Smashing Darling Blog

As a die-hard trend sleuth, I try to resist getting too caught up in the patterns, the textures, and the glitz thrust upon me on a daily basis.  My own personal style generally calls for clean, sharp lines and simple detailing. Right now, I’m really into shapes—circles, squares, hexagons—primary/secondary colors, and modern silhouettes, so finding things I loved at Smashing Darling was a breeze.

The large round buttons and sharp pleats of the Kangaroo Pocket Pencil Skirt caught my attention immediately.  The deep circles and three dimensional effects of the Juneau Ring and Nerd Belt were so unique, they cried out, “You must own us!”  The Lady Maria Bag, with it’s exotic modern detailing and round handle, was a must-have item the second I saw it.  Similarly, the rugged exterior (offset by a smooth interior) of the recycled ‘Cactus Drop’ Conveyor Belt Earrings made them an instant favorite.  (Who would’ve thought?)

Now, you might be wondering about the Socialist Shoulder Tee given my ‘clean, sharp, and simple’ ways.  But it was such a kickback to the 80’s (one of the most awkward and fantastic times of my life) that I just couldn’t resist.  The Necktie Hat, with it’s simplistic mod appeal, seemed to finish off the outfit nicely.  And, who knows, maybe it would come in handy for those bad hair days (which I seem to suffer from on a regular basis these days). - Jill Trend De La Creme

I love it! and if you would like to be our featured Editor, for Editor’s Picks fridays email me trish(at)smashingdarling(dot)com Just do it, it’ll be fun!

We need everyone in the fashion world to vote for Lara Miller at Ideablob.

The idea: Animated by the human form, the line can be twisted, wrapped, and most distinguishably flipped upside down to reveal a whole new garment. I aspire to preserve and respect our earth in every way that I can. I see my company as a way to support my community by using organic materials and manufacturing locally to sustain my industry in Chicago. Hand-picked by Mayor Daley, I am a committee chair on the Mayor’s Fashion Council. Selling internationally with an extensive press list, including Sundance,CBS,elle.com,Lucky and many others. I am on the verge of being profitable. Please help me get there.

GO VOTE!

Shari Rueckl, Minyoung Shin, Vicki Ferraro, Elizabeth Rynish

A couple of weeks ago Modarling and I had the great pleasure of going to the Bust 15 Year Anniversary Party. There we met with Elizabeth and later Kelly from Seam Collective. Elizabeth is one of the women who originally formed the group to help promote female indie fashion designers. The group formed in 2005 after the women had seen the instillation of the Gates in Central Park. Very inspired they set out to create something meaningful of their own. Since they began, they have featured multiple fashion shows showcasing and helping women fashion designers. This years show is called Fenomenon. A portion of our net proceeds will go to WomenRising Inc. of Jersey City.  WomenRising is a community-based organization that provides economic development, social services and advocacy for women and their families in Hudson County.

The where, what, when, how…
Date:  Saturday, October 25th, 2008.
Time: 6:00 pm -1:00 am; Fashion Show starts at 8pm
Location: Canco Lofts, 50 Dey Street, Jersey City, NJ. www.cancolofts.com
Tickets:  $20 pay in cash at door or go online at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/9221

SEAM COLLECTIVE invites you to an evening of fashion and music to benefit WomenRising Inc. of Jersey City.
Fashion show will feature several hot emerging female fashion designers
AND
Live Interactive Photo Shoots * DJ Jen Johnson * Jenny Rocha and the Painted Ladies burlesque dancers * TRANSITION middle eastern band * Visual Art *  and more!!!

Complimentary wine provided from 6-8pm by MakeWineWithUs.com
Snacks & Cash Bar available.

RSVP:  Send email to rsvp@seamcollective.com  or go to RSVP online

Directions: Take PATH train to Journal Square. Shuttle will be available to and from Journal Square PATH station or take a 12 minute walk.
SEAM COLLECTIVE contact phone number: 646.530.8310
website: Seam Collective

Keep tuning in to the blog for features and Indie Designer Highlights about the designers participating in the show.

To catch the first half of this story you must go to PR Couture to read the interview Crosby did with Sarah-Jane before the change the magazine made from Fashion Central to Cause a Scene. The magazine is fabulous for many reasons, but numero uno in my book is because the highlight is on indie/emerging fashion design. If you are leading an indie fashion revolution like we are, it is good to know who is on your side and shouting out the indie goodness with and for you. When you are there don’t forget to read the Columns section. There you will find yours truely, PR Couture and Trend de la Creme with monthly features. Sharing what we know, what we are learning and what we think you need to know.

