Stylish with Substance

So say you've got a lot of green to choose from this morning, yes it's St. Patty's A.M. and you haven't picked out your ensemble yet. And actually, you've got some green to choose from or you just don't know what to pair with that emerald skirt.

You probably want to keep it modern and your-own-culturally relevant.  Ella says, don't over do the green just because you have it to adorn your bod. Maybe pick one wardrobe item, a shoe, bag or both, and then just one piece of bold jewelry or a couple of subtle accessories.

Or not. Go all out if you can either keep it fabulous or you don't give a darn.

But maybe the idea of going beyond the green appeals to you and your fashionableness, especially if you are Irish.

Here are some aspects of traditional Irish garb. I suggest to not incorporate more than one or two of these elements together, especially if you're layering on a ton of the grassy color.

• wools
• knits (arans, cables)
• laces
• brogues / wingtips (shoes)
• scally or "flat" caps
• plaid
• soft pleats, think less school girl more current femininity trend minimalism.

Or maybe you just want to be outside-the-box and go eco. Just please mix some actual green tone or some Ireland in!

More examples of the bullet points, in shopping, below!

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*Update* Check out this The-Coveted.com post for related, but totally different inspiration: snakes!

The lost & found, something that tugs at everyone interested in anything that can be blogged about (everything, everyone). Therefore anyone could blog about it, right? Living smart is fabulous and crafting your life with cunning, well...

The truth is I'm currently passionate about honing the mind, well always that, but this morning it's about how to find a lost loved item. Whether they be sunglasses, key fob, or a craft tool - we are happier holding on to our belongings.

So it doesn't matter the topic, it matters more that I may help someone out there. I've just found my trusty jewelry pliers/cutters combo - wahoo. But you?

1. Go in steps and methods, pick whichever one you like first, but one thing that may help is to re-trace your steps. Unless borrowed by a roommate, you lost that item at some point in your recent life, so this can't hurt.
2. Use your hands. Not only should you move things (and clean!) but you should use your hands to feel behind (or clean) where something is blocking your vision.
3. Cleaning can be the culprit. Until there's the perfect place for everything, often where we tidy doesn't make a lick of sense to us later. Remember where you used objects and any place you might have placed afterward.
4. Relax, have patience (if afforded) and take a breather. Sleep on it or have some brain food. The next step is to rationally ... think.
5. Leave your mind open to unusual possibilities. Develop your cunning or wait for genius to strike. A good idea, which may turn into yureka and reuniting, may hit you.
6. Don't fail to or talk yourself out of looking where you've already looked (or someone else did for you). The next time, look harder, closer, smarter and handsier than before. And probably cleanier.
7. Lather, rinse and repeat if necessary. Don't knock that cleaning method.
8. "It's always in the last place you look" is both a misnomer and a dumb obvious truth. The truth behind the phrase is that if something is where we'd think to look first, second, and so on, we'd likely find it before even losing it. When it's lost, we have to look beyond & beyond the obvious and normal. Trust that eventually you'd find odder and odder places to look, if it weren't in that last (or recent) place.

Where was my missing object? In a random drawer where scissors go, not crafts. I'd tidied up - but I still need to find that thing's true place, clearly.

When I first told a friend I wanted to design fashion, she said it was as hard to be successful as it is to be a rockstar. Or that's basically what she said, 26 years of memories ago. I had thought there were levels (there are) but I was so gullible all through my youth (I hope not still!).

When I returned to that life dream with ever a-flamed passion in my early 20s, I heard the advice, "being a fashion designer is not as glamourous as you think it is." Did I think it was glamourous? All I really wanted from glamour is to be able to carry designer bags.

I attained that through a lot of blogging and a little (or a lot) of credit. Now that the credit is through with (he he) or rather I've rid myself of those naughty ways, is the same time I'm finishing the road to becoming exactly what I want. Learning, practicing, honing ... I've designed tons of bags through the years and have made many bags and accessories. Switched from knits to sewing to finally leather sewing and sourcing all the best and - well after testing the fun waters of Etsy and learning some business ropes - I've learned that starting a brand / real company takes a long time, even after all the initial prep.

As I take a break from this work to prepare for moving to a nearby city, I have time to write more again and reflect, too. What is the truth about being, and working as, a start-up - start-out - new and dues-paying designer? Is there any glamour?

Well let's break this down and see.

• Because of investing in a new business, if I want a new designer bag I have to make it. Meaning my brand is the designer - but oh this feels better than any other company's I can imagine, without any of the guilt from Hermès. I do still have all my old bags that I hadn't already sold through the years, and my wonderful BF won't let me sell any more - because he knows me all too well.
• It's hard work with the hands. I was not raised to do that kind of thing, but it's not heavy lifting, it's delicate craft. I don't mind the work, the more pain my back or fingers or whatever, the prouder I am. Sure someday I could have the funds or success to have bags manufactured or run a workshop of employees, but sewing at least for a long while in the beginning is definitely crucial unless someone's a socialite or something. And I learn so much with each gusset, etc. of a bag.
• My hands can get dirty even! I don't think I should have lotioned up that particular leather, which had ink bleed on hands, etc afterward, but I crave expirimenting, which is part of learning. Manicures? I hope someday!!
• I am sort of a kept-woman. Oh I shouldn't even say that!! :-x I have some luck in a wonderful partner who makes the bulk of the money that barely keeps us floating, and this life partner doesn't worry much - he often says, "I have no doubt they'll sell." (I still need to watch out for Future-MIL.) So while we struggle, I've somehow stumbled into that Cinderella story aspect I didn't quite want. I wanted to save myself, but this man is letting me do it - and teaching me about money. (Bad shopaholic, bad!)
• Something a bit more glamourous, too: We're moving into a bigger apartment. Sure The Boy needs to relocate to aid his work commute, but I'm the one with all the stuff and all the equipment/tools that require space. I'm getting my own loft studio with extra storage that should even be able to hold extra machines enough to switch thread less, etc. (That's like something called lean manufacturing by the way, read about that on The Fashion-Incubator.)
• Of course, until I'm booked-round-the-clock fulfilling orders, I should probably do that old Cinderella work and do some "housewife/maid" duty. Ugh.

