i-Spotted

Since Cindy Ly started a few months ago in Payroll, she has been the talk of the 11th floor with her adorable fashion sense. Everyday she comes in a new exciting outfit that is completely different from the last. I don't think I've seen her wear the same outfit since she started! So when she approached me the other day about this blog, I knew I had to dedicate a post to her.

She really enjoys working here because of the freedom she has to express herself fashion-wise and the ability to share her style with everyone around her.

When Cindy is not busy crunching numbers you can find her at a few of her favorite stores like Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, and Free People, hunting for the next outfit to wear to work.

Shop on Cindy, shop on!

New Year, New You...Personalize that cubicle!

Oh, the cubicle. That noble 125 cubic feet of space you occupy during most of your waking hours. Behold the grey, the white, the laminate, the medium-density-fiberboard.  How it hearkens to a thousand Ikea displays, of Nordic efficiency – of Mies van der Rohe run amok.

But seriously: who can live in the grey and the white and the beige? We are not PC’s of old – those dull beige boxes, as beautiful as cinder blocks – NO: we are individuals! multi-colored iMacs – to complete the analogy! It’s time we discuss the finer points of interior cubicle decorating.

Picture it: It’s 2012, the glorious (jetpack optional) future, and you are back at the office in the same old cubicle, and staring at the same old… everything. Blech.

Well – this New Year it’s time to de-clutter, re-organize, and en-awesome to create a fantastic fashionable environment for you to do phenomenal work. For those hoarders out there (you know who you are) with your piles of papers, forms, notepads, souvenir post-its from DEF CON 2, please consider this: filing cabinets are designed for files, and pads, and papers, and all the assorted treasures you’ve collected along the way. They’re especially handy for keeping your things at bay so they’re not overflowing onto your desk. And so we don’t have to see them. Think of this: only bring to the office what you need for work. For example, your collection of shot glasses, your empty champagne bottles, your old Starbucks cups (I know the red cup is a special time of year – but really) – these don’t tell us that you are a person of unique interests and charming personality. They tell us you should be on reality television with a therapist and a clean-up crew. Try this instead: have a few photos of family/friends, some tasteful art, maybe even a suitably chosen tschotcke to tell people all about you. You can also always find office supplies customized to your particular tastes too for whatever office vibe you’re going for. Be careful with any awards you display. We may think you’re important; we may also think you’re a jerk, and poison your coffee, or trip you during the annual firedrill.

It just takes a little bit of perception management on your part and your cubicle can be your second home. Since most of us have high traffic at our desks, it’s probably best to keep things clean and simple anyway. Mies van der Rohe had some great ideas after all: minimalism is so the new black.

Ugly Holiday Sweaters

Tis' the season for giving, loving, and appreciating. Tis' also the season for hideous holiday sweaters with ice skating bunny rabits wearing santa hats. So essentially, with the use of these knit, itchy, eye-sores you are 'giving' the gift of laughter to others, 'loving' the fact that you're making people suffer, and 'appreciating' all of it. Here at Internet Brands, we truly enjoy laughing at others, in the nicest way possible of course. So this holiday season, stock up on your ugly holiday sweater essentials and dont hate, appreciate....

While Andy is busy recruiting near the HR fireplace, he wears his disgusting holiday vest to remind us of two things: A) you can always rock the holiday sweater with prints of christmas trees, minoras,  dreidels galore and B) our fireplace doesn't actually work and is made of very nice cardboard.

So come on gang! Get your ugly sweaters together and come enjoy a warm cup of hot co-coa near our very cold fire.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS IB!

Workin in a Winter Wonderland...

Winter weather is slowly sneaking up on us, and the bright colors everyone seemed to be wearing have slowly turned into browns, burgundys, and black. Although most of us are used to warm California weather this gloominess we mistake for "it's FREEZING outside" can be quickly remedied with some nice coats and pants.

Because our office most of the time feels as though penguins could migrate here once a year and never know they left Antarctica, we begin to layer our clothing in sometimes really interesting ways. So...here are a few tips on dressing in the winter time to work...

Most of us are rockin the scarves this time of year, it's a pretty simple look for females, and they look great on men too and keep us all a little more warm this time of year, especially underneath a warm coat. (Pictured below)

Neda, in marketing, sports a brightly colored scarf to bring some life to her all-black outfit.