Trish: What was the reason for the name change?
Sarah-Jane: Changing the name was really the last stage in bringing the branding of the magazine in line with the way our content had evolved. We found that we’d been levitating towards very colourful and edgy high profile photography, that our celebrity features were focusing on the hottest online personalities, and that the style was suddenly attracting a new audience of fashionable teens  alongside de our existing twenty somethings. People that I’d considered at the top of the game were suddenly contacting me saying ‘we really like the work you’re doing, we’d love to be involved.’ The magazine had unconsciously become very popular due to its mainstream, high fashion approach to scene styles and alternative attitudes, and it felt like the natural time to embrace that and take it to the next level.

Trish: What changes did you make to the magazine with the relaunch?
Sarah-Jane: We really tightened up and focused our content, and really flagged up all the things that make us so different that we were previously just sitting on. The website relaunch has also seen the addition of a lot of new content… we have a VIP membership scheme full of exclusive content such as video shows, celebrity blogs, high fashion columns from some of the other best sites out there, online shopping discounts, and much more. We feel like we’ve made the transition into being a serious brand to be reckoned with, and it’s a very exciting time.

Trish: As fashion catches up with the digital age, what impact do you think it will have on the industry?
Sarah-Jane: It has a huge impact, totally redefining the way that the industry works and connects. The new sense of immediacy that technology brings has already revolutionised the way that the girl next door absorbs her fashion… she doesn’t need to wait until next season to read about the shows from six months ago, she can see a catwalk review posted online twenty minutes after it happened. Everything is so much faster; stores start to diffuse next season’s trends into their current lines, magazines are constantly revealing trends earlier and earlier… the industry now has to work at a much higher pace to maintain its authority over consumers who have so much access to their own information. The magazine readers of yesterday have become the bloggers of today, and online, every single fashion niche is catered for. People can communicate and collaborate with people all across the world without the fashion police telling them that their ideas aren’t on trend. Just as digital work changed the face of the music industry, the Internet is recreating the way we view and buy fashion… although, unlike music, garments are physical products, and unless we all start wearing holograms, the digital age will enchance our fashion tradtions, but not replace them.

Trish: Are you seeing a trend of smaller design houses starting up, and what role do you think the Internet is playing in that trend??
Sarah-Jane: Definitely. Of course, many of the independent brands have always been there, but are just more visible now due to their new online presence. But there’s also an entire generation of new designers who perhaps wouldn’t have created a brand without feeling empowered by the Internet to get out there and sell their products. They now have the option to cut out the middle man and connect and sell directly to customers, and to promote their work through a limitless amount of channels. Online selling permeates every site out there, you can even plug your brand and make sales from something as simple as Myspace or Facebook. The online support available to them is also a factor; with thousands of sites, blogs and online magazines dedicated to crafting communities, designer networking and opportunities for consignment, the advice that new brands can gain from people who’ve already been through it is a major asset.

Trish: In your opinion, what are the challenges smaller fashion companies face?
Sarah-Jane: Competition; there are an overwhelming number of options open to customers now, and with so many small brands using the same online suppliers and the like, a lot of products can end up looking samey, and with the tired ‘avoid being a high street clone, we’re unique and handmade’ slogans cropping up on every company’s site, it’s often hard, or not worth the effort, for customers to try and differentiate between them when it’s a lot easier to visit the Topshop website instead. Another issue I hear about from indie labels is proving their legitimacy… whilst the internet is a great tool for small brands, there is an element to it of the 15 year olds selling spray painted hair extensions on myspace, or companys that trade disreputably, which impacts on those who are reliable and well intentioned. It’s a real problem, and unfortunately we see lots of brands closing their stores from the sheer inability to get their products seen, trusted, and shifted. Luckily, there are resources such as Smashing Darling that are there to help them :]

Sarah-Jane
Editor in Chief

www.causeascenemagazine.com
www.myspace.com/causeascenemagazine

Want to know who you’re talking talking to?
See Sarah-Jane at myspace.com/sarahjaneadams

You can also see Crosby from PR Couture In our blog feature How Do You Wear Your Indie w/ her BFF and Editors Picks. Oh the romance of it all!

Same is true for Trend de la Creme in How Do You Wear Your Indie and Jill will be featured in our Editor’s Picks this Friday 8/29 so make sure you check back for that!

