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

 

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. 

I am a Lucky Girl!

Saint Patty’s day is tomorrow, and I am so excited for my first time in Chicago over this holiday.  I heard there’s a lot of drinking starting at 7am and something about a green river?  Sounds like a good time to me!

I am feeling so lucky this season with everything that I have in my life, and I couldn’t help but think about all of the good things that have happened to me while in the spirit of Saint Patrick’s Day – you know, with the whole luck thing.  Now I have never come across a pot of gold or met a giddy leprechaun; however, I have come across a city that I can call home and I have met so many new friends along the way.

My newfound luck in the windy city makes me feel it is like my duty to celebrate tomorrow and show off my Irish pride (even if I’m totally not Irish at all) by spending it with friends. Whilst I am out on the town, which Brynn Capella bag do you think I should carry with me?....and it has to be green of course!

 The bright Grace Kelly Heather?  Or go a little more subtle with the Moss Creek Lauren?

What are you doing for Saint Patty’s day?

Spring is Almost Here

As the warm weather approaches, so do the new spring and summer bags. So that means it's time for Inventory day for the girls at Brynn Capella Inc.

Last Friday came and went so fast. It's actually amazing how many handbag bins fit in the office closet! After we took all the bins out, the main area was filled wall to wall with bags from season's past. It was fun seeing how much the line has evolved over the years. There were even some bags that we didn't realize were still in stock, as they aren't online anywhere. (I smell a new task a brewing.)

The morning was filled with counting every single bag and double checking our main inventory counts. After our quick Pizza lunch break, Brynn decided to have a fun session of researching names for the 70's inspired Fall 2012 Collection. From researching slang words (That's Dope, To The Max, Chill, Groovy, Foxy Mama), fashion trends (Bell Bottoms, Hot Pants, Menswear inspired) and popular movies (Annie Hall) and songs (Imagine, Heart of Glass, Brown Eyed Girl), we finally narrowed down our selections. Now besides Spring/Summer, I can't wait to see Fall too.

Lastly, we re-organizing the bins and shelves to make room for the new bags arriving soon.
I'm sure nothing will bring as much excitement to the intern girls once the new spring bags arrive! Fun bright colors to brighten the office, so as the days get warmer the anxiety grows!

Get the Celebrity Look!

Back just in time for FALL - our Brownstone Lauren...

Get yours today!

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...

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