In the spirit of building open and honest relationships through communication (Zappos Core Value no. 6), I’m going to let you in on a secret … January has been absolutely horrible for me on a personal level. A health crisis with my mom, a good friend in a horrible accident and a number of other small things have all added up to the point that I already want to tell 2016 it is fired. 

Fortunately, this week marked the start of the Chinese New Year and the year of the Monkey, and I am determined to salvage the rest of the year’s remaining 10 months. I am celebrating with my friends and family, much like the Chinese diaspora around the world. While in the United States New Year’s Eve is a night of revelry, Chinese New Year’s Eve is marked by reunion dinners with family members who have travelled home to honor the family’s ancestors, as well as to prepare for good fortune to come.

During these celebrations you will see red everywhere, from clothing to the lai see, which are envelopes that married people give to children and unmarried relatives and friends, as well as their employees. The money must be in an even denomination and cannot contain the digit four for good luck. As come upon the year of the Monkey, we are celebrating those who are intelligent, witty, curious and playful. Those who are born in 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992 and 2004 will probably agree with that, as they are all monkeys as well! 

So while we push the reset on 2016, take a moment to enjoy a tangerine, pomelo (e.g. an orange) to bring luck, dumplings or egg rolls for prosperity, and some jai to celebrate the new beginnings. Let’s also create an outfit that that will bring together all of these elements to make you feel fabulous, and draw in a little luck!

GOLD and yellow are good for bringing in money, and to symbolize the power and royalty of the throne. The first emperor of China was known as the Yellow Emperor. The primary river in China is the Yellow River. And you can always count on yellow and gold to brighten up your outlook!

GREEN is the symbol for money in all of its shades. Jade green is especially powerful as it is believed to bless everything it touches, thus why you’ll see many in China and Vietnam wearing jade and gold charms.

RED is the Chinese national color, and represents happiness, beauty, success and good fortune. As mentioned above, red is found everywhere, even to double rows of red “xi” symbols on gates and doors to invite happiness. It is considered the happiest color in China, and is the color of wedding gowns! As a double bonus, 2016 is a Fire year, making this year’s monkeys even more ambitious and adventurous.

MONKEYING AROUND One of the most beloved stories in China is the story of the Monkey King. There are still articles written in many publications about “Calming the Monkey Mind.” The monkey is known to love being the center of attention, as well as being witty, intelligent and a little rebellious. What better way to celebrate the year of the Monkey than with a fabulous bag featuring a playful monkey, a playful earring or a sophisticated monkey’s fist — a symbol of friendship — which reminds us that each friendship is different, but built around a solid base.

If you’re celebrating in any of the pieces shown here, tag us in your selfies or pics with #zapposWRW — we’d love to see your style!

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There are generally two schools of thought when it comes to celebrating the feast of St. Valentine: those who celebrate a holiday established alongside a feast day for a patron saint of love, engaged couples and marriage, and those who remind those people that St. Valentine is also the patron saint of beekeepers and the plague. 

Regardless of which camp you fall into, one of the things that we often forget when the world and DeBeers are focusing on “love” in its commercial forms, complete with chocolate, roses and diamonds, is remembering to take a few moments to practice some self-love.

There have been multiple studies recently published that prove that low self-esteem (aka low levels of self-love) can contribute to a reduction of brain size by up to 20 percent, as well as memory skills. The silver lining, however, is that these studies also found that if we take the time to re-train our brains in how we think, we can reverse this atrophy and expand our brain size back to normal.  

Why is this important for a curvy girl? How often have we slipped and told ourselves that our worthiness is tied to our dress size? How many times have we come home from a frustrating day of shopping, where it feels like even socks don’t fit right, and berated ourselves for being useless, ugly and fat? How many of us trick ourselves with the armor of “It’s a holiday created by greeting card companies and florists” to cover up the frustration, pain and depression of feeling unworthy because we are single for yet another holiday?

Self-love and affirmation take many different forms, and just like the millions of beautiful women around this world, of all shapes and sizes, each one is unique. While many share the same starting point, there is something magical about the way that we can all take the same words, or the same dress, and create a powerful and unique story, both verbally and non-verbally. The simple phrase, “I approve of myself and feel great about myself” can end in so many powerful and world-changing ways. A little red number meant to remind us that we can be OK if we stand out, and to celebrate our self-love can be worn and styled and used to illustrate our individual stories in so many different ways; the most important ingredient is the love we have for ourselves.

So this year for Valentine’s Day, let’s not worry about whom we have. Rather, let’s celebrate the most important love we have in life — ourselves. 

DRESS UP Why not dress up just for you and take yourself to a fabulous lunch or dinner — or order the best takeout you’ve ever had and spend a night in? Red is a color for destiny and power; find yours in these great ones by Kiyonne.  

TOP IT OFF Red can be the color of blood, the color of a fire engine, or of a gorgeous Syrah wine that hits sweet and finishes with a strong and dark flavor.  Forget those shades of gray, shades of red are much more fun to experiment with. 

FINISHING TOUCH If red and power hues aren’t your thing when it comes to your wardrobe, why not try little pops of color added to your staples, or a little valentine to yourself? Red shoes like these scream for a night of adventure, and these sweet little finishing touch earrings keep it simple, but remind you that love is what matters. 

AT DAY’S END At some point, men began to think that women wear sexy lingerie and lace for them; we don’t mean to break their hearts by telling them that we wear it to feel amazing, feminine and girly, even when our daily lives may call for a really boring or seemingly masculine uniform. Underneath it all, and at the end of the day, the most important thing about self-love is about doing it for you, not for anyone else, even if that means lounging in comfortable and soft pajamas. 

So there you have it … eight great pieces when you’re feeling red hot and ready for love and adventure with that most important person of all — you! If you’re rocking out in any of the pieces shown here, tag us in your selfies or pics with #zapposWRW. We’d love to see your style! 

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Undergraduates enrolled at Marquette University’s Advertising, Public Relations and the Internet course (ADPR 4300) are at it again!

As part of the curriculum’s midterm project, students were tasked with creating an infographic depicting the lifecycle of every shoe sold on Zappos. For months, these young scholars learned the ins and outs of our business, including the processes in place for delivering lightning fast shipping straight to your front door. 

WARNING: Below you will see a slew of facts and figures that are so astonishing that even a company as quirky as ours couldn’t possibly make up! 

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