Two weeks in

The other day I got to go visit with Greta and Jeanie from the Style and Trend Department. Not only did I get a taste for how shoes.com tracks trends, but I learned a lot about the importance of staying innovative in the fashion footwear industry. Not only does this department research trends in footwear for upcoming seasons, but they also research fashion as a whole so that the shoe trends are relevant to the complete outfit. I had never really thought about how essential this part would be, but who would feel like wearing a gladiator this season if maxi dresses and other boho looks weren't in as well? It makes total sense.

I loved hearing how they go about tracking these trends, utilizing everything from Trend Books published in Europe, magazines and their own personal observations to figure out what people all over the world are wearing. One of my favorite quotes from Greta was that "fashion drives any creative business," meaning that the trends in fashion always translate into the trends in home design, art and architecture, among others. To map out the predicted trends for the staff, they make use of trend boards, like the one in the photo to the left, to forecast how these new styles will be integrated into the lives of their customers. I wanted to bring a trend board to take home with me, but was given something even better--a booklet of the upcoming trends for Fall 2009 and Spring 2010. What is crazy is that they are starting to work on researching what will happen for Fall 2010 right now. These ladies are on top of it!

From constantly researching trends to booking models, the staff of the shoes.com trend department is constantly on their toes. "You really have to be ready for anything," Greta said. She recounted a time where she volunteered to give Fergie a pedicure before she debuted her new line of shoes! What a Renaissance woman.

The bottom line of it all is that by having this department centralized at headquarters, the company is better off because they can keep track on global style from a local platform. I loved spending the afternoon hearing all of the interesting stories Greta and Jeanie had to tell and look forward to talking to them in the future about fashion trends for my own personal benefit! :)

Running in heels...well kinda

The first week of work at Brown Shoe and shoes.com has been such a whirlwind. Not only have I soaked up information like a human sponge, but I actually have been given a task that is of value to me and the company - develop a social marketing strategy for the shoes.com Web site. It may seem like a lofty goal at first, but I am going to try my best to research and institute some innovative new ways to reach our shoe-crazy shoppers.

From day one, everyone has been so friendly and welcoming around the office which has made me feel very comfortable asking for their insight on my ideas. I love my "office" where I sit with Susie and Emily, the content team, who instantly taught me the most important part of the job--buying shoes. It's only been one week and I have already gotten three pairs of Fergies (the Teema, Reem and Milly...SO GREAT!) My supervisor,Courtney, bonded with me from day one when we discussed our passions for all things Marc Jacobs, Hayden-Harnett and Foley + Corinna, and she commented on my crazy aqua toenail polish. It was at that moment that I realized I was really going to enjoy immersing myself into the culture of the trendy staff at shoes.com.

I plan to post text, pictures and videos of my experiences here and hope that they can give you a more in-depth perspective of what life is like behind-the-scenes. Although social media is still unchartered territory in the marketing world and I am a brand new intern at Brown, I am so excited to begin navigating my way through both!