Smashing Darling Blog

Sisters Justina and Faith owners of Compai

I was in in NYC this passed Saturday for a quick overnight. As luck would have it the girls from Compai were rocking it out at Madewell in SOHO. They were sewing on the spot some of the creations they make out of denim from their book 99 Ways To Cut, Sew and Deck Out Your Denim.

Alynn Perl is wearing #92 Penelope Flower Barret from the book.
I was quite fortunate to get this same lovely little number as a pin. I love it!

Great thanks to the people from Madewell for hosting the event.
If you are in SOHO, they are located at 485 Broadway(corner of Broome).

Stay tuned for other events these girls have got coming up and to read our exclusive interview with them.
I would love to hear from you if you are hosting an indie event or want to showcase an indie store.
email me trish(at)smashingdarling(dot)com help us spread the indie goodness.

Todays interview is with designer Bronwen Eastman de Gonzales. Becoming a new mom set in motion Bronwen Handmade. She has lived in many places around the world and draws inspiration from all. With the new company and a baby, she reminds herself to slow down and enjoy the moments because life is about the journey not the destination. You can purchase items from her online here.

SD: With a culinary background, how did you begin designing?
Bronwen: I’ve been into both cooking and making things as long as I can remember. I made baklava as a third grade project and was making most of my own clothes by high school! They are similar endeavors, I think, in that they are both creative and aesthetically based.

SD: When did you start your own line of baby items?
Bronwen: I began Bronwen Handcrafted inc. a little less than a year ago with mostly the baby sling. Since then I’ve branched out into clothes and quilts for babies as well jewelry and a couple other things for adults.

SD: Where do you turn for inspiration for your designs?
Bronwen: I find fabric and bead stores pretty inspiring. It’s usually the beads or fabric that inspires the jewelry or clothing design and not the other way around.
I’m also greatly inspired by traditional, often indigenous artisan from around the world. I love that traditional artisans tend to work with a palette of colors and an eye not influenced by Fifth Avenue but by a history and place. I just returned from a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico and the aesthetic sense and skill of so many artisans there never ceases to amaze me.
Place is another inspiration. The feel of a city or the character of a region.

SD: How do you balance being a mom and running a business?
Bronwen: Ha ha. I wish I’d figured that out!! The job description of Mom changes all the time with a baby and there’s really no way of predicting what the business will do either. When it comes down to it my family is my most important thing. So, I try to keep that in perspective, try to keep abreast of the changing needs of the babe and, in regard to the business, I do my very best to prioritize!

SD: What was it like being in the Peace Corps?
Bronwen: Peace Corps was quite a trip. I was in Madagascar as an environment volunteer for a little over two years from age 19 to 21. In a nutshell, it was really hard physically and mentally and it was an incomparable and very valuable experience. Speaking of priorities, I learned a bit about what mattered to me and what I could do without. I think that in part it was PC experience that made me understand that making beautiful and useful objects and that running a business were not impossible for ordinary mortals—that in effect it gave me permission to start this business.

SD: What is the most important thing you have learned living in so many different countries?
Bronwen: I think that having learned the food cultures of the various places has really enriched my life, but I also feel sort of like a world citizen now and that if I wanted to pick up and move to say, Fiji, that would not be totally out of the question.

SD: Do you have a mantra that you live or work by?
Bronwen: I don’t really, but I’m forever trying to slow myself down and remind myself that it’s about the journey and not the destination.

SD: What does your average day entail?
Bronwen: Wake up late with restaurateur hubby and baby, check for orders, tackle a mountain of dishes, little family time over coffee, naptime=a solid block of work time, an outing of some kind, stolen moments of work between meals, baths and apartment hygiene, hang out with baby, baby sleeps=more work time until passing out.

SD: Describe your personal style?
Bronwen: I think I’m sort of a minimalist, I like my clothes to have clean simple lines but I enjoy luxurious fabrics, big earrings, and nice shoes.

SD: Who are your fashion icons (past or present)? Do you think they influenced your personal style?
Bronwen: Frida Kahlo comes to mind with her ethnic chic look. She always looked fabulous.
I know that I got a lot of my style from my mom though, so I she’s one of my fashion icons!

SD: Do you have any current fashion obsessions?
Bronwen: Oh yeah: earrings made by a group of indigenous people called the Mapuche in Chile and the square embroidered blouses from the Isthmus of Mexico called huipiles tehuanas, like those Frida Kahlo used to wear, as a matter of fact. Obscure enough for you?

SD: Is there anyone in the Smashing Darling community you have a question or comment for?
Bronwen: Just in general, I’d like to say that I’m so glad to have such a community of creative and interesting people to be a part of and I congratulate everybody for making it happen for themselves!

If you have an idea for an interview you would like to see us do, email me trish(at)smashingdarling(dot)com

On a trip to Texas a few years ago my husband and I had the opportunity to see the original “first photograph” done by Joseph Nicephore Niepce around 1826. (That’s right … it’s in Texas. Who would have thought?) While not the most impressive image, it was amazing to think that he actually exposed that very metal plate and essentially invented photography as we know it. And here I was hundreds of years later standing in front of it in awe.

Remembering this experience started me thinking about how images are captured these days. I have to admit that it has been a long time since I’ve used a traditional film camera, mostly because digital photography is just so convenient. When you can plug right into your computer and see your results instantly, why bother with the hassle of film?