Catlin adds some fall colors dressing down her outfit.

Can't go wrong with gray.

Stephanie sports a pop of white, bringing back memories of summer. (I made her borrow this and wear it)

Andy replaces his usual tie with a scarf with blue accents. (Andy never really wore ties)

Janet goes traditional with her plaid double button. (There was no bribery involved in the wearing of this outfit)

I spotted Jon Sullivan headed into work. He was shivering and insisted that the only thing that would keep him warm was his snowboarding gear. Poor thing. He thanked me for this blog post. Little did he know he would be in my "what not to wear to work" section.

So remember, when it gets a bit chilly, make sure you have your basics: scarves, coats, and beanies which you can layer on top of almost any summer outfit to transform yourself from a sun-kissed beach fan to a rain craved starving artist.

IB Halloween!

Welcome to the spookiest/funniest Halloween Internet Brands has ever seen!

Here are some snapshots of the fabulous work appropriate/creative costumes some of you fab employees wore today (more to come as the day goes on!):

A soccer star joined us at the office today

So did...Burger King??

Even though Kim Kardashian filed for a divorce this morning, she still managed to join us at the office with her sister, basketball wife, Khloe Kardashian Odom.

A princess, in the flesh....

Recruiter Andy Lucas decided not to dress up today...

A true foodie, Lauren Anderson, dressed up as a Panera Bread employee

The Greek Goddess of reception...

 He just got his teeth cleaned...

office buzzin....

 10th floor madness....

 Andy's weakness...

 Curt dressed as VP of Marketing...

 uh oh...I sense some Burger King competition...

 She just rolled up in her bat-mobile...

 Hellllloooooooo Kitty....

The big big bang....

an LA cowboy....and I don't mean Louisiana....
Happy Halloween IB!

Fancy Fridays and First Impressions: A Penguin Kind of Friday

Fancy Fridays:

Since we have the luxury of dressing casually everyday, some of us in the office got together and decided to try out 'Fancy Friday' - per Jon Atkinson's request. Last week some employees in the office took part in our new 'Fancy Friday' where we dress business casual vs. just casual. It was a lot of fun, and everyone was really excited to dress in their "Friday's best" (suits, ties, heels, etc) and be reminded of why they chose this type of environment.

Here are some snapshots from today's Fancy Friday:

Catlin takes elements of corporate, vest and pumps and tights, and dresses it down with a striped dress. Tres tres chic.

I dug up this dress from my corporate days working at a staffing agency, and man does it feel weird to be wearing it again. Neda found one too!

What does Fancy Friday look like to you??


On another note - the importance of first impressions:

On Tuesday night Chris and I attended the USC MBA Roundtable, one of the many events that recruiters here attend to scout fresh talent. It was a great night of networking and some of the students were pretty great.

Since we all know I'm a strong believer in the importance of managing first impressions, Chris and I dressed in our more "corporate" clothes and hit the scene.

We even won bottles of wine for looking so good....

JK those were given out for free.

The Moustachio Bash-io : Facial Hair in the Office

Hello Colleagues:

Whether you've grown your mustache because you are being rebelious against the social norm and our images of beauty, or simply just like the look, there is no need for us to do a double take because we think we just saw a caveman roaming the office hallway.

Here are a few ground rules (because with great moustache/beard comes great responsibility):

1. Please keep it trimmed, your beard or moustache is not used for saving food for later.
2. Your facial hair should never be so long that you cannot see your skin underneath it.
3. If you can't grow one out fully.....well I suppose it's the thought that counts....
4. If your beard is unexpectedly red, own it. Don't attempt to dye, color, or pretend your beard is anything but ginger. 

5. While the "Soul patch", "Anchor", "Zappa" and many other creative designs work for some people, it just does not work for everyone; Consider handlebars which are always fun!

Facial hair can be okay if you keep it in check with rules mentioned above.

Here are some examples of acceptable facial hair-dos for the office:

He is proud to be working in an environment that is appreciative of his unique style.

He feels great rocking his beard today!

Note how it still has shape, and how he pulls it off.

Note how proud he is to be standing tall with a thick beard.



**No facial hair was trimmed in the process of this blogpost.