Garden Saga

The evolution of the garden from Spring to Fall is infinitely satisfying to me. My patio is small with window boxes and pots so I have to make sure I understand what could happen by midsummer and not overdo it. There's also a tiny little 3 ft. x 3 ft plot that my landlord allotted to me in her big beautiful English style garden, in which I only planted some "fuzzy peach" heirloom tomatoes, a few pepper plants (which I moved in early July) and pink and peach zinnias. It was supposed to really work together in terms of color but they all just fight to find some sun so it's mostly masses of green with tiny spurts of color. There are also a few marigolds, which I love because they remind me of India, to keep pests away.

These were taken in early August, when the garden was at it's best. I realized this summer that I'm more of an amateur farmer than a gardener, since I'm pretty focused on eating the garden. But then I also realized that I'm not much of a farmer because I never ordered the fertilizer that I wanted and thus only got a small yield of tomatoes and nasturtium.

I'll take some comparative pictures now, in September.

Laura in Australia

My niece Laura who just turned 20 this week, is spending her junior year at university in Adelaide in Southern Australia. She studies eco-biology and she keeps this blog, mostly for family and friends but I think it's so funny I had to share. She's having quite an adventure I think and I love adventure blogs.

I Really Want this sweater

And I like J. Crew's whole Paris thing this season. The website even has cute French music piping in. Not sure how Parisian the collection really is, but the looks are all easy and clean and pretty.

The clincher: Nothing I want is in stock until November or December. I guess if you're going to bombard every house with three catalogs (filled with such pretty pictures!) within one week, you better prepare by getting those goods made. By the time it's in stock, Forever 21 will have them in every color.

Finally

My invitations have been printed and have gone out--up late addressing them two nights in a row --oh how I need to learn simple computer programs-- and next Tuesday the e-card goes out. My friend Jen who is an art director at a fancy NY social arts "club" said that Tuesday is the best day of the week for catching people's attention. Monday they're just coming down from the weekend, Friday they're planning their weekend, and the rest of the week is work work work! So Tuesday. What about Wednesday?

This weekend it's line sheets, pricing and walking the NY tradeshows, while my lovely assistant Vanessa will run our little table at the Smith Street Market in Carroll Gardens on Saturday. I love doing that. It's a fun neighborhood with fashion-savvy women and they get visitors from all over the city, I love the immediate feedback and it's lovely to talk to other designers and share information.

My Spring 2008 Favorites (to pair with Great Jewelry)

Thakoon Spring 2008
This is a big beautiful collection. I watched this one on TV last night and heard that he designed this with the idea of one woman transforming from a 9-5'er to a Surfer chick in Hawaii. Kudos to the concept. I especially love the jungly green,black,gray,white pattern above and the graceful lines he conjures in his clothing.

Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti

Probably my favorite collection. Her details and originality always floor me. Loving the pale watercolors, like a soft sky throughout the beautiful early spring days with more sweetly feminine garden party cuts. I especially love the color choices bringing bright flashes from the shoes. Right up my alley.

Nanette Lepore Spring 2008
I love that Nanette Lepore makes clothes I can wear. It's like Great Gatsby goes to work. Love the yellows and reds mixed with beige and grays.

Karen Walker Spring 2008

Love the soft colors and playful combinations and shapes.

Derek Lam Spring 2008
Love the rich colors and sophisticated feminine cuts. A little Provencal here and a little Paris there.

Doo.Ri Spring 2008
Love the clean ladylike elegance and details and the soft taupes, ivories and blacks.

Yeohlee Spring 2008

A few nods to 20's elegance with beautiful modern flowing patterns and cuts. I love the continuation of blacks, whites and grays for Spring--perfect for a little flash of color from some elegant jewelry.

My first chance to take my first looks at some of the bigger shows. I love the beautiful playful colors and the subdued blacks, whites, and grays for Spring. Perfect to pair with some great jewelry.

Perusing the collections, am feeling like I hit the right note with the 80 Days Collection and it's calming me down for Paris. I usually design with blinders on, if that's possible at all, with my antiques picked and some noble metals in front of me. When the collection is done I send a shout to my friend Kaelea, who is a designer and trend coordinator. It usually goes something like, "Hey! These are my colors and theme---what do you think?" And she'll say, "Right On! Do you have any (insert color here) to throw in?"

