Holiday trend

I just fell in love!

The color blocking, the animal prints, the metallic!

Yes, I am also a shoe person, it was actually my first love before handbags...but a much harder world to dive into.  But seriously, these are awesome! 

Plus, it looks like I should be sending samples to Rachel Zoe or Rachel Bilson, since their picks look very similar to my holiday collection!

We are calling it a "Starry Night" collection.  Since it's a beautiful evening handbag collection, filled with sparkle!  Besides the classic color blocking combos, metallic snakeskin and stud detailing, we added some great neutral grey prints with pops of pink. (that's what this picture is missing...a pop of color!)

Stay tuned for more to come on our holiday collection with a sneak peak from our photo shoot!

A Day at the Contractor

When I first started with Brynn, I had only worked with contractors within the company.  We work with an independent contractor; so working with them has been a whole new experience.  It has been very exciting setting up meetings with them, planning our production runs, making sure we have the materials inventory updated and ready for production, and then checking in on how the run is going.  When Brynn and I went to check up on the Fall 2012 line, they were in the process of working on sewing the Lauren Bags and cutting out the Sophie.  

To the left are the pre cut piles of Sophie bags ready to be sewn.  You can see some of the new fall colors, shown are Spill the Wine (oxblood), Imagine (blue/grey), Mary Jane (olive green), and Foxy Moma (burnt orange).  

We also went to make some changes to our overall order and some adjustments on a few bags. For example, we added a back pocket to the Sophie and changed the strap attachment on the Mini-Lauren.  Last minute changes are possible partly because we produce in Chicago!

To the right is the pile of half sewn Mini- Lauren’s waiting to be finished!  This photo shows the Spill the Wine, Mary Jane, Imagine, and To the Max (black).  There are also a few other leather and fabric colors not featured in these photos.  The contractor is hurrying to get everything done for our Liberation Collection debut next week!  Also, soon to come, sneak peek on Holiday 2012 colors!!

Love,

Your design intern Rebecca  :)

Pre-view of Fall Inspiration

Everyone always wants to know: What is your inspiration?

It's always a funny question to me because so many things inspire me, but because I try to avoid being too trendy, it's always a hard question to answer.  I consider my collection timeless classic pieces that will always stand the "test of time".

But in light of the question, here's my best answer:

Being a So Cal girl, color has always been a part of my life, EVERY season.  Moving to the Midwest, I've had to change that a little.  And I've actually had more fun finding inspiration for fall than I thought I would.  Growing up in the 70's (yes I am officially old), I can't help but remember the  browns, mustards, olives and oranges of the decade, from mixing them with your clothes to even wallpaper (yes, our walls and even our door had wallpaper.)  Believe it or not, I still love those colors, as well as, burgundies and vintage blues. These are perfect for our Liberation Collection.

Besides being inspired by color, one of my favorite movies of the decade was the iconic Annie Hall, Diane Keaton wore menswear so effortlessly and I loved that...from houndstooth to wool blends to tweeds.

Not having a design background, I always just pull inspiration from within and get so excited when I see that my gut instinct is usually right on track.  So when I saw this "Talking Tweed" promo on style.com for Fall 2012, I couldn't help but smile.

Our Fall collection is a 70's and menswear inspired line, honoring houndstooth and shaggy wools to the vivid colors in my memory of my youth. (I just wish I had a picture of the butterfly wallpaper covering our door to share with you!)

Meet Nicole!

Hi, my name is Nicole, and I am honored to be taking on both the PR and marketing positions here at Brynn Capella. I recently inherited the duties from the late great PR assistant Allison Mack, and I am super excited to be part of the team! Allison did a wonderful job, and I hope to continue her efforts and carry out a successful semester while I'm here.

Me with my fav bag, the Heather

I have learned a ton in the short time I've been here so far, and all of it has been truly valuable experience and education. I have to say that had my confidence shaken in the beginning, as I wasn't sure what to expect and had to get my handle on things, but Brynn has been awesome. She has shown me the ropes so to speak, and has also given me a lot of explanation and insight into her marketing and business expertise. To put it shortly, she has not just given me the 'what', but also the 'why' and 'how'.

Since then I have been working a great deal on press outreach, publicity efforts, press releases and other PR strategies. My favorite so far has to be the newsletters. Cutting my teeth with Photoshop (which I hated, but now love), and getting to design layouts as well as pitching their subject content.

I have always loved creativity and design since a very young age, and have owned a sewing machine for as long as I can remember. I used to make my own clothing and accessories in middle and high school. I was a creative little thing with a passion for design and expression, but little concern for technical aspects. Unfortunately that fact never changed, and while in school at Columbia College Chicago, I decided to switch my major from Fashion Design to Fashion Business with a concentration in Advertising Design and Marketing.

