Today I was having an email conversation with some old girlfriends from the States (and I say conversation due to the rapid speed of reply. Usually it is like emailing into a black hole with echoes once in a blue moon), when we came to the age old topic of what we would do if we had no concept of risk and were to start our own business. Thinking of a certain talented photographer mutual friend of ours who is now a sought after wedding photographer fully booked till 2013, I rationed that the first step was to have a talent, and commented that my friend could teach dancing since she’s so good at it. She replied that I could be a fashion consultant, because of my background in fashion blogging. And once again, I felt misunderstood and unworthy of such a comment.

While I may have been an excellent fashion blogger back in the days, the truth is I am not really a real fashionista. I just really like online window shopping (and real shopping when budget allows), making odd observations and offering sensible advice. Most of the time I dress and feel rather drab and boring. You wouldn’t be able to spot me on the streets of Central. It’s not that I don’t have any nice clothes. Just that somehow they just don’t go together very well. Even my mom thinks I don’t dress well and constantly nags me about it (most moms nag about you not eating healthy enough or not working hard enough, but mine nags about why I don’t look celeb fashionable and is my toughest fashion critic). So I end up just wearing the same combo that I know works over and over again. I really get my bang for the buck!

A real fashionista however knows how to mix and match her wardrobe to create refreshing looks everyday (ok maybe not everyday, but at least whenever the mood strikes), mixing colors, prints and layers together that somehow works as if it had been designed for each other. It’s takes talent! She can take a piece that you and I would find awful and dated and make it look retro and modern. It doesn’t even have to be designer. She can put pieces from the vintage store and H&M together, and still look like she’s walking out of a fashion magazine, looking effortlessly cool. Me on the other hand, can have an unlimited budget and walk into Barneys and still come out looking generic or trying too hard. Heads turn on the streets (i.e. my head), when they walk past, trying to get an extra look at  their outfit, and people think  “Now that is one fashionable lady”.

I know I am not a teenager anymore and should not be so easily star struck anymore, but I couldn’t help but feel a little awe by the fact that I was in the same room as Miuccia Prada today. Granted it was a huge room and I barely saw her as someone in the background drone on and on about ebitda with an Italian blur. But still. She was there! The genius who brought back the house of Prada and created Miu Miu (one of the many loves of my life! I even felt a tiny hint of pride when I found out that Miu Miu was the fastest growing brand they had outstripping even Prada itself. I have good taste!)

You have to admit, Miuccia is pretty cool (Hey, at least I am not raving about Justin Beaver here!). I tried explaining how cool this was to the guys around me, but they did not appear to appreciate the situation much. Hello? It’s the female equivalent of seeing Rafael Nadal in real life!

Oh and I was super happy with the gift bag too. We were expecting either nothing or a small keychain, but instead we all got a Prada leather folder/sleeve! My colleague pointed out the fact that they are giving one to everyone must mean that their leather goods seriously don’t cost much to make in the first place. I don’t think I will dwell too much on that though. Personally I don’t even associate Prada with leather goods (mostly nylon goods).Besides, there must be a reason why leather good is their major return driver after all.