Cameras, Lights, Action...

If you've been anywhere near our facebook page recently, you've probably seen all our new Holiday pictures. Yay!

It came about very suddenly, since Brynn's photographer Rod was moving, we had to make the appointment as soon as possible. He was leaving the Windy City and heading to the West Coast, sunny Southern California. Perfect timing for him!  However, Brynn being a favorite of his, he made the photo shoot happen (or maybe it could be the slight crush he has on our models).  Either way, he is a true professional!

Carla has been modeling for Brynn since 2007.  She always comes perfectly tanned, manicured and naturally beautiful.  Since Rod was finishing up another photo shoot, we got a chance to borrow his wonderful hair (Kelly Kristine T) and make-up artists (Michael Cartier Onsouvanh)!  I hope we get to use them on the next shoot too!

Since our Holiday collection is vintage inspired, we played up Carla's eyes with striking black liner and her lips were a deep red.  Her hair was teased with a long side curly ponytail.  Perfection!

Although we were under a MAJOR time crunch, the Photo Shoot came together, one step at a time!  Brynn recently had a shopping spree of dresses, that fit the girls perfectly! Although Kelly (the Design Intern) and I had never done a photo shoot before, we were quick on our feet and began organizing outfits with handbags, jewelry, shoes, etc.  And although everything was planned out, there was always last minute adjustments.


When it comes to finding ways to model the handbags, basic themes or poses, we refer to our "photo-shoot notebook." It's a book updated by the Design and Merchandising interns every semester.  Organized by size and themes.  It's full of inspiration from ads and editorials featured in InStyle, Lucky, Vogue, WWD and more. One idea that Kelly and I found perfect for the Holiday shoot was of a model holding a variety of bags stacked up in her arms. So we took the idea and made it our own by having Carla line up the Fall Cher Wristlets across her arm.  It Turned out GREAT!!

When it comes to styling the model during the photo shoot, it is good to be prepared, very timely and on your toes! You have to always be one step ahead, have outfits ready for the next shot, handbag in hand, lip gloss to freshen the lips, shoes and so on. 

In the photo above, Brynn and I are changing out jewelry for Carla. It is always little details that matter and at this moment different earrings was a must! Luckily, the dress I wore that day had two very convenient little front pockets that held all the earrings perfectly for a moment just like this one. And the Wyoming Yellow Lauren is on hand for the next shot...voila!

Par for the course, trying to get everyone set on one day, is always tough!  Angi and Veronica couldn't make it, so Brynn enlisted the help of one of her Starbucks regulars, Michelle. She just knew she would be a great addition!  We also for the first time did in-studio shots.  Nordstrom catalog here we come!

I feel both of them could be featured on America's Next Top Model. They may beg to differ, but either way they are amazing individuals with lots of spunk and personality.

Really?!?!?!

Don't get me wrong, I love Jimmy Choo and Celine like the rest of you...or should I say, I admire them from afar! But really?!?!?! Even at the sale price? And although there's probably a knock off somewhere out there, I would never do that.  I am a firm believer that if you can't afford the real thing don't try to fake it.

 

Makes my sale feel like a steal! Well it kinda is :)  Happy Shopping, only 1 1/2 days left for 30% off our current Fall Lexington Collection!

Fall colors

Just saw this today and wanted to share...

 

I get so excited when the colors I choose for the season, match the clothing from National Designers.  Makes me feel like I am doing something right! LOL

Shades of Berry!!!

According to Shopbop.com (a site in which I have a love/hate relationship with, I mean I love it, love the things they sell, most of the time, but can't afford the prices!), anyway one of the big 8 trends for fall 2011 is "Shades of Berry"...like fine wines!

Which made me think of my fall Winchester leather.  It's a beutiful wine color and as it seems perfect for the upcoming season.  I found this scarf on the site and fell in Love... with the color and texture but not the price!

Dreaming...

Whenever I see the new Crate and Barrel, Restoration Hardware or even the Ikea catalog, I get so jealous!  The rooms they set up in those are soooooo perfect, I want to go live in the store!

 

And then this one comes complete with a cute dog!

 One day right?!?!

Faux Fur Trend???

I am just not sure if I am liking this new "trend?" I kinda feel it still glamorizes "fur" even if it's fake.  I don't really mind the faux fur on the rim of jackets though.  Hmmmm.
What are your thoughts?

Lights, Camera, Strike a Pose!

Hey everyone!

Although our recent photo shoot was finalized last minute, the shots turned out great! (Thanks to Rod our wonderful photographer)

Everyone thinks a photo shoot is easy, but I am here to tell you it can be a little overwhelming and a bit crazy!

But I am proud to say, we definitely got some great shots of our Summer "Hey Sailor" Collection (finally!) and even though it's August, we also got some for our Fall "Lexington" Collection (available online shortly!)






All of the interns (Samantha, Emily and I) were there to help make the day run smoothly and of course shop for the outfits!  After trying to get all the office work done for the day, we headed out around 1pm to shop at various stores and pick out items that we think look great with the collection.  I think we did a great job!




Carla has been modeling Brynn's bags since the beginning and is the same size as Brynn, so we already ransacked Brynn's closet for some of her outfits. Rod had hired a model named Madison, so we mainly shopped for her and prayed that it all would fit perfectly.  It did! We were a bit jealous...

We took our suitcases and Ikea bags (they work great for lugging around our samples btw) and headed to Lincoln Park near the marina for our beachy, 70's bohemian, nautical feel images. In true model form, Madison had no problem switching outfits and making every shot work. Her wavy hair looked great with an over-sized floppy hat, big shades, maxi dress and Lauren crossbody.  We got tons of the shots with Madison, before Carla arrived, and we think she makes a nice addition to our everyday-girl models.

Carla's dark hair and dark complexion look ah-mazing with both our summer hues and our neutral fall color palette.  So we wanted to take advantage of Carla's beautiful skin tone, so we took a few more summer shots.

It was a fun day and it really gave me a chance to practice my styling abilities. When one outfit was being photographed the next one had to be prepared and ready, so I had to think fast about what would work together and what wouldn't.  From the shoes, the clothes, the jewelry and the bag, it all had to look great.

We were a little nervous about the fall shots because it was a beautiful bright summer day. But Rod was able to work his magic and make Fall come to life.

Although our Fall collection is equestrian inspired, we were able to stay in the same area but focused more on the grass, trees and nature in general. At one point, we even had an unwanted guest...a squirrel that kept trying to see what was in our suitcases! It made all the girls a little squirrley (pun intended), but Rod chased him away so we could get these great shots!

Our Lauren (left pic: shown in Champagne) is our biggest seller, so it also comes in 5 other colors...Saddle, Moss Creek, Winchester, Wyoming Yellow and of course Black Beauty. We think these colors are perfect for fall and year-round! 


But one of my new favorites is Brynn's re-design of her Samantha bag. She incorporated the double handle and size of the original with a smaller Lauren type body and crossbody strap...so far it's been a big seller with boutiques and we can't wait to see everyone's reactions!

These are just a few of my favorite shots...and a quick peak of what's to come! Until next time...