Author: Sammy Walsh

TWENTY QUESTIONS—Sammy Walsh, CollegeFashionista Brand Marketing Director

It’s STYLE GURU BIO week here at CollegeFashionista. While we are busy getting to know the #RAD team of 2,000+ Style Gurus who make up our #GuruGang this spring, we figured it would be a great time for you to learn a little bit more about the team here at CollegeFashionista!

All week long, as you read the bios of your favorite Style Gurus, be sure to check out the homepage as we play “20 Questions” with a member of the CollegeFashionista team.

Next up is our very own Brand Marketing Director/social media extraordinaire/cat lady, Sammy Walsh. Besides her taste (questionable) in reality TV and celebrity gossip, Sammy has a lot of random interests and fun facts she divulges in our latest round of 20 Questions below!

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Most worn item in your closet? Distressed boyfriend jeans from Urban Outfitters – I’m on my second pair.

What are you currently reading? I accidentally have three books going, which I really hate and don’t know how it happened. They’re Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling, The Andy Cohen Diaries by Andy Cohen and Happily Ali After by Ali Wentworth.

Last show you binge watched? Flipping Out. Jeff Lewis is the greatest person ever, and I wish we were friends.

What is on your nightstand? Water, Balm DotCom from Glossier, my phone and work phone, 5,000 to-do lists and sometimes Franny, my cat.

What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Check my phones. I usually wake up convinced there’s been some kind of emergency.

Always up for…sleeping.

Never up for…drinking/partying – I was born an 80-year old woman.

Weirdest thing you have ever eaten? I’ll try any kind of cheese – the older and weirder, the better.

Life motto? Beauty fades, dumb is forever.

Best gift you have ever received? My engagement ring!

Best way to decompress? I love to watch mindless TV after a long day. Cleaning also does wonders for my soul.

What is your spirit animal? North West on her way to ballet class.

Celebrity crush? Walter the Chiweenie – @walterthechi.

Pet peeve? People who don’t listen.

I never leave the house without….doing my makeup and hair. I got it from my mama.

Favorite app? Dropbox. Nerdy and not super chic, but nothing give me more happiness than organizing photos from my phone.

Most random fact about yourself? I talk in my sleep. A lot.

Roses or orchids? Roses, especially the ones from my secret bodega. They’re $12 for two dozen and live forever 🙂

What color did you wear to your prom? Leopard print, obviously. (And Aisha wanted to make sure I added that I was prom queen.)

Biggest learning experience of your life? Living in New York has been, and continues to be, a constant learning experience.

Kitchy Kitchen: Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins

You’re obsessed. It’s ok, so is the person next to you. And that person over there.

Pumpkin Spice Latte. Yep, other than fall TV, I can’t think of a better harbinger of the change of the seasons.  Few things say SUMMER IS OVER like a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Here’s the thing though…I’m not big on them.  I like my coffee with a little milk, no sugar, so these whipped cream dolloped confections aren’t for me. But, it did get me thinking about how delicious those flavors could be in another form, and here I am with my muffins.  My friend Callie got me hooked on cappuccino muffins, her favorite afternoon treat when she lived in Amsterdam.  So I took the cappuccino muffin as my base, and pumpkin spiced it out.  It’s the perfect muffin to enjoy with a cup of coffee. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

[NOTE] For 12 cupcake sized muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup  brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon clove

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons espresso powder

4 ounces unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

INGREDIENTS (MAPLE CINNAMON GLAZE)

2 ounces unsalted butter

2/3 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Pre heat oven to 375 F

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, clove, and cardamom. In another bowl, combine milk, pumpkin and espresso powder until coffee is dissolved. Add the butter, egg and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

If you want to top them with the glaze, combine the ingredients in a small pot over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer until everything comes together.  Dip the tops of the muffins in the glaze and let it cool to set. Enjoy!

#CFASHIONISTAGRAM: Dorm Sweet Dorm

Going to college is synonymous with living in a small space. Check out our inspiration for making your dorm or apartment as fab as you are. Check out Style Guru Lauren Snyder’s serious style while you’re at it! Need some words of wisdom? We’ve got you covered.

How do you make your small space cool? Show us on Instagram! Be sure to tag @CFashionista and #CFashionistaGram, and we’ll #regram our faves.

COLLEGEFASHIONISTA TEAM: Sammy

It doesn’t seem so long ago that I sat in my dorm room in Madison, Wisconsin and wrote my first Style Guru Bio. The fact that I’m now writing an updated version as the Social Media Director of CollegeFashionista in my New York City office is crazy.

I started interning for CollegeFashionista one month after the site launched. Throughout my four years of school at the University of Wisconsin, I watched CollegeFashionista grow from a small blog at ten colleges to an international brand within the fashion industry. It was an absolute thrill for me to intern for a company I believed in so strongly. Of course I will always value my college education, but in all honesty, my CollegeFashionista education will always mean a little bit more.

