Fashion Week is the craziest time of year. It's more hectic than hitting Wal-Mart the day after Christmas or waiting in line at Best Buy at 3am the day after Thanksgiving. Everyone wants a piece of you, you want a piece of everyone, and all those people are never in the same place. Great shows will be taking place uptown, while gorgeous basktage and interview opportunities are taking place downtown. When you leave your apartment at 7am, you won't return until 12am. Its the craziest time of year, and obviously the most rewarding.

Each day, I have to be the most prepared for basically anything. In my bag, I carry the essentials - my digital camera, my Flip video camera, my makeup bag, my TRESemme dry shampoo, and of course, my laptop.  For Spring/Summer 2011, I'm not just using any laptop - I'm on a gorgeous pink Asus Karim Rashid Collection Eee PC running Windows 7. Ever since this tiny netbook (2.43 pounds!) arrived at my house, I've been completely captivated.

The lid of the laptop is embossed with a fun geometric pattern. Although the device is small (10.1"), the keyboard is still 92% of a standard's size. Three of my favorite features also happen to be the most impressive. Not only does the laptop (cheerfully nicknamed The Mini) have a side-loading multi-media card reader and a four hour performing battery life, but it also has a 820 GB of hybrid storage, allowing me to keep all my music, movies, and Fashion Week photos accessible within one device.

With the introduction of Windows 7, Microsoft also introduced Windows Live Essentials. A free suite of tools available to all Windows 7 users, Windows Live offers a few pretty neat tools to help you manage and create digital experiences. During Fashion Week, two of my most used tools have been Windows Live Photo Gallery and Movie Maker. Both allow me to easily import, sort, and edit my photos and videos all on the Karim Rashid Seashell Collection PC. Not many netbooks are capable of video editing, however with Windows 7 and Movie Maker, the two work in complete synergy.  After Fashion Week, I'll play with some of the photos from the shows and showcase all of the fun you can have with both tools.

In my career, I've had many devices - every kind of cell phone you can imagine, laptops, desktops, cameras, etc, but I've never carried a piece of technology that has seamlessly transitioned into my life as this gorgeous pink netbook. Blogging from the tents has never been chicer.

Style IT's Spring 2011 New York Fashion Week coverage is proudly sponsored by Torrid:

Good morning! I'm currently sitting in the Helen Mills Theater in New York City for the Independent Fashion Bloggers conference. I'll be live blogging the first panel, Fashion Blog Marketing Workshop. This live blogging session is sponsored by Windows 7. Follow the conference along with the livestream and utilizing the hashtag #ifbcon. Plus you can enter to win one of four Windows 7 laptops by sharing what you like about Windows 7 with the hashtag #IFBW7HP. Are you ready to learn about how to market yourself better as a fashion blogger?

10:36 am: The Fashion Blog Marketing Workshop has started! My girl Jordana Bruner of Clutch 22is moderating. I'm using the lightest computer in the world right now, a Sony Viao (model tbd).

10:43 am: You can watch the panels live, all day long here: http://heartifb.com/evolving-influence-live. What do you want to know about marketing a fashion blog?

10:46 am: The panelists are sharing their background and experiences. They seem super passionate about their chosen careers and seem to have a lot to offer the workshop.

10:49 am: The more I interact with G=Star (this is my 5th season to cover the show), I fall deeper and deeper in live. I love the brand's culture, aesthetic and consumer.

10:52 am: Finally delving into why bloggers are important to brands. Elle.com panelist speaks to how we can feed off one another. Personally, I have only seen one way communications from Elle.com, asking for links to their content, without really offering any relationships in return.

10:54 am: The panelist from G-Star loves the democratization of fashion, shifting the hierarchy of power from the top to the people. Power to the bloggers!

10:57 am: Threadbanger grew their business by forging relationships with bloggers. They called out great blog posts and trends and bloggers in turn featured them. I would really like to ask the Elle.com panelist if she believes the relationship is truly reciprical.

11:00 am: G-Star again for the win! Bloggers can be autonomous and a commiunity at the same time. Any brand is "screwed without getting in or giving in to that dialogue." Elle.com attempted to use Twitter to research what to build next to serve their readers. They say they want to be part of the conversation, however I would disagree based on my interaction with their PR team.

11:03 am: ModCloth loves personal style bloggers who wear vintage and one-of-a-kind pieces. They love to see how we mix it up!

11:05 am: CRAVEcompany recommends bloggers turn to book publishing to build their brand. I am not sure I agree - sometimes it feels a bit like going backwards. Although, I won't be opposed to publishing a book with my On The Plus Side photos!

11:08 am: I finally agree with the panelist from Elle.com, though this isn't groundbreaking  news: do what you are good at.

11:15 am: Via Threadbanger "Your blog is like sushi: keep it fresh!" She also recommends tagging videos with relevant and topical keywords. Also, pay attention to your video thumbail - it's important!

11:18 am: Don't forget that you can describe your image using "alt tags". G-Star advises us to be careful about branding - bloggers are "kind of anti branding". What do you think?

11:21 am: I think when he says "anti-branding" I agree, but I also think that our brands are ourselves - being authentic is our brand.

11:24 am: I ask what G-Star looks for in terms of fashion and personal style bloggers with their forward-thinking approach to social media. In the context of blogs, there are too much of anything. They only notice the ones that are authentic and that aren't trying to be anything. Interesting.

11:30 am: The panel is winding down. A huge thank you to IFB and Windows 7 for making this live blogging session possible. I have really enjoyed my seamless, easy experience!

NYFW coverage proudly sponsored by IGIG.

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