Smashing Darling Blog

What’s Going On Good things are going on! The rain has finally stopped in New England leaving us with beautiful leaves of green…we hope that gives you a little extra spring in your step. Throw on your favorite dress and go find some inspiration - we did! Stroll around your neighborhood, maybe you will find a new designer tucked away, creating, and eager to tell you their story….OR just click around the site, plenty of inspiration to be found here. Do you know our story? Trishdarling was happy to tell it recently in an interview on the fashion business network Nolcha.com. Check it out here.

What’s New A new season of Project Runway is coming soon and recruiters have been contacting Darlings through Smashing Darling -fabulous. We’ll keep you posted. Speaking of TV-land, Darling Karelle Levy (KRELwear) was just on Bravo! Read more. Don’t miss the out on the smashing blog! Designers have been sharing some gorgeous editorials done of their designs and the stories behind them. We have been sharing video of some darlings as well, a great way to get to know the people behind the designs. Check out this video of darling Anna Hovet for a inside peek at the Chicago Fashion Incubator!

Coming Soon Have you noticed?  We are doing a little work on the site, and some changes are already visible. Going forward if you could have any one new function with the site what would it be? What could we do to make your experience just a bit more pleasurable while perusing all your favorite indie designers? Send us a suggestion to trishandjulie@smashingdarling.com and if we choose your idea we will also send you your choice of Smashing Darling T-Shirt.

Smashing Kudos and tidbits Well alright! Smashing Darling made the A-list by this fashionista, thanks Alexis!….Our favorite gift girl shouts out her smashing Spring favorites from the Darling world….Darlings - found by this German blogger…Splendicity falls for Stacie May…Founder of VenusZine.com, Amy Schroeder shares some shopping theory and picks her darling favorites….Fashion branding advice here says: if you are an indie label then you should hang with us.

cheers ~ the Darlings

Don’t you want to know more about Nolcha and what this Fashion - Business - Network is all about? We have been posting Nolcha opportunities here in the Smashing Blog to entice you to jump in and see how Nolcha can help you and your business.  Some of you have done just that…congrats go out to Kimberly Hendrix, we’ll be seeing her designs hit the Nolcha runway this Fall during New York Fashion Week and we can’t wait! In the meantime, get to know Nolcha better below.

Darlings: Give us the skinny on “Nolcha,” and the meaning behind it.
Kerry: Nolcha provides business resources to the emerging fashion market in a professional and sophisticated manner. Although our resources and opportunities are cost effective for the emerging and independent fashion designer, this does not reflect in our events, materials or programs. We are aiming to be the one-stop destination for new fashion designers and retailers to grow their brand whether through promotion, marketing, sales and business connections. Networking is key to Nolcha. It has got us where we are today and we encourage all members and associates to do the same. Nolcha means sun in the sky in Native American. This is not why we chose the name, but you could say we are the enlightenment of the emerging fashion market (grin). On a serious note we chose a unique name that allowed us to create our own brand association and mantra.

Darlings: Where did the inspiration come from to start Nolcha, and how did the project come together?
Kerry: My background is in business communications, marketing and events. I moved to NYC from UK after college and quickly learned that there is a huge gap in the fashion industry for those starting out – they need business advice and support. I provided consultancy to brands but knew there was a larger demand and decided to grow an online network. I met Arthur Mandel, current President and Co-Founder of Nolcha, and we have grown Nolcha to what it is today.

Darlings: When was the first fashion show produced?
Kerry: It feels like many years go, but the soft launch of Nolcha was September 2007 at the Maritime Hotel in New York City. We did fashion shows for new designers in New York, London, LA, and Miami. Looking back it was a rather courageous thing to do with only enough money for our plane tickets, staff and solid relationships in these fashion cities!

Darlings:  What is the most important thing you learned from doing that first show?
Kerry: Plan ahead, protect yourself with contracts and always be ready for the unprepared.

Darlings: What’s the criteria for a designer to be considered for a Nolcha fashion show?
Kerry: We are looking for designers that are bringing something new to the marketplace. A fresh eye with a strong business plan and a willingness to succeed. If they have the basics implemented we can do the rest but the designer needs to be ready to produce and sell once Nolcha Fashion Week is completed. An oooh factor from the crowd is always something we look for as well. Will the garment be show-stopping in a good way? Good cut, good drape, and great fabric choice is also very important. There are a lot of young designers that produce 20-30 looks with cheap fabric when they should be producing 15 with finer materials

Darlings: You recently opened your first retail space, will the designers change from time to time? If yes, who should designers contact to be considered?
Kerry: Yes, the designers can rotate every six months however the original eleven have first right of refusal. Designers should contact retail@nolcha.com.

Darlings: You are launching a new online resource, can you tell us a little bit about it and how you see it being used?
Kerry: The online retail portion is how we keep ahead of the trends before they even happen. We like to think of ourselves as trend makers, so if a piece by one of our designers makes it on a celebrity or in a magazine we can post it online for sale before anyone else can, giving our loyal clients the first pick. It is a new evolution in “get it while it’s hot” almost a “pre-press” instead of “hot off the press”. In the in between time we will have bi-weekly features of products that adhere to the current trends seen in the likes of the major fashion magazines chosen by some of NYC’s top stylists just to keep consumers ahead of the pack. All items will be available only for a limited time.

