Vintage seller featured in the NY Times!

The plot: the Fashionista, a successful celebrity stylist played by Ms. DeCarlo, has been awarded a grant from Bill Gates to teach a course about fashion to welfare recipients at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The class is called “Haute Cou-poor.”

Is this true? or is it a joke?
 
Wait, did they say that the Mad Fashionista character was created to SHILL on eBay and specialistauction? Do they understand what shilling is? Did she really tell them that? Did she really mean shill?
 
From the dictionary:

shill: a person who publicizes or praises something or someone for reasons of self-interest, personal profit, or friendship or loyalty.

The comment in question:

But the Mad Fashionista, who came to life two years ago as a blog character (diaryofamadfashionista.blogspot.com), is a fashion freak. Ms. DeCarlo <b?conceived of her[/b] as a surrogate personality to shill for the plus-size vintage clothes that she sells on eBay and at specialistauctions.com.

In other words Elisa plays the part of The Mad Fashionista in her blog and her play to promote her items.

I do believe that the majority of people who read this will understand that. :)
 
Carrie,

Yes I do know Elisa personally having stayed in her (to borrow a phrase from the Fashionista) pied-à-terre in the city and attending the Manhattan Vintage Show last year with her. She is one of the best friends you could ever have. :)
 
I stand corrected. Unfortunately, when you see that word in the same sentence as eBay it tend to have a totally different connotation, especially when one reads too quickly.
 
I do believe that that connotation of "shill" is more commonly thought of by members of the vintage community itself in reference to certain sellers on eBay.
 
Candy,

I'm sorry if it felt like I was trying to correct you. I doubt that the reporter has a clue what shilling means on eBay.

I think we're all really sensitive to it because it really hurts our bottom line after working so hard to be upstanding members of the vintage community.

I can't speak for anyone else but I know it annoys the heck out of me to see the people that we know had bidders shill bid on their items clean up financially while getting a slap on the wrist for doing it.

Even though I'm not selling on eBay I still follow what goes on there with the exception of looking at TV's auctions and Indiecult. I can only take so much heartburn. :)
 
Hi Viviene,

No need to apologize, I'm glad that you pointed out that I'd misread the line. I felt much better once it was explained that way.

You're right, I know I am particularly sensitive about shilling and watching some sellers get away with it over and over again. It hurts everyone.

Too bad the reporter didn't choose an equally descriptive word, like flog, tout or even market, rather than one that could so easily be mis construed.
 
You're right on that account for sure. It seems like everyone should know about it but when I've spoken to people about it they are absolutely clueless.

It's hard to compete on an uneven playing field.
 
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