Will my million dollar princess-life come? It would take a long time, but perhaps after I've had sales running for a year or so I should revisit this topic with a current-then list.

To sum up, little glamour but where else would I get it? And I don't need it, anyway! I do have the luxury of love - in whom I'm with and in what I do - or am building.

These business tips can be used by small companies (or perhaps large - or hopefully someday large) companies, whether they produce products, visuals, websites or words. Some or all of these tips can be helpful for recognizable branding or to help build a professional aura (hopefully with a lot of truth) to a company, i.e. brand.

1. "Designer inspired" is not "truly inspired". Be truly inspired but don't verge into something that looks like that misnomer *designer* "inspired". This goes mostly for trademark-able things like prints or certain shapes, or for when combining a lot of inspiration especially from the same source – Don’t. Also, don't copy liberally or literally from peers in your own product type. Copy from the sky, a shadow, a beloved pet, maybe even something as everyday as a pillow. (And maybe copy minimally even from this list, as these things have inspired me.)
2. Pertaining to fashion, don’t get overly “brandy” too early. 1, this might add costs (especially in small runs or one-offs) that customers definitely don’t want (yet). 2, there really is no desire there, because the *logo’d IT item thang* is for status, unfortunately.
   

   Too much for "us" to do, so far.

3. Act professional and treat this like a business (if you don’t want to, perhaps you don’t need this list). One example of this is to communicate with prospective customers in a manner that shows they matter.
4. Get your brand’s domain name, or something close if taken (and get a .com). Yes, even musicians can’t get their names – but try to snatch the perfect one if it’s available.
5. If you can do more than that minimal step, and I do mean minimal; make your website work for you – and put work or money into it. Catalogs aren’t as helpful as stores or links to buy or find in B&Ms. Flash isn’t nearly as helpful as HTML (and even pictures). Etc.
6. It’s not just your brand, your company; often it’s you. Consumers need trust, and with “mom and pops” they often crave a human connection. Post your photo & write your about page with plenty of info about you, not just the biz. There’s a lot more you can do as well, and you should – even though I understand your shyness.
7. More about you. You are the voice, or the words, of your company. When you write as your brand or owner name in comments on related blogs, etc., communicate in forums and the like for your business –-- do it professionally and with tonssss of kindness. Also, don’t be a tool and advertise yourself too much, or perhaps at all.
8. But it’s also photography & graphics (and back to your website—web design). Either work hard on these yourselves if you’re talented or don’t skimp on their costs.
9. On marketing. Free marketing can be found and is great, so even if your budget is small don’t skimp on going beyond Twitter, Facebook and bookmarking (or the usuals in your genre). I’ve found that if under funded, too much time spent on product, which only means too little on promotion, will actually get you less far. Posting links to places helps but it’s reliant on publishing new content, well, perhaps too much, depending on your brand. How does this relate to brand recognition, not just business? They say that repeatedly seeing an advertisement helps. Also – you must be patient with that method! How does it relate to manufacturing/crafting products? Go outside normal promotion that is very similar to blog/article writing (like making sure you have new items, etc.) and invest in a long-term ad campaign, perhaps. But also, discover all the many awesome new free promotion venues out there and use them! (This may require good photography, see #8.)
10. But it’s most importantly your product, or your main “feature”. It should sell itself and hopefully your business brand and reputation. Work hardest of all on this. (As far as time spent; sidebars will come and go on blogs, for example. And quality importance; archives will always have those past entries and say for crafters; things like stitches should remain.)
11. A lot of rules can be broken (here and especially elsewhere) - just do "everything" in moderation. In fact, do every little aspect of rule-breakage in moderation, or that might be my humble haughty opinion. Or not. Break it all, baby – as long as you don’t break your product or general quality, it can be your new rule.
12. Don’t do things normally or “as expected”. I didn’t do a 10-sectioned lists, or even with a bonus as #11. If you’re a designer, let’s say; design – don’t just construct. Even if it takes a while to hone these skills, attain to master them. To be a designer brand means to be unique (or at least it should). Even if it’s just such high quality that you’re at the top of the game in a shortcut society. Maybe just living up to the quality name of handmade, or putting it back in the name – as it may be, is a great step. (After these 12.)

As a little almost-disclaimer or inspiring(?) footnote, I want to introduce new readers, and further inform old, from whom this comes. I'm a trained writer and a self-student of fashion & even business on an often occasion. This is somebody who's worked on her own “media” business for years, learning maybe too hands-on about "What Not to Do", which - for the intelligent - does lend to What To Do. This entrepreneur/dreamer also studies various aspects of brands, reads a lo-hot of articles, and am finally ready to start my new permanent company, in all (or mostly) the right ways. This does mean I'm switching companies, but not from failure but an opportune time - and at least mostly; the right time. The new one will stick or I'll go down with the glue-failing ship (that’s a pun---more like capitalistic fail – but still I won’t let it sit sunk). It's my final-career / dream fashion label - in the designing I've wanted to do not only since before I blogged, but before I wrote much at all. Slow going for reasons I don't need to clog down this article with except to say: (#13?) slow and steady does win the race. More on that later or in my Twitters @sydebrand or @designerella – where you can find me quite often these days, also still learning What Not to Do.

To sum that up, I’m not perfect, but I am smart and can learn. I also want to help!