Please, comments are welcome! As always if you would like to be featured in any of these segments ie:

Interviews, How Do You Wear Your Indie or Editor’s Picks just email me trish(at)smashingdarling(dot)com

One very dedicated jewelry designer whose photos we’ve critiqued in the past is Broken Teepee Designs. Based on the feedback from our last critique, Broken Teepee has made lots of strides in her photography, and the look of her boutique has changed tremendously. She’s now using shots with pure white backgrounds, has included several alternate views for most products, and has included a few model shots as well … all definite steps in the right direction, and we applaud her for her efforts!

We’ve been in contact with this designer along the way (we always welcome contact!) so we are very familiar with her struggles to improve her photography, and fell pretty sure that many other designers out there share the same challenges. To this end (and with the kind permission of the designer herself), we’re sharing Broken Teepee’s evolution on the blog in hopes that her learning process will help other designers too.

To begin with, Broken Teepee Designs has made a couple of statements in our communication with her that we feel are particularly common. She writes:

“I fear my talents lie in making the jewelry, not photographing it.” She also writes about her camera itself (a very nice digital SLR) “I have tried to figure out how the thing works but I just can’t wrap my brain around it.”

We mention these two things first because sometimes the best answer truly is to let someone else handle the photographs … not so much due to lack of ability on a designer’s part but simply for the reason, as this designer states, that a fashion designer’s talents  naturally lie elsewhere. Creating good photographs takes a lot of time and energy, and is so crucial to selling online. If you feel your photos just aren’t clicking (or that trying to get them to click is taking too much of your valuable time) it’s definitely time to consider outsourcing.

But our Broken Teepee designer is clearly an intrepid soul, not ready to give up yet so we’ve take a close look at her efforts and have a few suggestions that we hope will be helpful. We really think that her photos are so close to being great … a little work in the details and they’ll be there! At her invitation, we’ve produced a few shots of our own to illustrate our suggestions.

(Disclaimer: we’re not professional photographers either, and these images are not intended to be construed as better in any way than what the designer has produced herself … they’re just our attempt to illustrate one way that we might handle photographing a certain product. Our equipment is nothing special … a digital SLR, all natural light, and Photoshop to manipulate the image as needed. These were done outside at our home, yesterday afternoon.)

1. Background shots
On the shots that use a backdrop of some sort, we would recommend something that adds a bit of texture or movement to the shot. A plain, ho-hum  piece of fabric rarely does anything to enhance the product … try to find something things that relate to the materials themselves and add a bit of drama or appropriate color to the shot. In this instance, we thought a piece of weathered wood with its wavy grain might be a good complement to this piece, the “Sticks and Stones”  bracelet.

Sticks and Stones, $99.50 (our wood grain background shot)

2. Pure white shots
We’ve noticed that a fair number of Broken Teepee’s pure white background shots have very harsh, hard-edged shadows. When you’re looking at a piece that you’ve set up to photograph and see those harsh shadows (very common when shooting in open sunlight), the best thing to do is either  diffuse the light falling on the product or move the shot to a different location with softer light. Here are a couple of links with instructions to create an easy, inexpensive diffuser frame:

http://www.shortcourses.com/tabletop/lighting2-10.html
http://photo.net/photography-lighting-equipment-techniques-forum/008Q2g

Another thing we’ve noticed on a number of the white-background shots are some jagged edges on the shadows that look like the background may have been selected and removed in Photoshop to get that pure-white effect (an example would be the Holly Blue briolettes.) Photoshop can be a GREAT tool for touching up backgrounds (as well as tweaking colors, cropping, and about a million other things) but it’s never a good thing when something looks visibly “Photoshopped.” So if you’re using the select tool in Photoshop to remove background areas, make sure to feather the selection to get a nice, soft edge. Or if you’re using the eraser tool to manually remove areas of the background, be sure to use a soft-edge brush.

Holly Blue, $22.50

Our white background shot below was shot outside in soft sunlight, undiffused, on a plain white sheet of paper. In harsher sunlight, a diffuser frame would almost certainly be necessary.

Sticks and Stones, $99.50 (our white background shot)

3. Close-ups
Another suggestion we would have for this designer is to get in CLOSE on at least one alternate view or a product. This is a great way to show the minute details of texture and colors that can be hard to discern on wider shots. Don’t be afraid to use shallow depth of field to isolate details that you want to draw attention to as well, like details of clasps, etc.

