It’s Vegas, baby!
for those of you who don’t know, I’m a Senior Stylist with Stella & Dot and these past few days, I was in the never-boring Las Vegas for our annual conference, Hoopla!
It’s where stylists from all around the country gather to celebrate their achievements, share their successes, learn about the brand’s newest innovations, ogle the gorgeous new Fall Collection AND the most fun part, getting together with stylists that you may have never seen in person after “meeting” online thru Stella & Dot groups, Facebook and Instagram.
So on Wednesday afternoon,
my anxiety ridden self jumped on a plane in NYC (I’m a nervous flyer) and headed off to Vegas!
And let me be real with you, I had a really hard time leaving my husband and the boys. I felt that mom guilt that all hits us and sobbed while Facetiming them before boarding my flight. I’m very lucky that I have an incredibly supportive husband who pushes me to do the things that I love and does whatever he needs to to make that happen (i.e., wrangling the boys and not killing them while I’m off on the other side of the country). He reminded me (multiple times) that I needed to go to Hoopla, that I deserved the trip and that under no circumstances was I to go to Gucci.
Dress | Cardigan | Sandals | Tote | Getaway Bag | Earrings | Bracelet | Sunnies | Mug
So that night, I walked out of McCarran Airport into 106 degree heat – like how do you live in that?! – and immediately spotted all of my Getaway-clad Stella sisters.
These girls are ah-mazing.
Whether we know each other or not, we immediately embrace each other and want to know everything about each other’s lives. I was lucky enough to room with two girls from my team that are from California and if I wasn’t in Vegas, I most likely would never get to meet them! So we headed to registration, took lots of pic in front of all the gorgeous backdrops S&D had set up throughout the MGM Grand Conference Center, grubbed on margs and tacos before passing out at 9pm – the time change really kicked my butt when I arrived. All good though since I needed my rest for Thursday’s jam packed schedule!
ps: they didn’t have the best lighting in the conference center so I apologize for the poor picture quality
So Thursday,
we hit the ground running…with Starbucks in hand, of course. (Word to the Wise about Starbucks at Hoopla: the earlier you go, the shorter the line) After that, we were welcomed at our First Time Attendee session where we learned the official “Hoopla Dance” – yes, its a thing and don’t roll your eyes bc we danced nonstop the entire conference. if you didn’t know the dance, you most likely felt a little silly bc we were all loving it! Oh yeah, there’s a song too. “Most Girls” – look it up, its such a #bossbabe anthem! We also got our first bit of swag – a leather, reversible bracelet!
Dress | Heels | Bracelet | Necklace (vintage Stella & Dot)
Ok next, on to the General Session which kicked off in the most exciting way!
If you know our Chief Inspiration Officer, Danielle Redner, than knowing that she would go skydiving and film her experience just for Hoopla wouldn’t surprise you in the least bit!
This woman is incredible.
She is unapologetically fearless and loves doing whatever she can to help stylists succeed! She got me right from the beginning with one line:
“You weren’t put here to be pretty, you were put here to be BOLD”
Like mic drop, done. It could’ve ended right here and I would’ve been content, but this was just the beginning!
Add in an incredibly amazing talk from our CEO, Jessica Herrin that encompassed everything about sisterhood and generations of bold women and did not leave one dry eye in the place.
We kept going with celebrating our leaders and last but not least, a Fashion Show that blew us away.
Models? Nah, that’s not how we roll.
Why would we use models when we can use our real-life stylists in every shape, size and color?!!
You may be thinking, a fashion show for jewelry?
YES PEOPLE!
First of all, how can you know what to wear with the new pieces and how to layer them up without a fashion show?
Second, in this year’s show, all of the models were wearing tops by Stella & Dot!
Yup, you read that right:
TOPS by STELLA & DOT!!!!
We are moving in such an amazing direction to be a one-stop shopping resource for our customers.
Why would we do that?
Because you are BUSY! We all are!
We don’t want to go to the mall for hours on end, dealing with traffic and big crowds. We want easy, affordable style with accessories delivered to us directly where all we need to do is checkout.
Well ladies, it’s coming within the next month or so.
Now you have no excuse to not be fashionable!
From there, we picked up our SWAG BAGS – think a few pieces from the new line and the necessities, i.e. food, water, dry shampoo and eye treatments – no matter who you are, you WILL have dark circles and/or bags after Hoopla!
We then got to view the New Fall Collection. I am so excited to give you the scoop on these pieces and the trends attached to them!
First,
the essentials.
Not everyone likes a statement necklace, some gals want simple pieces to wear every day from work to a play date to the shore. We’ve updated the silhouettes and added new finishes.
You like sparkle? We added some pave too!
Simple, lightweight earrings, engravable bangles, arm parties and pendant necklaces.
Next,
mixed metals.
Its not just about silver and gold. Now there’s rose gold, hematite and bronze. Beautiful finishes that work together! Rose Gold and Silver is like insanely beautiful together.
Not sure how to mix these? That’s what I’m here for, duh!
Last, we went for
whimsy.
Bird motifs will be everywhere this fall and our Monroe Necklace (aka my favorite piece) seals that trend in place! I mean, have you ever seen such a beautiful necklace before?
Too much for your taste?
Our Pave Lark Bracelet is so elegant with a hint of edge.
Still not sold?
Our new love birds print on a Getaway Bag or Hideaway Pouch (or both!) is for you!
And then,
tops!
OMG you guys.
These tops are so well made with quality fabrics, are on-trend but can be worn by a 20yr old and a 50yr old! Even better? They fit sizes 0-20 and are incredibly affordable!
