come from following your heart … and the power of a chic, well-tailored skirt is always a plus!"
To read more about my story, be sure to click here and you can check out the full interview here.
"The founder of the inspirational and aspirational lifestyle blog Fash Boulevard, Anna James is a style editor for Lauren Conrad, a successful merchandiser, a brand consultant, and a firm believer in the power of positive thinking. Her impressive career has been marked by a series of sartorially motivated leaps of faith—and a particularly fetching grey, wool skirt that may have been the key to landing her the job of her dreams. Her modish mantra on the path to success: work hard and they will notice.
My career has been a road of pure unpredictability, and my saving grace has always been preparation: confidence for me comes from having a plan. I’m super apprehensive by nature, so I like to stock my closet with outfits that I feel comfortable in—and not necessarily fashion that is au courant.
In fact, a well-turned-out ensemble was the linchpin in one of the most memorable moments in my career—and one that changed the course of my life. It was the gorgeous, grey wool Brooks Brothers pencil skirt and black cashmere sweater that I donned for my college internship interview. Every year, Max Azria picks one intern from thousands of applicants across the country. It’s truly the opportunity of a lifetime for someone interested in fashion, and when I found out that the scout was coming to Auburn my senior year, I knew I needed an outfit that was professional, stylish, and possessed a classic, universal appeal—and one that would help me feel confident, which was crucial. When the day of the interview arrived, it was peppered with bad luck: as I anxiously made my way through campus, I heard a strange snap, which was immediately followed by me falling to the pavement where I discovered the heel of my shoe lying two feet away. There are few things more sartorially frustrating than a broken heel, but I didn’t have time to wallow. I jumped up and ran to the campus store, only to discover a freshly turned “Closed” sign on the door. Thankfully, I waved down an employee, who took pity on me and let me in. Not surprisingly, the campus book store's shoe selection was bleak at best. I had one option; an obnoxious pair of chunky hot pink fabric sandals with the schools logo glittered all over them and an oversized bow draped across the toes. As I sprinted through campus, I got news that they had already decided on an intern from another state and would no longer be holding interviews. Something in my heart told me not to give up and suddenly I found myself chasing down the scout as she hurried to catch a flight. I don’t know if it was my raw emotion or my unbridled moxie at tracking her down—but somehow the impromptu meeting went well and two months later I was headed on a cross-country road-trip to start my new internship in LA. Landing that job was a pivotal moment in launching my career, as it gave me the confidence to keep pushing myself to explore what else I was capable of—which, after a few gut-wrenching events, led me to launching Fash Boulevard. So, whether it’s been curating a great wardrobe or building what has been an incredible career (so far), I am a strong believer in the idea that the best things come from following your heart … and the power of a chic, well-tailored skirt is always a plus!"
To read more about my story, be sure to click here and you can check out the full interview here.