Remembering

from the NY Historical Society courtesy of the NY Times

Girl's Guide

Some secrets are too good to keep. So when I found out that Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio recently launched the Girl's Guide Blog, I was compelled to share.

This is the book that helped me launch and stick with my business. This book was my mentor when I couldn't figure out what to do next. It's an invaluable and fun(!) read for anyone starting out or growing their own business. After wading through a sea of hard-to read business books, it was finally the sweet down-to-earth tone and advice mixed with pertinent case studies and personal experience that I trusted to get Bonbon off and running.

I still keep it on my desk as a reminder of where I came from.
Bookmark their blog and pass it on. It's sure to be amazing.

80 Days

Nearing Paris. The collections are finished and now I'm working on getting the invitation out and the line sheets made. I'm really proud of the latest collection, "80 Days" based on Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days. The concept is imagining our protagonist was a fearless young woman who's set off on her trip around the world, picking up mementos and talismans along the way from her visits to exotic far-flung lands, adorning herself with her memories strung along in her jewelry on gold, silk and silver.The Showroom website looks great and they've uploaded my images which I'm really happy with. Click on the "pictures and video" button, for an avant garde introduction to the expo. You'll catch a glimpse of me going on about why I like exhibiting here and also why I'll never make it on the big screen. Am also excited to be exhibiting with some top-notch designers especially Hiroko Murakami. I think her work is beautifully tailored yet ethereal with incredible attention to detail and craftsmanship.

Oh Joy!

What a beautiful review from Joy of Oh Joy yesterday. Hers is one of my favorite blogs---am always so inspired by her picks so it's a real honor for me. I also have been a big fan of her work--it's so beautifully organic and feminine with a really modern feel.

From Oh Joy Studio

Thank you Joy!

Around the World in September

Bonbon Oiseau's new Fall Collections are being carried in two new international locations this September. In Japan, look for us at Usagi Pour Toi, part of the beautiful selection of retail shops of the H.P. France Group. Usagi Pour Toi is in three locations in Tokyo (Harajuku), In Osaka (Kakuda-Cho) and in Fukuoka (Chuou-ku) in Japan.

And making her French debut, find us at Spree in Paris. There are two locations, both in very cool shopping neighborhoods, one in Montmartre and one in Saint Germaine. I love their collections (obviously) and the concept of the shops. See what Superfuture had to say. Any association with Amelie is fine with me!

Countdown

set-up at Le Showroom in March for Fall 2007

set-up at Le Showroom, last October showing Spring 2007

Less than one month before the show in Paris and I start to get a little...crazy. There's a lot to do to prepare for a tradefair so my calendar is pretty packed. I need to:

• finish the postcard and send it out to about 200 buyers by next Monday and Tuesday
• photograph and/or scan all the new pieces, photoshop them and plug them into the new linesheets for Spring 2008. (This is really time consuming---to printer by September 24th)
  
• Finish 2 new lookbooks for press: one for the new "Around the World in 80 Days" Collection and one for the new "Porte Cles: Key Fob Jewelry" Collection. I may even do one if there's time, for the "Les Historiettes" Collection. (to printer before September 28th)
• Work on display of show--do mock-ups of set-up. I'm having a new piece of wood cut for the display---not too brilliant to lug heavy walnut all the way to Paris with me, but I think it's a really clean complementary display. I can keep it some of it at my friend's flat throughout the year which is nice.
• Design and create posters or a wall hanging for my booth--something eye-catching that will sum up the new collections.
• a hundred other little details such as buying a tray so that buyers can carry the pieces they want to my table and a felt mat so they can lay it onto a neutral surface. Oh and maybe get a haircut, eat, call my mom, show up for a few Saturday market days on Smith Street.
  

If I survive the next few weeks and still post it will be like this: at 3 am when I wake up wondering if I can do all this.

The best payoff for me is that Jim will be coming over to meet me and will see the show for the first time. After it's all over we're going to wing a trip, maybe along the coast from Normandy to Brittany and maybe back through the Loire Valley . Or maybe the other way, Brittany to Normandy and around through Champagne. Or we could take a train to London or across Eastern France into Germany. Maybe we'll try catch a cheap flight somewhere like Prague or Budapest. After all this planning, winging it sounds just right.