Happy Spring! In NYC trees are starting to bud and that makes us want to shout hip-hip-hooray! The wonderful designers here at Smashing Darling make us want to cheer too! Last week a few darlings donated with us to support City Harvest through a great event: Social Media for Social Change. Click here for the wrap up; all together supporters made almost 50k lbs of food available to hungry New Yorkers. Check out some pictures from the event to see TrishDarling in her SMASH UP tee, as well as one of our ticket/tee winner rockin’ her SMASH UP mermaid tee - we love it!

Hooded babydoll flutter

Spring FEVER brings SALES! There are great sales happening right now…but be sure to check back, they only last a limited time and new ones sneak up all the time.

Spring is a great time for trunk sales too! Keep an eye on the smashing blog for those.

Cute & cozy high waister

If you were standing right next to us at a party, what would you say? Whatever it is we want to hear it! It would be great to personally meet each and everyone of you in our community. In the meantime, there are loads of ways to connect with us. You know the usual suspects:

our blog, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, you can always find us in those spots.

We would love to know what you think about Smashing Darling and the community we all create together. Are there things you would change? What would you definitely NOT change? We always welcome feedback from you, so don’t ever hesitate to share it. Email us: trishandjulie@smashingdarling.com.

Chartreuse & with pockets - thank you!

Smashing Kudos and tidbits

Lovely upcycled tea-stained lace…

Happy Spring!

cheers - the Darlings

What’s Going On March feels like seasonal limbo: snow, rain, sun, wool?, raincoat? - help! Spring brings more light into our world…but not necessarily more cash into the economy.  We of course want people to support independent designers all the time, not just when things are bad. But, reading that people are spending more on handmade clothing because it has meaning, well, that is just music to our ears. Read more here. It is pretty amazing to have a conversation with a designer about a piece designed just for you, or to learn the inspiration behind a design. Have you had this experience? If you have: comment, email, tell us the story, share with us a favorite local designer. If you haven’t: well then, dig in around Smashing Darling, email a designer and get a conversation started.

Spring is: hand dyed silk charmeuse

Spring is: light, dreamy pastels

What’s New In only ten days Spring will have officially sprung! Time to shed some layers and lighten and brighten those colors you choose to adorn yourself in. Take a look around this page for ideas or head to the site for more. Be sure to check out the sample sales while you are there. Click here and go now! Those sales won’t last too long. While other cities prepare for the Fashion Week craze, NYC recovers. If you missed some of our fun head on over to the Darling blog for some recaps. Don’t forget we have our own runway fashion for sale exclusively on Smashing Darling thanks to our friends over at MyItThings.com. It screams Spring - go see!

Coming Soon Maybe, just maybe, we have something hiding up our sleeve for you all. But darlings, you are just all going to have to wait. But, hey, we have a great distraction for you… We are happy to once again support Social Media for Social Change (sm4sc), take two, New York City style. We love that sm4sc: was born of the idea that the social media community, these “agents of change” can get together for one night, to support one cause. This year all the proceeds go to City Harvest to help the hungry of New York City. Come join us, won’t you? Buy: Tickets, they are $45, buy more and they are less. Receive: some good karma, enjoy live music and an open bar, maybe win some Darling (or other) goodies. Skip on out of the house and come meet some great people! Full details here.

Spring is: golden

Spring is: linen, jersey, crochet, lace.

Smashing Kudos and tidbits Kickin’Kate rocks! We thank her for this great post we missed: tips on gettting involved, as well as some Darling love…some Coutorture linkage to Darling Katie Burley and those fab hats…One photographer + 2 Darlings =  loveliness in San Diego and onward…Brooklyn Roaylty rocks Digital Moda…Great pics and big support for Darling PapuszaCouture from The Clothes Coach.

Happy *almost* Spring!

cheers ~ the Darlings

What’s Going On Maybe Fall fashion is hitting NYC this week, but the rest of us are ready to shop for, and welcome, Spring! The hopeful colors of spring are popping up all around Smashing Darling as designers load up their boutiques with new inspiration. Mainstream fashion may be planning for 2010, but around these darling pages you can find one-of-a-kind clothing and accessories hot off the pattern table last week. We think that rocks. We hope you do too. Online or off, we think this Wall Street Journal article states it best: …The clothes are exclusive, and the designers often offer alterations and special orders — as well as the pleasure of personal interaction with them.

Erika Hendrix, check out Spring

It Designer Limited Edition

What’s New You heard it first here! First ever crowd-sourced fashion collection to be sold exclusively through Smashing Darling. We have Smashed Up with My It Things, a leading publisher of user-generated fashion content, to bring you the exclusive Pre-Sale of the ‘It Designer’ contest winner Wakana Koike’s Spring/Summer 2009 collection. Read full story here. Go check it out and be among the first to order these playful, yet sophisticated limited edition pieces for Spring/Summer 09. All fabrics were custom made by the Japanese ink-jet factory, Seiren, and were inspired by themes of ocean and sailing.

