As a PR my job is to push other people or brands into the lime light while remain firmly back office. So this Instagram game has been been an extra weird journey for me. Over the last year I’ve been sharing outfit posts, talking about my life and trying to grow my audience and engagement. Yes I’ve had the cringes. And yes I continually wonder WTF am I doing! So decided I need help navigating this weird, wonderful and incredibly powerful network – in the form of a fashion ladies of Instagram networking lunch! I teamed up with the clever & stylish Coral Manson (@stripeycoral) and last Friday hosted a really fun lunch with a group of dynamic, successful and talented women who are all working the squares really successfully.
As the inspirational and Ex-Fashion Editor Fatima Truscott (@the_ft_times) sagely puts it “We’re all hustling in a space that’s simultaneously sweet and scary. And we’re honest about that. Brutally. And that’s refreshing. Because its not all peony perfection. Insta makes us feel anxious, and sometimes, yes, it feels like a form of madness when you keep questioning ‘but why’ and have an Insta-wobble”.
Great I’m not alone with the Insta-wobbles then! Putting my PR hat back on though, I’m acutely aware of the massive power Instagram is delivering to business, individuals and fashion brands. Being part of the game (my husband likens it to Candy Crush!) is key to my job in communications. Who knows where its going but I’m certain there are many more years left in its virtual engine. Taking the business hat off, I love the squares. They are way more entertaining than magazines. I can surf while watching copious dramas on NetFlix and I’m continually discovering new fashion labels and high-street must haves.
But for me,. the new best part is making a whole bunch of new friends and taking the grid into real life.
So at our Insta-support group lunch we made such a dynamic, clever, impressive and super smart bunch of women. We had fashion designers, stylists, journalists, models to a barrister, PRs, product developers & Mumpreneurs. We bellied laughed endlessly. Got drunk. Shared the crisis. Took endless pictures, boomerangs, selfies and videos. We planned, plotted, collaborated and shared. We had FUN.
“You often hear the ‘gram is comparable to starting secondary school, learning new things and trying to find YOUR tribe”, continued the ever-wise Fatima on her Insta. Here comes the Class of 2018. Do check out and follow the ladies that came: Here are all the accounts: @alice_inthe_looking_glass @carolem_beauty @the.thistle.edit @_charlotteloves_ @clairemcnestry_styling @stripeycoral @finlayfox @mercer7official @the_ft_times @the_savvy_mummy @notsuchamodelmum @mrsmlmode @mirandaholderldn @silverstylepages @theturquoiseflamingo @_my_tee_ @susannahfields @voguishandcalamity @victoriainascot
I’m sharing some pictures below and if you are interesting in coming to the next one email me ml@mlpr.co.uk
Special thanks for: Somerville Scaves, Total Wardrobe Care and Studio 10 Make-Up
Fatima
It’s a funny ol’ game! Lovely feature and thank you for quoting me ML XX
Naila Khan
I followed your event via some of the ladies I follow. It looked extremely fun and very relaxed. I would love to be a part of the next one. My email is info@esteestilo.com . Instagram is esteestilo.
Vanessa
Such a lovely post Marie-Louise, loved spending the afternoon with everyone