It only seems fitting to stay with the theme for the day!
Felted bags that make you smile!
This especially because it is gorgeous and on sale!
Thistle Downs felted bag called she calls Cupcake.
Bonus, the name made you smile too!
don’t forget to mosey over to the main store to see all of the goodies!
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There can be so many reasons to smile.
If you are my pupster, it’s because you know your playmate, my husband is coming home today.
If you are a Cicada, maybe you just got yourself out of that tight beetle shell your were in. Whew, now you can stretch out a bit!
if you are entertaining guests, they will be leaving shortly. OK that may be a Grin and Bear it!
You have kids……aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, you can taste the first day of school! Don’t smile too big, didn’t your mother tell you your face could freeze like that!
If you like hand bags, these flower inspired felted bags from Birdland just may make you smile.
I can see myself with this funky little purse, my beige knit lace dress, jean jacket,
and a fabulous pair of black patent leather platform Mary Janes.
Not to get off topic, but how can I buy my platforms if we don’t have a shoe designers on Smashing Darling yet!
Come on People, you must know some shoe designers! Invite them to our site!
Having fabulous shoe designers on the site would definitely make me smile!
Sorry, anyway back to the bags!
Maybe you need something a little larger to make you smile.
Poppies Purse just may do the trick.
fun shoulder bad, I love the color of the poppies against the black.
So what would make you smile today?
let me here your comments.
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That is the name of the game right?
All of us in our everyday lives are trying to do what we can
to keep Mother earth just a little cleaner.
Pagano Design Works does this very thing.
Old wool sweaters are cut up and felted to become part of the jewelry.
These fabulously felted pieces are combined with stones and sometimes vintage findings to create
Wowza, wearable, colorful art!
Check out the stitching through the felt pieces!
Just for that added extra color and texture!
I love the little pearls peeking out of either side of the felted bits!
Merlot and Chocolate Recycled Sweater Felt Earrings
Look at the fibers in this photo!
I Just want to pull them right through my screen!
An extra Woo Hoo goes out to Pagano Design Works.
We had alerted the community that the Musuem at RISD was doing a fashion show of all works produced by recycled materials.
Pagano submitted a necklace and not only was it in the show, It was on the front of the brochure!
That is awesome!
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Is my sample sale pick for the day.
Look at how long and dramatic this necklace is!
It’s all about the drama!
Bet it would look great cascading down the back
with an open back dress!
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Not only does your man deserve to look good,
but he also deserves those final touches.
The kind that will make him look in the mirror, swipe that stray hair back in place,
marvel at the gorgeous-ness and say “Now that’s a good lookin’ man.”
Here’s a few items for YOUR handsome buck!
links to shop the items above:
2. Rachel Park Designs, $85.00
There is still a month left of summer and for $45 who could resist a fun flirty pink skirt from Lola’s Rags.
great for throwing over your bathing suit or perfect for when you get up and realize there is no coffee in the house and you have to run to the store really quick. You haven’t yet had your coffee… so you really don’t want to get dressed. It is so easy and comfy, throw it on and go. Everyone you know that you run into will totally know…the bed head gives it away!
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I’m not talking about that evil little box that sits on your bathroom floor. Waiting for you to step on it, just so it can make some # appear that you don’t relate to at all!
Although… If someone were stepping on me everyday, I would probably want to say something mean too. There isn’t anything meaner one could say than spitting out a # that is clearly 10 pounds more than what one really is!
Mean little scale! It is not your friend!
The scale I am talking about is showing product on a person so there is an idea of size.
And we all know…Size Does Matter!
Don’t get me wrong, artistic product shots or fabulous! They are total eye candy!
I love the way I can absolutely feel the drape of the links in Megan Auman’s
Long Linked Multiple Leaves Necklace.
But then she also includes a photo of it actually on a body so I can actually see the size of it!
See how size matters in so many facets of our lives!
Bonus, she also included a photo of another way to wear this lovely leaved linked necklace!
Gorgeous! Absolutely Gorgeous!
The moral of the story…
The scale never lies and Size does matter!
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I don’t know about you but I stop by the sample sale every day to see what is new
and on sale from our fabulous community.
I saw Reddoll over there today
and couldn’t help but think at $35, she is giving this away!
When you are done purchasing this beauty link on over to her main store on the site and view the beginning of fall!
We love Sample sales!
This morning I awoke to a bird that sounded just like the whistle at a high school track meet! It was really funny because at first I couldn’t figure out what it was. The night before my husband was saying that we needed a new alarm clock.I’m laughing right now because in my sleepy fog, I said to myself, ‘wow that was fast. Ask for a new alarm clock and you will get it! ‘
Anyway! Back to fashion!
As you all know San Francisco Fashion Week is right upon us and one of our very own The 615 Project will be showing!
I wanted to make sure everyone knew so we could all wish her luck!
If you are out there, contact her, she probably has all the who,what,when, where, and why!
How do you contact her? Go to her store on Smashing Darling ,The 615 Project, and in the up right corner of the store, near her profile, click the contact button.
FYI, these events are usually by personal invitation, don’t just show up! Contact someone to see if you can get a seat!
San Francisco-based label The 615 Project will be showing its new collection
in the final show of San Francisco Fashion Week this Saturday evening!