It was a dream come true to graduate, pack my bags and move to New York City to begin working for CollegeFashionista this past July.  Everyday is busy and challenging, but it couldn’t be more fun – no matter how insane the day is, we always manage to find time for new music and sweet treats.

2014 is going to be a huge year. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for CollegeFashionista, our Style Gurus and the street style to come.

COLLEGEFASHIONISTA NEXT: Sammy Luterbach

The four year anniversary of CollegeFashionista is just around the corner. Whenever this time comes around, I think back to those early days when CollegeFashionista launched at just five campuses. And while the site has since grown to over 500 campuses around the world, I will always cherish those first few Style Gurus who took a chance on CollegeFashionista as much as I took a chance on them.

Sammy Luterbach is one of those first people who cold emailed me asking to be a Style Guru. Since then, Sammy has written just about every category for the site, been a social media intern, planned campus events, participated in numerous brand campaigns and immersed herself in all things CollegeFashionista related. She accepted every position with grace, rose to every challenge and was always someone the company could always depend on. Even as an intern, Sammy became such an instrumental part the team, that even my own parents knew her by first name. So naturally, when Sammy graduated in May, we couldn’t have asked for a better person to officially join the CollegeFashionista family. (We are currently looking into hyphening her last name to Luterbach-Levin.)

We would like to officially welcome Sammy, CollegeFashionista’s Social Media Director and Editorial Assistant, to the team. We couldn’t be more thrilled. To learn more about Sammy and her journey to CollegeFashionista, read her story below.

It sounds so cliché, but growing up, I never wanted to do anything but work in fashion. Well, I did want to be a paleontologist for a while, but that was pretty short lived (I’m almost positive a pair of platform Skechers convinced me otherwise).  I spent all my extra time devouring fashion magazines and books, learning everything I could about the industry and taking fashion design lessons. Of course, I had my fair share of naysayers who said I should not and/or could not pursue a career in fashion, but I was absolutely positive that I was going to be the next great designer.

After majoring in fashion design for a year at a school in Milwaukee, something felt off, so I made the decision to transfer to the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Before I started school there, I made a day trip to the city with friends to try to find a job; little did I know I was actually stumbling upon the beginnings of my career. A boutique I wanted to work at wasn’t hiring, but one of the employees there wrote for CollegeFashionista. She asked to take my friend’s photo for the site, and the rest is history. I became a Style Guru one month after the site was launched almost four years ago.

I threw myself into my internship with CollegeFashionista, excitedly accepting new positions and responsibilities as they came, promoting the site around campus, participating in everything the site had to offer and begging for more work. I never took a break from CollegeFashionista – I felt like I would have died if I did. I jumped at the chance to be Head Style Guru at UW-Madison, then a Social Media Intern and then Head Social Media Intern.  After a year and a half with CollegeFashionista, I knew I belonged in a different part of the industry. I no longer wanted to be a designer (which was a major shock to me); I knew that blogging and social media are definitely my calling. With a quick switch of my major during my junior year, I put blinders on and made CollegeFashionista my number one focus.

I ignored a lot of traditional ideas and values and evaluated all kinds of advice from professors, professionals and friends. People told me I was putting too much emphasis on my work with CollegeFashionista; they suggested more internships to become well rounded, starting my own blog, etc. But I always did what felt right in my heart and gut. I couldn’t be happier that I did, because it landed me a position at my dream company: CollegeFashionista.

At the beginning of July, I moved from my hometown in Wisconsin to New York City where I am the Social Media Director and Editorial Assistant for CollegeFashionista. While I’m still new to the city and the position, I couldn’t be more thrilled. Everyday is busy and brings new challenges, but because I’m living my dream, none of that seems to faze me.  I’ve met so many fabulous fashion insiders already and am learning the ropes quickly thanks to the ever-inspiring Amy and Melissa Levin.

The truth of the matter is that it’s not as easy to chase your dreams as you think it will be while growing up. But when you work really hard, learn to accept challenges and changes, listen to your gut and stay focused, you’ll get there.  I can’t wait to see how CollegeFashionista will grow and where it will take me! Stay tuned, readers.

Class of 2013: Sammy

If I could summarize my college experience in one word, it would be long. Don’t get me wrong, I know how lucky I am to have attended one of the best universities in the country, and I am thankful for the opportunities I have been given. But I cannot even explain the pure euphoria I’m feeling over being done after five long years. No more homework, no more exams, no more reading and writing papers until the early hours of the morning. I am ready to hit the real world running.

I transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison after my freshman year and immediately started writing for CollegeFashionista one month after the original site launched. It has been so cool to watch the site start as a small project and grow into a successful company with some serious credibility in the fashion industry. Not only have I been able to report on the street style in Madison for eight semesters and three summers, but also I’ve been able to catch a glimpse and be a tiny part of the fashion industry all while living in Madison. And let’s be real, I did most of my CollegeFashionista work in my apartment while wearing pajamas—does it get any better than that?

