I know, I know, I’m about two weeks late with this post! I have a good excuse though, and trust me, being sick for the same lenght of time is no fun?
The summer/fall ’11 market was one of my favorite market week experiences to date, and I wasn’t even the one buying! (heck, maybe that has something to do with it) This time around I was working as a consultant for a new private sale online retailer. I met up with the owner in the lobby of the Cooper Building bright and early on the first day of market week. I arrived prepared with a plan of action in hand — a list of about a dozen labels and showrooms that I felt would be a perfect fit for boutique.
We spent the next five hours working our way through the Cooper Building, the New Mart and the CMC looking at my suggested lines, her favorite lines, and a few surprises along the way. And it’s really funny how many amazing new lines I came across when I wasn’t the one buying — like Lauren Moshi’s insane new jewelry line, Sam Edelman’s new lower priced shoe line, and an amazing range of bags all priced under $130. We got a sneak peek at the new sweet valley high inspired collection from Wildfox — who knew neon cropped tops and graphic body suits could be so much fun! The only thing that didn’t impress me was the new House of Harlow sunglasses — too many retro/novelty shapes, and the plastic looks really cheap and not at all worth the price. Joey Showroom, however, had an amazing new shoe line plus a great handbag line to make up for it though (as snotty as some of their reps may have been to me in the past!)
And I felt like this new boutique owner got a pretty good taste of the good and bad sides of working with sales reps. Most of the reps were great, two in particular were exceptionally professional (they were sales directors and showroom owners, surprise surprise) and one in particular was completely useless. You know, the awkward type who basically forces you to extract information from her instead of volunteering it. That and she just walked away from us in the showroom — how rude!
Buying without spending your own money is actually a ton of fun. And ultimately, seeing how pleased the shop owner was with my services was the best reward. She and I got along great too, and I know she’s going to be wildly successful. I’ll be counting down the days until her store opens because there are number of things I want to snag for myself!
Back fresh from Spring ’11 market, where I spent the day consulting for a brand new online boutique with a slightly different sales model — but more on that a little bit later! First, here are a few reader questions that have been sitting in my formspring forever (sorry about that!):
Do showrooms have buying seasons, i.e. are they only open for browsing and orders on certain dates?
Yes. Technically. In the industry, we have a thing called “market week” which is a window of 4-5 days that buyers can see the new lines. Market week happens about 5x per year in New York and LA and twice in Las Vegas. In LA at the California Market Center there’s also market tuesdays. If you need to go on a different day, it doesn’t hurt to ask the reps if you can stop by, but all samples might not be available and a lot of reps travel.
When can I order linesheets?
They aren’t really something you order, you just ask for them through a sales rep. You can ask for them any time, but every designer is different so they may or may not be ready for the season of your choosing.
How many brands and accessory lines do you think someone like me should start out with? And how much do you think I would have to invest for a year on inventory?
There are way too many factors — it would be hard to throw out a relevant number without knowing more about your plans. However, a good placeto start is by planning what your retail price range will be, the size of your store, how many lines you want represented and how many pieces from each line. Keep minimums in mind too — usually you’re required at least 4 sizes and 4 bodies per delivery (more for jeans and shoes), or $500-$1000 wholesale for accessories (usually).
If you have more questions, or would like to work with me one on one, check out my consulting services page!
One of my latest, and favorite, shoots that I’ve done is the color story, shot with photographer/friend Vanessa Cabrillas. The idea came from a single photo:
Styled by one of my favorite stylists Karl Lempar, I loved the way this one look focused on a solid color and a lot of clean, minimalist lines. So my idea was to do something that focused mix and match solid colors, a little bit brighter and with lines a bit softer. I pulled the wardrobe, and the photog found the perfect location — a rundown, graffiti-ridden abandoned property her family owns about 40 minutes North of here. But even more importantly, we scouted two new models — Carly and here awesome little sister Kira, who is 5’9″, absolutely tiny, and only 14 years old. For those of you who don’t speak modelling industry, that translates into JACKPOT. Seriously, this girl is going places; if she keeps at it I’m expecting her to be signed to a very good agency.
The results:
This first look is probably my favorite outfit I’ve put together so far. It’s a pretty inexpensive party dress, but as soon as I saw that draped fabric I just KNEW I had to puff it out with tissue paper to give it a more unique shape. On top of that, I simply accessorized it with shoes, stockings and a belt from my own closet.
We also worked with make up artist Carrie Morales, who did the girls up in an awesome clean pallette, complete with nude lips. The MUA did hair as well — clean, sleek and modern high pony tails that came out perfectly.
Ultimately, I ended up not including a few of the pictures in my portfolio, mainly because I didn’t care for the way the wardrobe was hanging. I really, really wish photographers would listen when you try to give them tips about casting a shoot; sometimes the stylist has a better understanding of body lines. For the most part, though, it was a positive experience that produced some rockin’ additions to all of our ports.
