The Search for a Handbag Education
PSST, I have a not so secret, secret - I am a self-taught handbag designer. Lately I have been feeling like getting a bit of an education in accessory design. It is not that I am unhappy with my line, on the contrary I love my designs and esthetic, however it is always nice to give your creativity a bit of an electric charge. I have always found schooling to do that for me. Right now a 2 week intensive workshop would be ideal, 3 weeks would even be manageable. I just don’t have the time to commit to an MFA or MA program and moving to a city that offers a strong course of study isn’t an option right now.
While searching I realized that finding quality workshop courses conducted by an accredited staff is a little trickier than I would like it to be. Currently I have identified a London location - Prescott and Mackay - as a potential resource for furthering my design education.
Their programming seems strong and they have a teaching staff that has been educated in accessory design. Prescott and Mackay also offers courses in shoe design and millinery (a secret passion of mine). I am fairly excited about finding them and just had to share. Hopefully I can convince them to offer a few workshops stateside in San Francisco. I have had little to no success finding any intensive study workshops in the U.S. - may be you know of some?
a studio to call home
Searching for a studio is not an easy task and one would think that with all of the space in the Twin Cities I would be able to find one that was just right. Last Friday I spent 4 hours looking for a new place for Nelle handbags. A place where I could host special events, have a showroom, and more importantly work! Being at the very start of my search I know that it will take sometime to find a place to call home - but for the fun of it I would love to show some dream spaces that I hope to find here in MPLS.
Natural light is critical when searching for a studio space.
The flooring in here leaves me drooling, plus when working with fibers and threads carpeting can be a nightmare.
I love the natural state of this space.
Yet the order and color coordination of this space is so satisfying! Look at all the bits of trim lined up and ready for action!
One of the best things about running a design business is being able to fantasize about your dream work space. If any of your dream work spaces have become a reality I would love to see them!
POP, CANDY, ARCADE: Glamorama 2008
Glamorama, Macy’s annual charity fashion event, will take place next Friday and yours truly will be in attendance! This will be my second “Glam”, and with the talent that is lined up, may even be better than last year. This year MC Hammer and Cindy Lauper will take the stage while Macy’s shows off a variety of designer fashions that comes straight from the NY runway. The show is spectacular and is a sensory experience, however the real fun happens after the show at the after party. I can’t wait to see what the events team has cooked up to entertain its guests this year.
With all of the fashion and frivolity a girl, being me, has got to find the right thing to wear. So I placed an order for this little number that I have been eyeballing for months, (it finally went on sale). The theme of the night is the 80’s and I think that this strikes just the right cord for me.
I haven’t decided on a shoe just yet; I may do a flat, black, patent leather thong sandal that has patent leather rosettes on it, or I may do a shoe like the one shown above. Then I will use a bag from my upcoming collection. You’ll have to wait for the sneak peak. For those of you that are hungry for some new styles you won’t be disappointed, below is a look at a few of the “Glam” clutch’s that I made to send out to some Twin City style editors. It always gets my creative juices flowing to develop new styles and “Glamorama” seemed like the perfect opportunity. The Glam clutch’s are special edition and not available for sale - just a little something fun to throw into the mix.
Nelle Trunk Show Review
The show at Bendel’s went very well - I almost sold out again and if I am invited back definitely need to bring more stock. This time I was lucky enough to meet a few of my customers while I was out there! I have to say that one of the greatest things for me to experience are people reactions to my collection. It is so nice to be exposed to the overwhelming support and encouragement that I receive from all of you. THANK YOU!!
People Who Do Cool Things
OMG - Minneapolis St. Paul Mag was kind enough to interview me for their People Who Do Cool Things feature in their lifestyle section. How totally cool is that? I feel about 10 feet off of the ground right now! I has such a great time chatting with Abby VanNess and discovered that she is a former figure skater like myself.
The photo shoot was fun and Stephanie Colgan did her best to loosen me up. I have to admit that I am not too comfortable in front of the camera, but she coached me through working what my mama gave me.
Saturday Nelle (that me!) was in the Minneapolis Star Tribune as part of Sara Glassman’s Bag Ladies story. Below is an excerpt on Nelle from the story. so very cool - I had Cameron run out and buy 5 copies! Click here to read the full story.
adventures in a NY heat wave…………
Well, well where to begin - so much to tell. I have been in NY the last 5 days and one word describes it; HOT.
I start this post discussing the heat to set the tone for my adventures… On Thursday this week I threw myself at the mercy of the fabulous New York style editor - Town and Country and Lucky magazine were kind enough to give this little midwestern gal a bit of their time. Very exciting stuff - right? Well yes and no! Exciting because I was able to present my pieces to a few women that have seen it all, so the feedback is more than valuable - not so good because I was a “hot , sticky, mess” - and definitely was not able to represent my most fabulous self to these chic and stylish women.
My Lucky appointment was at 10 am and I was still holding myself together pretty well - though I have to admit I was a bit nervous. Suzanne Signer the Assistant editor I met with was a doll and very gracious - said my bags were cute and asked about different colors - all in all it was a good experience, for a first time NY desk side.
My next appointment was not until 3 pm so silly me decides to poke around the garment district searching for inspiration - wasn’t much there, but I did destroy myself in the heat and then proceeded to spill a sticky liquid all over my dress. YIKES! With little more than an hour to spare I hopped a cab up to 55th and 5th and zipped into ZARA to find something quick. ZARA was packed - but I did find a great dress that I could change into. By the time I had found a new outfit and changed it up, I only had 15 minutes to get to the Hearst building and there was not a free cab to be found. So me, my rolling suitcase, and 20 handbags hoofed it in 99 degrees across three long avenues. I made it to Town and Country just in the nick of time, but when I got there - OY! - I looked like a wreck. I still don’t know for sure what would be worse; 1) being late and looking at peace or 2) being on time and looking extremely disheveled. I chose 2 because to be late would just be insulting! I did learn one thing thought - stop trying to multi task it only makes a mess.
The editors there were kind and encouraging - I did not dish out the whole sticky scenario to them, other than mentioning that it was hot and that I had made the mistake of walking a few avenues instead of cabbing it. I had to say something to explain my current appearance.
Many more stories to come from My 2nd Nelle trip to NY - I will fill you all in on the trunk show at Bendel’s tomorrow. ( hint: it went pretty well). OH yeah, well I was out there I had 2 celeb sightings; Jennifer Hudson (on my plane) and who I believe to have been Zac Posen (at the Beatrice Inn). NY is oh so glam - what is a girl to do?
Nelle Go’s Back to Bendel’s
I will be back in New York June 18 and 19 for my second Nelle Trunk Show, and if I learned one thing from the last time I was there it is to wear more sensible shoes! I can’t even express how thrilled I am to be invited back - each time I walk through Bendel’s there is always something to discover. If you are in the New York area I invite you to stop in and check out my collection.