Our Sticks and Stones Close up

4. Model shots
What can we say, we’d still like to see more model shots. Using a model is a great way to show how a design will look on, and also a terrific way to show scale an proportion.  Choose your model carefully … you’ll want to use someone who is every bit as attractive as the piece itself and looks GREAT wearing it. For tighter shots like the example we’ve included below of the bracelet all you need is someone with great skin, and some fun clothes that compliment (and never distract or overpower) the product being photographed.

Our Sticks and Stones Model shot

Wow … this has turned into a very wordy post indeed. But there’s no way around it … we appreciate the effort that Broken Teepee has put into giving her boutique a better look, and we wanted to give as much useful feedback as possible. Keep up the good work, and we hope that we’ve planted some seeds of ideas. Congratulations on all you’ve done, and we can’t wait to see what you do next!

Anyone else struggling with the photographic aspect of selling online? Let us hear about it - we’ll try our best to help. Email julie[at]smashingdarling[dot]com.

Karen and Annie Lin are the sisters that make up the fashion design duo behind the collection called AIRA. The name Aira was chosen because it refers to an ever evolving ‘era’ driven by the air of change. The sisters launched their line in fall 2008 and are gearing up for there second season with spring 2009. They also were one of the lucky designers that tried out for the Jack and Bill casting call and won.

‘Our Spring 2009 Collection is inspired by Aphrodite, the great Olympian
goddess of beauty, love, pleasure, and procreation, love for Adonis, a handsome
Cypriot youth who was tragically killed by a boar. Adonis visits Aphrodite every spring
to reunite their love for one another.’

Karen Lin graduated from the University of Texas, Austin and studied fashion for one year in Florence, Italy. Her passion for fashion design moved her to New York City to study in the AAS program at Parsons, The School of Design. Thereafter, she interned at Araks, freelanced as a children’s wear designer at Estella, and assisted the boy’s department designer at Tommy Hilfiger. With AIRA, Karen’s role is fashion designer. She specializes in designing the pieces of the collection and works closely with Annie to determine the perfect fit, style and design for every piece.

Annie Lin studied at the University of California, Irvine and studied at Parsons, majoring in Design and Management focusing on Illustration. Annie has experience working in several retail stores, including Nordstrom and Diesel, and worked as a buyer’s intern at Max Mara and designer’s assistant to Angela Horton. Annie manages AIRA and designs with Karen. They work together, blending two different perspectives, to define the details in each collection and perfect the architectural romance in each of their pieces. Annie also develops the graphic designs and illustrations that represent all of the little details and inspirations in life.

Got a clever handmade gift idea? Does it cost less than $40 to produce? Want to share your project with the world? If you answered yes to these questions, you should totally enter Venus Zine’s 4th Annual Craft-Off Contest, a competition pitting the craftiest in the land against one another to come up with the best, most creative, most fantabulous DIY creations imaginable … on a budget.

I love dressing up and going to meetings in various locations. My favorite look is one that is totally casual and comfortable. I love mixing it up with solid colors and prints. As a rule, I love to keep my clothing basic and to bulk up on the accessories any time I opt to go casual. At heart, I am a T-shirt and yoga pant girl so I was so pleased to find some great pieces that I am definitely going to have to get to start adding to my closet. In addition, I would totally travel in this look as well as you need to be very comfortable when you even think about heading to the airport and waiting for flights that are destined to be delayed!

I love organic cotton and pants that allow you to move. I want something that allows me to hang out around the house while also being available for people to drop by and as I basically live on the beach at this point, we are always running out for a quick errand! This navy pant by Sandmaiden is something that could be an essential and I love that it comes in a number of fabulous colors; moreover, they ensure that there will be plenty of movement. I also love to pair my solids with a graphic and the Anouk Tee looks super comfortable and I love that there is an intricate and yet non distracting logo on the front and between the shoulder blades. I truly believe that people see you coming and going half the time so it’s nice to give them something to look at!

No matter how casual I may be, I always accessorize - this may come from me being a jewelry designer but in addition to wearing my own necklaces, my finger is never without a large cocktail ring. It is important for me to wear natural stones/gems and something that gives my hand a double take. Without a doubt the Merle Zsa Zsa Bling ring is wrapped and a great neutral that gets you noticed. In the realm of accessories I can’t skimp and I love that the Joan Shoulder Bag is perfect to wear when you’re hanging out. I can run out of the house, grab a latte or unexpectedly end up at an outdoor cafe and yet my bag with the rich caramel color still looks amazing with my lounging look. Sometimes the mornings get chilly and we are heading into that season so wearing a super cute hat like the Smurfette by Love, Anjia is the perfect way to stay in season as chilly mornings slowly become the norm. Whether it is the weekend or I have an opportunity to work from home, I feel that are many ways to rock the casual look without looking like you fell out of bed.
Kimmie Smith - Kitten Lounge

