Twinkle By Wenlan

I love celebrities. New York is the perfect city for me because if you’re paying attention you can always spot someone famous. So, you can imagine my excitement when I heard about all the cool girls coming out to our Twinkle Pop-Up Shop party at Cadillac’s Castle! Among the guests were Alexis Bledel, (who is so gorgeous!) Katrina Bowden from 30 Rock, Erin Lucas from the first season of The City, Yin Chang (Also known as Nelly Yuki from Gossip Girl) Kelly Bensimmon from Real Housewives, supermodel Veronica Webb and Shailene Woodley from Secret Life of the American Teenager. Erin and I chatted about her mint green mani (she said she hates dark nail colors because they always chip) and I was surprised at how friendly everyone was! Not bad for a day in the life of a lowly intern!

Katrina Bowden, Yin Chang and Erin Lucas Pose by Twinkle’s Christmas Tree.

Kelly Bensimmon shopping the Pop-Up Shop.

Katrina Bowden loves Twinkle’s Chunky Knits!

Veronica Webb trying on a Chunky Knit hoodie.

Erin Lucas picked up some flirty blouses.

Katrina Bowden and Alexis Bledel

Wenlan with Kelly Bensimmon

Wenlan with Shailene Woodley

by Lauren

My time at Twinkle thus far has been a compilation of so many different experiences— surviving the sample sale, design development, rendering flats, sketching design ideas…etc. When I started this internship I was unsure of what to expect, especially considering this is my first design internship. All I knew was that I wanted it to be a learning experience that went beyond the fundamentals of the classroom. That is exactly what this internship has become for me. I don’t think there has been one day when I haven’t learned something from the people here. It might not always pertain to fashion design, but I certainly value everything I have gained from this experience. Plus, who doesn’t love an internship where there are always snacks and you don’t have to run for coffee unless it is your own.

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by Chelsea

As a small town girl from Connecticut by way of Michigan, New York City is sort of magical, especially during the holidays. As the train rumbles and squeals beneath me on my way to the Twinkle office, the buzz of the morning rush is palpable.

During the winter months, the sun sets early, and as I walk back to Grand Central Terminal from Twinkle, the bright lights of the city are my holiday lights. I usually get home and eagerly tell my loved ones of the funny moments and wonderful experiences I had during the day and, sometimes, during my nightly slumber, I find my real life blurring into an enchanted dreamland. I am usually wearing one of my favorite Twinkle dresses, like the ‘Classically Stated’ dress from Fall ’09, and doing all the romantic touristy thing with some handsome mystery man who’s bound to sweep me off my Christian Louboutined feet— care for a carriage ride around Central Park?

When I awake, I realize it was all a dream. It doesn’t bother me, though, because soon enough I’ll be back in NYC, my real Prince Charming, and having a blast while interning at Twinkle HQ.

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by Madeleine

While interning with Twinkle by Wenlan, I’ve discovered an added bonus to working in the pulsating whirlwind of the garment district: walking on the street is like attending a never-ending fashion show. Okay, so not everyone can runway stomp like the pros but the looks are there. With magazine editors, stylists and fashion students adorning the sidewalks like accessories, I enjoy watching the seasons and trends take flight and wear out – each with the wearer’s personal touch. But with this excitement comes a bit of pressure: there’s no such thing as “casual Friday”!

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With the Spring 2010 fashion show and after party and the release of Wenlan’s newest book Twinkle Sews, the past month or so has been beyond crazy at Twinkle HQ. Luckily, I do my best work when most people would feel like their heads are spinning.

Among all the chaos there are a couple perfect moments of solace and pride.

The first moment, was seeing the lovely Janeil strut down the Bryant Park catwalk in the ending look of Twinkle’s Spring 2010 collection (wearing the black & white ‘Second Half’ dress). Seeing everything go according to plan and look amazing, I just knew the fashion gods must have been looking down at us with a giant grin and two thumbs up.

My other perfect Twinkle moment was walking into the after party, feeling the base of whatever the DJ was spinning in my chest, hearing everyone having a fantastic time, and being able to celebrate a job well done with everyone, who I know has worked so hard.

I’d love to say things are calmer, but here at the hive, we’re busy, busy bees and we never stop coming up with ideas on how to make your life “twinkle” just a bit more!

by Chelsea Rae Simmons

It’s only the middle of my second day at Twinkle, and already I can tell this is going to be a great way to spend the rest of my summer.  As a fashion design major, watching designers at work –and helping them!—is an amazing experience.

