“Now, two months after graduation, I seem to be one of just a handful of people that's been able to get themselves on their feet, pay their own bills and actually put together some semblance of an adult life with minimal parental assistance. I bought a car, found an apartment and set up a 401k, just six months after turning 22. I came down on the 'right' side of every statistic — I found a job in my field that actually pays well, I'm living on my own, and seem to have everything that these other college graduates are dying to have. But what about that 10-cents-a-word life that I always wanted? What about New York City? What about freelancing, penning newspaper columns and urban adventures? What about the struggles that I see on Girls and the tales of credit card debt and ramen noodle dinners? Aren't these the things that really make you 22?”
Yup, you read correctly folks. Taylor Cotter is complaining about never being poor. Or struggling. Or “adventurous.” Do you hear that in the distance? Someone’s playing the world’s tiniest violin for Taylor. Poor thing! She never gets to be in credit card debt or eat ramen noodles for dinner, ever! She’s stuck! Life is so unfair. Taylor’s received a world of criticism for her peculiar article, but here at NL Collective, she just makes us feel pretty thankful for our lives. Perhaps we’re the stereotypes she’s heard about. We frolic about New York City! We live those urban adventures, we endure struggles just like Hannah Horvath, Marnie, Jessa, and Shoshanna on Girls, some of us may or may not be in credit card debt and yes, in case you were wondering, I ate ramen noodles for dinner last week. So thank you, Taylor, for making us feel so grateful for the less-prosperous fashion industry lives that we lead. You may get the fancy car and the 401k, but we get all the fun! The runways, the New York fashion showrooms, the retail stores, the city, it’s all part of our lives, being young and adventurous! So we attached some of our favorite looks from some of our favorite brands to celebrate and to wear while we frolic around Manhattan, and also some pictures of what it’s like to live a day in our (really cute) shoes. And to you Miss Taylor Cotter, the successful 22-year-old from Boston, if you were to ever step into our office here at West 14th Street in New York City, we would tell you this: no one’s forcing you stay there. If you want “New York City, freelancing, and urban adventures,” it’s all here and we’re living it. Don’t just wait for things to happen. The ball’s in your court.
Some of us watching backstage at a photo shoot.
One of our amazing models getting primped for the shoot.
Blake Andrews
Divka
Gene
Selahdor
Xuan-Thu Nguyen