Community news and new darlings Welcome - welcome! New darlings from NYC, Chicago, Cali, Colorado, Texas, Georgia, and as far as Puerto Rico - we are thrilled to have you with us! Last night was another whirling dervish of a night from one meetup to another! TrishDarling spoke on the NYC Fashion 2.0 Meetup Panel, it was a great evening of shared stories and helpful information. Video of the night is coming soon, and if you are in New York we’d love to see you at the next one September 16th. Later, and downtown, we met some of the fab bloggers in the Coutorture blogger network…more good news in that department coming soon. Sweet deals for you! Cause a Scene mag has offered our designer community an exclusive advertising discount (30% off for first time advertisers) contact Sarah Jane and quote Smashing Darling, for new customer peeps.

Hello, Fabulous-Spring 2009

Lovely layers from Zsega

how to - SHOUT IT OUT We hope to have some great video fun coming your way soon in the Smashing blog. But what about all of you? Do you have video of past fashion shows hanging around? Do you know that there is a spot right in your Darling store to upload that video? Make that video work for you! Simply login to your account> open your store> on your bottom right click on manage video>fill in the blanks and click add and your done! Help us make Smashing Darling a never-ending indie fashion week. While you are digging around for those video files, send us along your favorite pics of you and/or friends showing us their indie fashion. We’ll pop you in the blog, and oh, look - you’ve shouted out again!

Fashion Week Fashion Week is coming fast. We would love to help shout out all of your indie festivities and goings on all the time, and especially this time of year. Send us the info and we will be sure to blog about it. In early September the Darling’s will be at the GenArt Fresh Faces in Fashion event as well as the Brooklyn Royalty show, will we see you there? Let us know! Don’t forget that the events section of the site is another place to list all your indie fashion events.

Sandmaiden sexy organic flutter wrap

Black Heart Bunny original

Photo Finesse No one can say it better than JulieDarling, so in case you missed it… You’ve been hearing us blather on for weeks now about how to improve your photographs … we’ll shut up for a little while now and let some other very capable folks do the talking. Here are some other places where you can find great tips, new techniques, and in-depth information online. And remember, if you’re having trouble with your images google is your friend! No matter what problem you’re experiencing, chances are someone else has been there before and sought help from the internet gurus.

Have any questions? Just let us know:
trishandjulie@smashingdarling.com

cheers ~ the Darlings

Name: Outi Pyy (aka OutsaPop) She is wearing Zipper Collar necklace and a dress made from a crochet tablecloth, both designed by her.
Occupation: trashionista / indie designer
City/State: Espoo, Finland

How would you describe your personal style?
Like a thrift store, it´s a secondhand mix. I love loose 80´s clothes with weird cuts, band t-shirts, worn down and paint stained denim and high heels with sexy pencil skirts. Some of my friends say I look like an art gallerist, some think my style is more close to “nu-rave art teacher”. I think humor is important also in fashion. If the outfit has something that I find funny or odd I´ll wear it.

What’s your favorite piece of clothing?
I love my crochet evening dress (see attached picture). It´s one of the first trashion projects I did a few years ago. I made the dress from an outdated 90´s dress and covered it with a crochet table cloth I colored black. I usually wear it with one of my zipper necklaces to jazz it up a notch. Indie gala elegance by reusing old things. Love it.

What would your dream job be?
I´d love to be a shop manager or buyer for a fashion store that sells only sustainable/eco brands or indie fashion labels.

What 3 things can’t you live without?
My laptop with a wireless internet connection and portable hard drive, my family and trashion inspiration scrap books. Not necessarily in that order.

Tell us about something you LOVE that you want others to know about?
I love my inspiration books. I buy loads of fashion magazines a year and since I have no space (who does?) to store them all I cut the interesting bits out and organize and paste them into my inspiration scrap books. They are a very good way to organize and store ideas, plus they are portable. I usually have one in my bag all the time. Every trashion project starts from there. I believe in sharing, so I have scanned all the pages to my web photo gallery for anyone to read. Click this link to check out the inspiration gallery.

If you would like to be featured in the ‘How Do You Wear Your Indie’ segment in the blog email me trish(at)smashingdarling(dot)com. It is a great way to shout out what you are up to and something you love. Get involved, it also is painting a very diverse picture of just who is wearing indie and wanting everyone to know!