I could go on and on about how amazing the line is, but you’ll just have to see it for yourself!
Jumpsuit | Crossbody | Sandals | Necklace | Earrings
Ok, back to Hoopla:
We finished out the afternoon with breakout sessions on different topics to help us stylists be as successful as we’d like in our personal businesses.
Don’t you love that?
YOU decide how you work it and run it to fit your life!
Add in a cocktail party at the pool followed by a team dinner and then we were ready to crash hard!
Day Two aka Friday
started with more Collection Viewing followed by more breakout sessions.
It might be tempting to someone to blow these off and sleep in, but I am SO glad we decided not to because the information that was shared in these sessions is really helpful to those of us who are ready to push our business to the next level! From time management, how to build your team, how our products are made, growth marketing to a trends masterclass, we covered it all!
Dress | Sandals | Necklace | Bracelet 1 and 2 | Earrings
After lunch, we were lucky enough to come together with our Keep Collective sisters to hear Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, speak about happiness and how it effects your success.
Don’t roll your eyes, this guy was amazing!
Yes, its almost engrained within us to look straight for the negative in our lives, but if you stop and notice what we should be grateful and happy about, you can totally change your way of thinking.
“Happiness is the joy you feel moving towards your potential”
His challenge for us to create substantial positive change was just what this girl needed, that’s for sure!
Now, you may be sitting there thinking, “But I thought Brene Brown was speaking at the conference?”
Well she was, but you know, life happens and Brene had a little mishap that resulted in a concussion and she couldn’t fly. So after an 18hr trip, Shawn made it to Vegas and killed it!
And if you have anything negative to say about the speaker switch than I highly suggest you read Shawn’s book!
After that, we went into some new tech updates which are changing the Stella & Dot game and making a stylist’s job even easier and more fun (I know, is that even possible?!!)
Then we talked what’s coming and you need to listen up for sure:
Our world is moving towards Fast Fashion.
Fast Fashion is the constant flow of NEW.
Women are dressing outside of normal “styles” these days.
You don’t always have to be preppy, classic, boho or edgy anymore. Women want to dress each day according to their mood so there’s this need for new.
You see it all the time. Target has new arrivals every week. Boutiques sell out of their new arrivals within minutes of being released online.
So with this shift in retail, we’ve gotta keep up.
How are we doing this?
Monthly Style Drops
Affordable, Limited Edition pieces released each month and guaranteed to sell out.
So when you hear me tell you, “if you want these, get on it now” it truly means, IF YOU WANT THESE GET ON IT NOW!
Also coming up in the fall, our Bright Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Boutique (with even more options than ever), more tops AND a Collaboration with Rebecca Minkoff!!!!!
My jaw hit the floor on this one!
If you know me, you know I loooooooooove Rebecca Minkoff so this is a dream come true!
So needless to say, with all these announcements, we all left full of energy and excitement!
This was perfect because Friday night was Stella & Dot Girls Night Out at Hakkasan!
So we got all decked out, went to dinner and hit “da club!”
….for about TWENTY MINUTES.
Hey, I’m old, I was still running on East Coast time, my feet were killing me from wearing heels all week and a crowded, smoky club just doesn’t do it for me anymore!
Dress | Heels | Clutch | Earrings | Bracelet
Saturday morning
came quicker than I expected and we finished out our trip with a walk down the strip for some amazing people watching….and sending a pic of the Gucci store to the hubs to tease him and immediately getting a “WHAT DID YOU DO” text. For the record, I didn’t even go in the store, I just like driving my husband crazy.
So here I am, on a flight back to NYC and so excited to be greeted by the hubs and my boys bc I’m missing them like crazy at this point!
What am I bringing back with me other than some swag?
I’m on a Stella high right now.
I have the tools and inspiration to help other women build a business that works for their life.
I came for the jewels, I stayed for the community.
Its not just about the jewelry, I mean, its an added bonus, but these women. I can’t even put it into words.
Support, encouragement and lots of style are just a few things they offer. Every single one of them will share what works for them, how they are able to work a regular job, take care of their families, make it to all of their kids games and play dates and still have time to share the style with women in their communities (in real life and online). The money they make pays for groceries, cable bills, dance lessons, college tuition, vacations, LV bags and more.
There’s literally no way to say this without sounding sales-y, but NOW is the time to get involved.
The innovation coming in August is a game changer for us and there’s never been an easier way to make this business work for you.
When asked what my “why” was before, I would tell you that I’m a stylist to show other women and moms that they can look and feel good but just accessorizing their simple, everyday t-shirt and jeans.
Now if you were to ask me what my “why” is, it still includes helping women to look and feel their best, but also while building a life that they love and are proud of.
Anyone who has seen my transition from a 8-4 job to what I’m doing now immediately says “You are glowing! You look so happy and energized and fulfilled” and that’s because I AM!
This is my niche and I run my business how I like it and I love it!
So that’s all I’ve got for you and if you’re still reading this, THANK YOU!
I had to fill a 4.5 hour fight somehow!
Also, a little quick tip:
While I linked up the actual white and red dresses that I wore during Hoopla, I have a secret:
I rented them!
I’m sorry, I cannot spend $200+ each on dresses that I’ll only be able to wear once! So I rented them both for a quarter of the cost! I was nervous about doing so, but it was SO easy and even better, I’m giving you $30 off your next order!
Have any questions about how it works, comment below and I’ll fill ya in!
ps: The Fall Collection is available Tuesday, July 18th HERE
xoxo, jillian
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