Yesterday, despite being beyond nervous to start my new design internship, everyone was super welcoming to me as the new kid.  My tasks so far have been great, I was so surprised that I actually got to draw a bit for my first ever Twinkle assignment.  Later in the day I tried to wow with my Photoshop skills, but I wound up accidentally erasing my work, definitely not how I wanted to make a first impression!  Fortunately, day two has gone more smoothly and my nerves have dissipated, thanks to everyone’s kindness.

I have to say, Twinkle provides the perfect environment for a summer internship, as its creative, friendly, and air conditioned!  I’m still learning the ropes but I look forward to getting a taste of what life is like in the (stylish) shoes of a designer.  Wish me luck!

Stacey

In front of the design wall

Everyone knows that New York City becomes a little bit frenzied with fashion shows during Fashion Week in the Fall and Spring.  But what about the time in between?  New collections of clothes are coming out all the time – and, as I’ve learned, designers can’t possibly wait for those two crazy times of year to debut them all.

So that’s why Twinkle by Wenlan hosted a presentation last week to show off our brand new Holiday 2009/Resort 2010 collections.  To prepare, we sent out email invitations to stylists, fashion directors from magazines, and more.  We emptied our entire showroom of our Fall clothes/knits/Twinkle Living pillows and blankets, brought in the Holiday and Resort racks, rearranged the tables and jewelry, moved the mannequins from their perch by the window and changed their outfits (and I didn’t drop any of the arms this time!).  We also booked two models, Roza and Dierdre, to wear all of the clothes throughout the afternoon.

Bright and early on the day of the presentation, a makeup artist, hairdresser and photographer arrived to do their own tasks: the models had to be ready for photos so our design team could create a “look book” – a collection of photos of each outfit we have to make it easier for magazines and stylists to see all of the clothes that Twinkle has to offer.  And our own preparation continued down to the very last second: even just 10 minutes before the presentation began, I was busy steaming all of the wrinkles out of the clothes while the other interns were in the office making sure the models’ shoes, pantyhose, and accessories were all in order.

Making sure that we were completely ready to host the presentation was really hectic, but once we were out in the showroom greeting guests and in the office helping the models get changed, it was all worth it.  On the ride home that day, I was sleepy but really satisfied: working as an intern at Twinkle and helping to make all of this exciting stuff happen convinces me more and more each day that this busy, high-speed, crazy fashion industry is definitely where I’m meant to be!

Twinkle Holiday/ Resort Presentation

It’s been a week and a day working at PR department at Twinkle. Incredibly, I feel like I’ve been here for a long time. Believe or not, there was no nervousness on my first day. Twinkle has such a super duper familiar atmosphere.
As a person who majored in law and Business Administration, it was never easy to get a chance working in the fashion field. I really appreciate that I can work with passionate fashion people and amazingly helpful with the other PR interns.

Working at Twinkle can’t be bored! Because everyday different missions are waiting for us.  Like Stephanie told me on the other day, “PR is all about details”. Yes, we have to be well organized as much as human being can. That’s truly right. I’m slowly growing up with exciting Twinkle job and people in here.

So far, my first intern experience is pretty hilarious with Twinkle =)

Ellie S. Jo

Ellie in Twinkle Showroom

Whenever I start my very first day at a new job, I always feel the same way: a little nauseous.  It’s a dash of nerves and a ton of excitement that mix together and make me so ready to get to work…but that, at the same time, make me sort of want to turn around and forget about the whole thing.
But I’m always so glad I didn’t, especially with my new internship with Twinkle by Wenlan’s Public Relations team!  Believe it or not, my first day included going through racks of clothes (to get familiar with all of Twinkle’s pieces, fabrics, and styles, and to help display some of Twinkle’s new Holiday collection), reading magazines (to learn all about each magazine’s personality in case they request clothes to use in an issue), playing with a dog (Milan, Wenlan’s mischievous and very adorable French Bulldog), and going on Facebook (to brainstorm ideas for Twinkle by Wenlan’s official Facebook page). Really, who wouldn’t want this job?
While I know every day here won’t always be filled with tasks like these, I am beyond thrilled to discover all that working for Twinkle will teach me this summer.  Even on my train ride home on my first day, I was already excited to go back!  There’s so much to do and so much to learn…and I can’t wait to get a little more experience every day.

Lauren Carney

Lauren’s First Day at Twinkle

My last day at Twinkle brought to mind all the experiences I’ve had here over the past couple months. I have seen a collection from sketches on a board to being presented before the press and everything in between. I feel that all of my design skills were used to their fullest advantage while I was here. I was so inspired by the entire Twinkle staff and how they all work together to produce such a fun quirky product. So thank you for letting me be on your team and for keeping my hands knitting!

Annalise Frank

Annalise Knitting