Being at Brynn Capella gives me the best of both of these worlds, as I can see the creative and design processes, how they carry into the business side as well. I am lucky to have been given a great reign of responsibilities that allow me to implement my creative thinking and passion for design with my marketing and business skills. I still have a great deal to learn, and am looking forward to the next few months!

Till we meet again...
Nicole

 

Color Blocking : Love it or Hate it?

It seems that no matter where you turn, there is no escaping the latest craze of color blocking. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, you should probably stop living under that rock of yours and open your eyes to what everyone can't seem to get enough of. Color blocking is putting the brightest, boldest colors together to form pure fun and flirty fashionista bliss. I must admit, it takes a brave soul to strut their stuff down the street in a bright orange and green ensemble and I most certainly not one of those people. If you're still rather shy when it comes to color blocking like myself, no need to feel left out, because even you can still take part in this season's biggest trend.  If brights on brights just isn't your thing, you can substitute one of them for a neutral piece to come up with a classic outfit with a refreshingly trendy twist. So add a little splash of color to your look, because all of the designers these days are making it hard to resist. From BCBG to Bottega Veneta, dabbling in color blocking is on everybody's to-do list and soon enough it will make Brynn Capella's. Watch out Bottega, because the holiday collection from Brynn Capella Inc. will feature color blocking that is sure to mix things up, so stay tuned! Until then, you can stay trendy by adding the perfect pop of color to your summer wardrobe with the Lauren Crossbody in Emerald Isle.

Lauren Crossbody in Emerald Isle

This bright green handbag is complimented with tan zippers, it is THE solution to those of us fearful of full-on color blocking. The Lauren Crossbody is perfect for carrying your sunscreen for a day game at Wrigley (or U.S. Cellular if you REALLY must) and even those purchases made at one of Chicago's fabulous street fairs. What better way to carry all those things you need for your summer festivities, but stay stylish in the heat than with the Lauren Crossbody by your side?

Meet Sasha

Hello! 

My name is Sasha and I have recently picked up where the wonderful Katie left off. It is evident that she made a huge impact on Brynn Capella Inc. and will truly be missed. We wish you good luck Katie on all your future endeavors, we know you will be great!

The beginning of my internship has already proved to be a huge learning experience. I'm lucky enough to get advice about the industry from Brynn directly and she has been great about answering my thousand upon thousands of questions, which has been really insightful- thanks Brynn! I'm definitely learning a lot about this side of the industry and getting a better idea of what I want to do with the Apparel Merchandising degree I am in the process of earning.

I have loved fashion ever since I can remember. When I applied for this internship, my first thought was "PURSES?! I can SO do this!" I was immediately intrigued and have finally gotten the chance to see what really goes into making what happens to be my favorite kind of accessory. From the design process and production to making sure that theses Brynn Capella originals find a home with fashionistas lucky enough to own one, we get to see every step of the way.

Lauren Crossbody in Champagne

An amazing outfit can give you the confidence to make you feel totally unstoppable. As much as I love clothes, I have always held a special place in my heart for purses. When I was 12, I saved up to buy myself a large Von Dutch bowling bag, because I thought it was super trendy-- and look at how well that investment worked out for me. I probably would have been better off buying a goldfish, because even a goldfish would have outlived that trend. Lesson learned was that trends may come and go, but a classic handbag will always be by your side to keep you looking and feeling good. That's why I am thinking about making the Lauren Crossbody in Champagne my new best friend...thoughts?

In this short period of time, I have already learned that these pieces are Brynn's pride and joy, but there is much more to this business than these being "just purses." For everyone who has criticized Apparel Merchandising and Design students, you have no clue what really goes into making all this stuff happen and let me tell you- it's tough work! I still have so much to learn and am so excited to get started!!!

Till next time,

Sasha

FashionChicago!

Seated left to right (me, Katie Sink and Allison Mack)

I was so excited that FashionChicago finally came! During the week, we separated and organized all the bags, so when Friday rolled around, we were all ready for it! It took a little over an hour to set up and put all the bags into place. Then within the first hour, we sold a Wyoming Yellow Edie and a Winchester Lauren with continued success throughout the whole night! While we interacted with the customers, we enjoyed h'orderves and Luna Bars, with a sneak peek at the runway show. 

Mercedes and me

There was a lot of good energy and excitement amongst the people and the vendors. On the second floor was the DJ, styles of Angie, she played awesome hip music as people were mingling and shopping around. On the third level was the fashion show that ran about an hour long. It highlighted some great Chicago Designers, such as Nora del Busto and from FashionStar, Barbara Bates! 

All the interns, Katie, Allison Mercedes and I, went and had a great time! Getting a chance to be part of that experience was really awesome and we're all glad we got to be a part of it.