Please join us as The 615 Project brings the spoils of globe-trotting into the urban jungle with 17 pieces: jackets in buttery suedes and go-anywhere brushed cottons, flirty day dresses in limited-edition cotton waxprints handmade in Ivory Coast, and cocktail and evening dresses in sinuous silk jersey. For industry and media passes, please contact Donna Berry (donna@inkspotpr.com).
Join us as The 615 Project Spring 2008 collection debuts on the catwalk at SF Fashion Week!
Saturday, August 25, 7-10pm
The Galleria at the San Francisco Design Center
101 Henry Adams Street
Special thanks to sponsors Hangar One and farmerbrown
GOOD LUCK! and I can’t wait to see it all on Smashing Darling!
If you have a fashion show coming up and you want me to post it send it to me! trish@smashingdarling.com
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If you have been paying any attention at all to blogs about fashion lately you will have run across this amazing lady, Crosby. She has created a place to find out about all things relating to fashion pr through her blog, PR Couture.
Crosby also has a company called Clever Gretel (www.clevergretelcreative.com) where she consults with indie designers on the basics of pr. She helps designers with media kits, press releases, coming up with a list of targeted media, website usability, and so on. So, if that is what you are needing to push your line over the edge stop by Clever Gretel and see what Crosby can help you out with.
We were so glad that Crosby took some time out of her busy schedule to tell us a little more about the world of a fashion pr pro.
SD: When did you start pr couture, and what inspired it?
CN: I started PR Couture in December, 2006. I had recently completed a Masters Thesis that explored Fashion PR, and had toyed around with creating an online resource for people who were looking for more information about the profession. A blog seemed to be a much more manageable and affordable alternative to the large-scale site I was originally envisioning.
SD: Who needs a PR person? and is it better for a clothing designer to hire a fashion pr person over a general pr firm?
CN: Everyone needs PR! However, PR works best when there is a great product, a great story, and great passion, enthusiasm, and patience. Beautiful hi-res images help too! Sometimes clients are itching for recognition, and that takes precedence over evaluating their positioning, market, and collateral. Also, a client might want to do a media campaign before getting really clear on their market, their voice, their story. PR can really help to clarify all these things – the challenge is to explain the value of PR beyond just media coverage.
I think it is key for your PR agency or publicist to be passionate about your product or service. For a clothing designer, a firm with a background in fashion is essential.
SD: Where did you go to school and what did you study?
CN: I attended Pitzer College, which is one of the Claremont Colleges, and studied Media Studies and Gender/Feminist Studies. I did an undergraduate thesis that looked at the historical and cultural relationship between fashion and feminism. I also hosted an event called “Fashion Playground,” that was an interactive DIY fashion event around the idea of feminist fashion.
I went to graduate school at San Diego State, and graduated with an M.A. in Mass Communication and Media Studies. It was there that I became interested in a career in Fashion PR. The lack of academic writing, combined with the lack of information available online, led to my master’s thesis. I traveled to New York and interviewed several practitioners.
SD: What was your first job in the pr industry?
CN: My first job in PR was managing the in-house PR and marketing department for an online jewelry company that specializes in celebrity inspired designs.
SD: What inspires your writing?
CN: I am lucky to have my own detective squad – everyone from my best friend to former employers send me information they think is relevant. I am addicted to my google alerts and to reading other fashion and industry blogs. Oftentimes, an offline conversation with a fashion blogger or publicist will inspire a post.
SD: What is the one piece of advice you would give to help people promote themselves?
CN: Develop a clear and consistent voice – everything from your copy to photographs should reinforce your brand. And don’t be afraid to let that voice be original.
SD: Do you think the internet has helped or hindered designers in getting pr? (explain)
CN: I think that PR used to be much more straightforward. The internet requires designers as well as PR Practitioners to be that much more media savvy. However, the expanse of new opportunities to get the word out, and the ability to target extremely specialized communities is a great benefit.
SD: What does your average day entail?
CN: Research, writing, emails, reading, communicating with clients, follow ups with media. Frequent trips to my neighborhood café for iced coffee with soy, breaks to pet my cat, internet distractions, and gchat.
SD: If you knew then (before you entered the industry) what you know now, what would you do differently?
CN: It’s less about what I know about the industry, and more what I know now about myself! Honestly, I would have gone for the right job in the right city instead of the wrong guy. Given that things happen as they happen though, I would have started PR Couture sooner. It has opened doors to places and people that would have been closed if I were just another applicant. As an example, as a graduate student trying to land interviews, I really struggled to make appointments. These days, I get emails from individuals asking to be interviewed!
SD: In your opinion what is the best advertising/promotional trend these days?
CN: I think that all of the tools for self-promotion that are available to designers through the Internet are so empowering and important. Alternately, I love social shopping sites like Style Hive and This Next.
SD: What do you think the hardest aspect of your industry is?
CN: For me personally, the hardest part is the media dance. I’m not built to be a sharky salesperson or overly aggressive, and while the media that I do work with appreciate my soft-pitch approach, managing media hits against client expectations is a challenge. I think within PR as a whole, there is a real struggle to be recognized as having value on par with the suits in the boardroom.
SD: Do you have any events you are getting ready for in the near future? If so tell us a little about them.
CN: I work as event director for GRRRRRL Power, a female artist collective in San Diego. We are planning several events, including a show in November with the newly re-launched Women’s History and Education Center that I am really excited about!
SD: If there was one designer on Smashing Darling that you could ask a question to who would it be and what would you ask them?
CN: I would ask Sandmaiden what inspired her color palette and if she is considering working with any eco-fabrics in the future like bamboo…
