Metamorphisis: Unity Through Fashion

This weekend our school hosted, Metamorphisis: Unity Through Fashion. A Fashion Show geared toward unifying and soldifying bonds in the BC community. Fashions from: Kenneth Cole, French Connection UK, Banana Republic, Kearen Millen, Vince, OZOK, Merge, Neiry Clothing, CACHE and BCBG Maxazria were showcased. Below are a few of my favorite snapshots. Enjoy!

Persol: Made in the Shade

So the weather has been incredible and I need some new sunglasses. I decided on getting a nice pair of Persols. Why you ask? Because not only are they a classic, but they are also entirely too fly.

History: Persol is an Italian eyewear company specializing in sunglasses. The name is derived from "per il sole," which, in Italian, means "for the sun." Formed in 1917 by Giuseppe Ratti, Persol originally catered to pilots and sports drivers. Presently, the company is famous for its durable sports sunglasses. Its trademark is the silver arrow, and several of the company's glasses feature this symbol.

Link:http://www.persol.com/USA/home.asp

Investing is the New SHOPPING

So we all continually swipe our credit cards, buying merchandise from our favorite stores, but do we ever stop to think about the corporate company that controls this merchandise? Last week, I hosted a panel on the basics of investing with a focus primarily on retail companies. We looked at popular brands at Boston College such as Steve Madden, Coach, and J.Crew Group, which are also top tier companies that are doing particularly well in the market. Our goal was to educate women on how to research if a company is a good investment, and what they did to battle the reccesion. One example was Steve Madden's launch of their new men's boot line.

By looking at recent articles in the Wall Street Journal we were able to see the rise in the retail industry, and the article infact exclaimed how J Crew had gotten its "swagger" back. Whether or not this is the first time swagger had been used in the WSJ is questionable, but what is definite is the importance of understanding this growth.

So why is "Investing the New Shopping"? Our goal is to encourage people to invest in the company rather the product in order to further increase their future assets. You could spend $100 on a pair of jeans from JCrew today, but 10 years from now, those pants may not fit you, or maybe out of style. If you had invested that $100, you could possibly have over $1,000 which would be able to by you even more products that you desire. So start shopping around for companies and start investing.

Here's a little food for thought:

Scenario 1: Start Investing at age 40

Scenario 2: Start Investing at age 30

Scenario 3: Start Investing NOW

Start investing at 20, retire with 2million!!!Lets just let that simmer.