Now that wet process photography is for the most part relegated to fine art pursuits, have you ever considered just how it is that computers make an image? Here’s the jist in a not so technical way.

A computer’s function is to manipulate numerical information stored in binary form using the numbers 0 and 1. When an image is downloaded from your camera it’s recorded as binary code and stored as numerical information. So, your image of that gorgeous indie outfit is recorded as a whole bunch of tiny colored squares. Each square is known more commonly as a pixel of information. The computer records all of the information in a whole bunch of horizontal and vertical rows forming a grid, or bitmap. The number of pixels in each of these rows determines the resolution of the image. Commonly referred to as ppi (pixels per inch) So, the more pixels you have per inch the more detailed your image will be.

So, next time you take 15 seconds out of your day to download an image from your digital camera, remember how incredibly lucky you are to have such a tool at your fingertips. Heck, Niepce’s humble photograph of his courtyard took over eight hours just to expose! We’ve got it good … take lots of photos, upload ‘em often, and keep the new indie styles coming!

The first person to comment on the blog and tell me who said or wrote this wins a Student Smash Up item from Smashing Darling.

I am testing to see if we have any sports fans in our midst.

“It was weird seeing Japanese fans exposed to ‘Sweet Caroline.’ They give us Toyotas, we give them Neil Diamond, which explains the trade deficit.” -?

Now the only thing left to do is go peruse the store to feast your eyes on all the delicious choices and make your selection.

Good Luck!

Click here and the here these 2 quotes are still up for grabs!
I will tell you they are both sentences from books.
The next clue for getting these two, they were also in New York Magazine.

Exercise: In the following line of letters, cross out six letters so that the remaining letters without altering their sequence, will spell a familiar English word.

B S A I N X L E A T N T E A R S

Play with it for a while before you scroll down to get the answer.

I was recently asked to do this exercise myself. This was a great eye opener….I always thought I had an eye for seeing life a little differently. This exercise taught me, there is always room for another interpretation.

It also brought to my attention at Smashing Darling, we are asking YOU, to see the fashion world a little differently. Possibly what seems obvious, really isn’t. We have a collection of designers living out their dreams. Designing with their own individual styles. Running their own businesses & selling through their own boutiques on our site, Smashing Darling. So when you look at their designs try it with the fresh pair of eyes you attained figuring out the puzzle.

or

by

scrolling

and

getting

the

answer.

BANANAS

This exercise came from the book
A Whack on the Side of the Head
by
Roger von Oech
and was given to me by my coach Ilene

We want to hear from you. We, being the amazing girls, aka the darlings, behind the website Smashing Darling. The most comprehensive indie fashion website on the internet. It has been an unbelievable journey from conception to fruition. Not only have we built it, we are now working on version 2. All in just a little over a year. WOW! If I do say so myself.

NOW, we want to hear from you everyday, what you like what you don’t like…what you need…what do you want to hear/see more of.

Here is the 411 on contacting us:

julie(at)smashingdarling(dot)com - email juliedarling for all photo ideas/questions/comments
mo(at)smashingdarling(dot)com - email modarling for all press inquiries/link trades/Student Smash Up Project/possibilities of projects with other companies
trish(at)smashingdarling(dot)com - email trishdarling for all ideas/features for the blog/let your indie out pictures/indie fashion events/interviews you would like to see/questions/comments for or about Smashing Darling & the blog.

juliedarling and trishdarling - the co-founders
modarling joined us a bit later
You have no excuse now. Leave us a comment here at the blog or email us.

This was a hard week to figure out what to write. After weeks of writing tips on producing great photos, I’m not sure if these posts are helpful or confusing. It’s a blank stare. No comments, nothing like “Could we focus on this?” or “Could you not include that?”

We need your help - what direction do you need most for photo tips? What would you like to see? Any comments are welcome (be gentle, please!) and we’d love to hear from you, so drop an email to julie@smashingdarling.com or comment at the bottom of this post.

This week it’s all about inspiration. Looking at other people’s photos can be a great way to get ideas for your own shots. There’s lots of great work out there in the current fashion mags, as well as a rich history of gorgeous photography to draw from. So spend some time looking at what others are doing (and have done.) What makes you go ahhhhh? Here are a few that should get your creative fashion photo juices flowing.

photo courtesy Oliver Shank, Blind Photography

photo courtesy David J. Nightingale, Chromasia

(David has also kindly extended to the Smashing Darling community a 20% discount on either the first year’s payment of an annual subscription or on their lifetime membership package. Enter this code: D81AE179E7 when you visit David’s site: Chromasia Tutorials)

photo courtesy Tyler Nixon, Wink

photo courtesy Russ Bryant, Russ Bryant Photography

photo courtesy Tom Hopkins, Tom Hopkins Studio

Here we have Julie’s little darling, aka, G-Luv
Showing off his Whosiepie tee, Noriega Street.
He is soooooooooooooooooo cute,
mixing it up with a pair of jeans!
This just proves you are never to young,
to Let Your Indie Out!

We, along with little man, G-Luv
want to SEE YOU,

LET YOUR INDIE OUT!

send me pics of you showing off your style
wearing your Smashing Darling purchase.

Send to trish(atsmashingdarling(dot)com

Have a sparkling day!