Coming Soon Coming as soon as, oh -tomorrow!- New York Fashion week craziness! The darlings will be contributing from the outskirts making sure that the indie fashion scene is well, um…seen, and the voice heard. Fashion week now extends well beyond the tents especially for indie/emerging designers, and we will be there blogging, tweeting, and facebooking as much as we possibly can. Stay tuned to the Smashing Blog as well as Inside the Tents. The Darlings end that run with a little ‘ole birthday, that’s right - ours! In our honor pop open a little pink bubbly, if you like, on the 20th of February when we officially become toddlers - we are TWO!

A Lil’ Lolita, by M641

Spring 09 Vegas Collection by Kitten Miami

Smashing Kudos and tidbits Did we really forget all about Valentine’s Day? oops, but love rocks!…Find all things red here, and all things love here!…speaking of sweet, congrats to darling KRELwear - she is not only Daily Candy Miami’s Sweetest Thing but her designs graced the cover of Ocean Drive last month!…Brooklyn Royalty is cutting edge….We have a new manifesto - go read it!…OutsaPop is fabulous, we like the way she thinks…and a quick thank you to Brea Grant for shouting us out again!

Until next time…

cheers ~ the Darlings

What’s Going On Change. A new year, a fresh start. Change for Trishdarling, our parade leader, comes big. Did you know that Trishdarling is also Mergirl? Read here, and now you do. Closed are the doors to her Chester, CT boutique, and into a new studio she goes…soon we will all be drooling over new collections in her darling boutique. News stumbles in of many an indie designer closing their physical location and relying on word of mouth and their online presence only. This is why it is so important to talk to us and be a fan whether it is on your very own street corner, Facebook, Twitter, or wherever you like to gab the most!

Where is Mergirl?

Darlings knit baubles

What’s New Be Our Guest Shopping on Smashing Darling just got a little easier. …Be our guest, try it, you might like it. We will no longer be requiring you to create an account to make a purchase, unless you want to of course! No more account set-up necessary, no more passwords to remember. Take a look here, and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask! Email trish@smashingdarling.com.

Coming Soon Fashion Week will soon return to  excite and exhaust the heeled soles and typing fingers of fashion bloggers (oh, and all the rest of the media world -wink) and lovers from NYC, and everywhere. Stay tuned and we will tell you what is going on with our own darlings. We are excited to see a new collection from darling Papusza Couture debut at Williamsburg Fashion Weekend at the Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn. Read more here, and if you aren’t nearby maybe you should plan to be that weekend…(hint: it’s our Darling birthday too!)

A shirt named Lola-striped and smocked

Lilac day-tripper

Smashing Kudos and tidbits Happy to see us listed as a resourcefave indie website…Darling and Hayden-Harnett love…NYC entrepreneurs changing the industry…DIYmag digs2008 recap, predictions, and well wishes (with Brea Grant too!)… at a Chicago Designer Roundtable Seminar…Cause A Scene editor names us as a our new guest checkout…don’t miss our and just today it was lovely to see our Darling Designer profile at FIDM magazine.

cheers ~ the Darlings

What’s Going On Fashion Wars LIVE, tomorrow night - NYer’s come out and play at 3rd Ward in Brooklyn: CALLING ALL STYLISTS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, INDEPENDENT DESIGNERS, ARTISTS & JUST PLAIN CREATIVE MINDS! FASHION WARS LIVE is an unprecedented documentation of indie fashion and a celebration of creatives working in the fashion industry. Get all the details here.

What’s New Holidays are just around the corner, so here is just a gentle nudge for party-wear planning (we promise not to play any carols here…well, not just yet!). Glance around this page for dresses galore, and if nothing strikes your fancy, click here for more party bits and pieces! For some serious holiday dress inspiration, check out the new contest over at MyItThings.com. Read all about it in the Smashing blog.

Coming Soon Holiday sales are on, and a great way to avoid the economic woes. Get excellent quality independent/emerging fashion for less at these events: - NYC: Independent Retailers Week, Nov 17th-23rd. - SanFran: Threads Show, 100s of top-notch designers showcase their full collections at discounted prices. Find all the details in Darling Events, and share with us any holiday sales or events happening in your favorite shopping destination.

Smashing Kudos and tidbits If you are kickin’ it on the beach in Miami feasting your eyes on Miami Living mag be sure to look for us in the Holiday -Hot- Gift Guide…Big kudos go out to all the Editor’s giving us their Darling picks on Friday’s in the blog…a few tidbits we couldn’t fit last month: the Darling’s were a Mama Find over at Mom Generations…La Vie Cherie loves us…a Darling ring makes a She Finds Top 5…and this Cynthia Jones necklace is “stuff so awesome it hurt’s!”

Until next time…jump in a pile of leaves, cook up a turkey, be thankful, smile, and know you are smashing!

cheers ~ the Darlings