Here it is! I can finally post the bridal magazine cover I styled late last year, after it’s official launch this weekend at the expo. Let me just tell you, this shoot almost fell apart several times — we changed photographers two days before, almost lost our model, couldn’t find a venue, and then thought we wouldn’t even be able to print our poster at the last minute. But thankfully everything came together, and we had a 3ft tall version of the cover in our booth at the expo (plus our gorgeous cover girl Sammy was there in our booth wearing an Ooh La Luxe dress!)
More on the shoot and the bridal expo coming soon!
Photography by Vanessa Cabrillas Make Up by Victoria Yap of Blushing
Hair by Carleen Forsythe-MurphyArt Direction by Kimberly LawsonDresses c/o Little White Dress Bridal
This weekend I’m styling my first big story, which is a “Where the Wild Things Are” inspired editorial with photographer Vanessa Cabrillas. Technically, I’ve done stories before, but this was my first time pulling more than 4 looks at a time…11 total, to be exact. We’ve been preparing for this for over a month, so I’m very much looking forward to this weekend! Call time is going to be super early, and the whole thing is taking place in the woods so I’m preparing to dress as warm as possible. The models, unfortunately, will not!
This past weekend I had my first big, professional styling gig — a mock magazine cover for our booth at the next bridal event (in case you didn’t read some of my other posts, I’ve been working as the editor of a local online bridal magazine for a couple of months now). This was a long and crazy process, which started a few months ago when I pitched the idea. After that it took a couple of weeks to select a model, but I got lucky when Sammy responded to my casting call — she had exactly the type of look I was hoping to find: delicate, symmetrical features, wide eyes, dark hair, porcelian skin, tall and very slim.
A few days before the shoot we both went into a local bridal shop and got her fitted for dresses. This was a ton of fun — it was almost like getting a friend ready for a real wedding! Fitting her was interesting though because most of the samples were size 8 or size 10 and the model was about a size 0, so we needed tons and tons of clamps. All the dresses looked fab on her.
But the fitting was the easy part; after that, the entire shoot almost fell apart at the last minute. I lost my venue, my photographer and almost my model all just a few days before the shoot! But luckily, we ended up getting it done and the finished product is FANTASTIC. My MUA Victoria and hair stylist Carleen did such a fabulous job, and we all got creative towards the end and pushed the boundaries with the styling. I can’t show you the finished product until January, but here’s a bit of a taste for now:
I’m really hoping this turns into an actual tear; keep your fingers crossed for me and my entire team!
Photo credits go to my awesome photog, Vanessa Cabrillas!
Linea Pelle Handbags are 40% off!
Black Orchid Jeans are 40% off!
Love Quotes Scarves are 50% off!
Shop our Black Friday & Cyber Monday sale, on now!
This past weekend my model friend and I carpooled down to Delano to do a beauty shoot for a photographer friend, whom I’ve been collaborating with quite a bit recently. It started out as a beauty shoot but sort of evolved into an overall fashion shoot, with pops of color. Still, the make-up was a big focus of the photos, and all of the colors were pulled from the looks I put together.
We had two fabulous models, Niki and E-maginne; both girls totally worked it!
This was my first time shooting with E and I can’t wait to test her again in the near future — the girl is going places; such a high fashion look!
Right now, everything on OohLaLuxe.com is 20% off with coupon code FALL20. But, did you know there are other hidden discounts all around the store? And here’s another hint: you can use FALL20 on all the discounted merchandise below for extra savings 
I’ve fallen in love with black orchid jeans, after ordering them for the shop without trying them on! Right now, all black orchid denim is now 20% off! Get the basic Black Orchid Black Jewel Skinny Jean in Thunder for $80, and the Black Orchid Black Jewel Skinny Jean in Venus for $95.
Shop Black Orchid Denim
Holiday parties are right around the corner, and the ultra-fab Voom by Joy Han Eyelet Bubble cocktail dress has been marked down from $218.00 to $130.80!
Shop Voom by Joy Han
Love Quotes Metallic scarves are absurdly gorgeous in person! Get one in pink, silver, white and beige for $57, down from $95.
Shop Love Quotes Scarves
Last fall’s Linea Pelle Dylan Totes are half off! Get the zip tote in green or purple for only $210 — that’s a STEAL!
Shop Linea Pelle Handbags
I’m currently pulling looks for men and women for two upcoming shoots:
Bridal Shoot
Looking for statement jewelry, gloves and headpieces.
Outdoor “Where the Wild Things Are” Inspired Shoot
Looking for fur pieces, army-inspired details, boots, russian hats, leather shorts, feathered jewelery, fingerless gloves, anything bohemian or tribal inspired, and everything in between. Women’s AND men’s clothing.
If interested please send look books or sample images to kimberly@oohlaluxe.com and I’ll get back to you if interested.
First Things First
My name is Kim, I'm the owner of OohLaLuxe.com boutique and an fashion jack of all trades, so to speak. I started this blog as a guide for aspiring buyers on how to start a fashion boutique, and from there, it merged into a hybrid of a personal blog, guidebook, and a place for me to share my recent work.