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to work in the fashion industry. I thought I wanted to be a designer, but after majoring in apparel design for two and a half years and interning for CollegeFashionista, I knew I belonged in a different part of the industry. Blogging and social media are definitely my calling. With a quick switch of my major during my junior year, I put blinders on and made CollegeFashionista my number one focus. I ignored a lot of traditional ideas and values and evaluated all kinds of advice from professors, professionals and friends. But I always did what felt right in my heart and gut. I couldn’t be happier that I did, because it landed me a position at my dream company: CollegeFashionista. New York, here I come!

Threads Fashion Show Red Carpet Recap

Every year, the Textile and Apparel Design students and Fashion Show Production class put on a spectacular that is not to be missed.  Last Saturday, May 11th, Style Gurus Jamey Hastings, Taylor Viegut and I had the honor of attending this year’s fashion show, Threads: Emerging Designers 2013. Our very own Chelsi Zollner helped in the production of the event. The concept behind the show was that the designers and their work came together like individual threads come together to make cloth. It took place in the beautiful, brand new School of Human Ecology building.

Before the show, we Style Gurus hosted a fabulous red carpet where attendees could get their photo snapped and relish in the glamour and high energy of the night. Check out our photo recap of some of the best-dressed attendees of the night here, and see the full red carpet recap on the University of Wisconsin Fashion Shows Facebook page.

STYLE ADVICE OF THE WEEK: Madison’s Got Style

This is my last post as a University of Wisconsin-Madison Style Guru. It’s so weird to think that I won’t sit down once a week to write an article about a fellow student’s killer style. It’s a custom that I’ve loved from the very first post I wrote. Not only will I miss the fashion analysis, but I will also miss the hunt for the perfect Fashionista/o and imagining how their style reflects who they are. I love figuring out a little bit about strangers from checking out their ensembles.

Strangers on the street are definitely interesting when it comes to figuring out Madison’s style, but I’ve got some fashionable friends and family too who can’t be ignored in my analysis. This Fashionisto is someone who is particularly close to me, and I love checking out his style. Since moving to Madison, his look has evolved from being super classic to nerdy-chic, a look all of us college students can certainly appreciate.

His look is one that all Madison Fashionistos can easily emulate on a chilly spring day. If you ask me, all great outfits start with the perfect pair of dark wash skinny jeans. Buy them a couple inches too long so you can fold them up to achieve the perfect cuff; this is a Madison trend that’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Grab a denim shirt in a light wash and button it all the way to the top; layered underneath a great striped sweater in fresh spring colors, the collar will become a cool focal point. Supergas has quickly becomes a must-have for Fashionistos and Fashionistas alike.  Its classic look goes with any ensemble and makes it quickly scream spring. A great backpack is necessary for all college students also. The one he is carrying is stylish and functional.

Madison is full of style. Even though I won’t be here to point out my favorite looks anymore, you must keep your eyes open. Check out what strangers on the street, your classmates and your friends are wearing. Everyone’s got a story to tell and a statement to make in this city. Let it be heard by appreciating the looks and fashion around you.

STYLE ADVICE OF THE WEEK: Pass With A Flying Color

I think there are a lot of mixed emotions that come with finals week. First of all, it’s a weird week because you’re not following your normal semester schedule and your exams are taking place in strange buildings and classrooms you’ve never even seen before. Why do they do this to us? Is it to add to the amount of stress we’re battling? Is this some kind of survival of the fittest thing? Anyway, your normal days are off. On top of that, there’s the stress of finishing final papers and projects and studying for final exams. Exhaustion is at an all-time high and showering is at an all-time low. But at the same time, sweet, sweet summer is within reach; in fact, it seems to be the only thing your mind can think about. I don’t know about you, but my mind taunts me with thoughts like, “Forget studying; enjoy the terrace while you still can! You deserve some Babcock ice cream.” How am I, or anyone else for that matter, supposed to get anything done with thoughts of cookies and cream dancing around?

Fashion might as well not even exist in the world when exam week commences. The goal is to not leave your dorm or apartment naked. But let’s be real; as the Fashionistas/os of Madison, we just don’t feel right unless we bring a little style to the streets. I think this Fashionisto is great inspiration for a busy mind. His look is super stylish but easy to throw on in the morning and take you through a long day.

Monochromatic ensembles are a major trend for both Fashionistos and Fashionistas lately. I think gray is the perfect choice for guys; it’s just unique enough without being too crazy. Pair some gray skinny jeans with a cool gray pullover. Instead of wearing a button-down and letting the collar peak out to achieve a semi-formal look, wear a polo underneath and let the collar show. The look will be much more casual and cool. This Fashionisto’s choice to finish his outfit off with grayish-green shoes is genius. It adds the right amount of pop a monochromatic outfit needs.

This is the last week of the semester to show your professors and classmates what you’ve got; you might as well do it in style.