Hello, Rue La La lovers! My name is Lauren and I blog over at L.A. in the bay. This past Tuesday I had the wonderful opportunity to attend day one of the Independent Fashion Bloggers Conference in NYC as Rue La La’s Guest Blogger Correspondent.

Today, I will be bringing you a recap of the conference featuring the awesome panelists, quotes to remember, and trends that were spotted. Enjoy!

This is me before the conference, walking the streets of SoHo (my favorite area!) to IFB.

Welcome to #IFBCON! How awesome is that picture on the screen featuring the 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli Satchel and Loeffler Randall Shoes?! IFB definitely got it right with the Pashli Satchel. Next to the Céline, the 3.1 Phillip Lim Satchel was the “it” bag for IFB attendees.

Photo credit: The Subtle Statement 

The first set of panelists discussed “The Future of Digital Fashion.” Panelists included Christine Ng from ShopStyle, fashion and beauty expert Mary Alice Stephenson, Scott Lipps from One Management, Andrea Lavinthal of People.com, Andrea Derricks from L2 Think Tank, Carla Dunham of Saks Fifth Avenue, Karen Robinovitz of Digital Brand Architects, and YM Ousley from Signature9. My favorite of the set was definitely Mary Alice Stephenson (second in from right). Not only is this lady incredibly fabulous, but she’s also SO wise. Some of her words that definitely stuck with me were, “People will shop and buy things if they make a difference in the world. Use your voice in a meaningful way.” Loved this.

Photo Credit: Independent Fashion Bloggers 

 The second set of panelists discussed “The Business of Blogging.” These panelists included Lindsey Calla of Saucy Glossie, Rey Flemings of Stipple, Lalena Luba of BCBGMAXAZRIA, Carol Han of CA Creative, Jessie Artigue of Style & Pepper, Alicia Lund of Cheetah is the New Black, Krystal Bick of This Time Tomorrow, and Erin Hiemstra of Apartment 34. Loved getting to hear some of my favorite bloggers – as well as some real-life friends – speak about their success in blogging.

Bloggers doing what they do best – tweeting and Instagramming. Oh, and speaking of stylish bloggers: I spot a David Yurman cable classics bracelet!

Loved being able to attend the IFB Conference for Rue La La and hear some of the most influential people in the fashion industry speak about what it takes to become a success in this crazy, fast-paced world of fashion. From advice on how to successfully brand yourself to hearing that top brands like BCBGMAXAZRIA desire to work with bloggers, to learning the ins-and-outs of landing a book deal – all were filled with an abundance of knowledge for any blogger wishing for success in the field. I definitely learned a lot and am excited to take what I learned from the conference and apply it to my own blog. Cheers to a successful conference from IFB!