SPRING 2012 LOOK BOOK

Hi Everyone!

Deepest apologies.  Insanity doesn't even begin to describe the busyness.  What happened to October??  Seems that everyone is in the same boat for some bazaar reason.  Everyone seems to be as stunned as I am that it's November 11th already, 6 weeks away from Christmas, 65 degrees outside here in NYC...what is going on here?

Well, the good thing about busy is that busyness usually produces something beautiful in the end.  We at Overton Monroe have created our second collection - Spring 2012.  We hope you love it! 

Promising to do a better job with the blog posts. Thanks for your ongoing support!  Onward to Fall 2012!

Post 75 - Bliss

No excuses! Just busy like everyone else I guess. Not much to report on the OM front. We are plugging away. So we by-passed the Resort 2011 season for obvious reasons; that being no sales yet and little capital to develop that season. HOWEVER, Spring 2012 is a MUST. That said, Jerry has sketches ready to go. We are keeping it tight and targeted to 2 groups. We need to be careful and do not want to Waste time or dollars by overdeveloping. That'll kill a biz before even getting off the ground. So 2 groups it is and they are super cute. Sketches to follow.

But....I absolutely need to share my incredible experience from last evening. You all know Bob Mackie, right? I mean really, who doesn't. Well, last night I attended an event put together by the man himself, right here in his NYC offices. In a gorgeous office on a gorgeous floor of an iconic NYC building right at Grand Central, pure bliss! Loads of artwork, costume designs, Collection designs, furniture and OMG this was my heaven. Bob and Edith and the others in their league (though not many can touch that level of talent) are my idols. Some people drool over movie stars and rock stars. For me? Just show me some costume designs drafted for Mitzy or Cher and I'm set. Don't get me wrong, I have the same geeky excitement toward the big leaguers in the Fashion Industry of course! Somewhere deep down, that love for costuming is totally still hanging around. Hmmm, Hollywood perhaps?? Damn...time just seems to keep on slipping right through my fingers. There's a reason mankind has been seeking immortality, the fountain of youth and all that good stuff. I can't imagine I'm the only one thinking "how the hell am I gonna fit into this life everything I want to do?".

See y'all soon!

Day 74 - NYLON Mag

Hi Y'all,

China last week...deepest apologies for the lengthy delays between posts.  I think about "From Start to Fashion" all the time but indeed, life seems to be busier than I think it should be right now!  How does that happen?  Hmmm...thank goodness it's all good stuff, really keeping me on my toes.  But you know?  Sometimes you just need a break from it all. 

Well, we are really happy about our Nylon Mag article!  Check it out!  I bought several copies and so did Jerry.  Our sales guy reminded me that we just might want an extra one to have framed in our corner offices one of these days. Never do know I guess!  Here's hoping....enjoy!

http://www.zinio.com/reader.jsp?issue=416167068&o=ext

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Day 73 - USA! USA! USA!

I'm embarrassed to say that I was sleeping when this tremendous news filled the airwaves! But so happy to awake to my husband whispering "They got Osama!" This hits home for all Americans I'm sure. For thousands who suffered a loss on September 11 and those who have lost precious loved ones since as a result of Osama's evilness, much more significantly than others. For me, I'm thankful that my beautiful brother was safely returned to us from his tour in Iraq. I had a cousin there, lost a childhood friend, prayed as my best friend fought twice, and then heard her cries when the love of her life died at war. There are no words to describe the feeling of emptiness or helplessness. And we were the lucky ones. Anthony came home to us. There's not a day that we don't recognize that gift. Today, I am so proud to be his sister and so proud to be an American.

Day 72 - Mag Hag

And....we're in!! Thanks to a good friend's girlfriend's 1st cousin's wife, we got NYLON! Woo hoo! And couldn't be more excited.

So to all our friends out there, pick up the May issue of the poshest magazine on the newsstand. Get your NYLON mag and read all about it!

And possibly more good stuff soon. We hit up several SoHo hot spots about a week ago. People are interested in the line and agree that there's a definite void in the market for this product category. The good news is that it's reassuring to know that others (particularly store owners & buyers) recognize the need. The hard part is clinching orders. To date? No sales. But we are certain of the future for Overton Monroe. We know that there's room in the marketplace for us. The sky is the limit and we love looking up.

Day 71 - Here goes!

Wish me luck today tout le monde!

Day 70 - We Might!

Very quickly....

We MIGHT have a posh NYC boutique on board!

And

We MIGHT just be lucky enough to have an article in an awesome magazine!

But...you didn't hear it from me!

Don't wanna risk it until confirmed so my apologies in advance for the secretiveness but to be revealed very soon.

Thanks for following!

Day 69 - Helper Outer

Hi All!

Still not much to report. We are plugging away trying to beef up our exposure on two fronts: 1) Editorials and 2) Sales. We've decided definitively to attend the next round of trade shows, most likely Project in Vegas. So we are starting to talk about prep for that. A little nervous to put out the expense but mostly just excited about the opportunities that Project could open up for us!

Just a quick thought for today....yesterday was something amazing. In fact, the weekend was inspirational really. What are you doing with your life? Aside from your professional path, which may or may not involve some type if giving back, there is more we can all do, right? And this weekend proved just how easy it is to make a big difference in the lives of those around us, some strangers, some very close to our hearts. I mean, fewer than 10 people working together to raise a lot of $$ for a family in need? It's so easy! Just make some meatballs and serve it to a pile of hungry Italians in Hoboken and DONE!

Think about it...if you're not doing what you love, what's the point? That's the professional side. And if you're not sprinkling in doing some bit of good for the world, again, what's the point? This is where your purpose comes in...and we all definitely have a reason for being here. But what is it??

I think I just might have figured out the purpose, at least the purpose of my life in this world. I have to say, I feel liberated and really lucky to have found it. I hope you are all seeking it out too. I mean, really, aren't we all? Because it is an amazing sense of fulfillment when that purpose is discovered, truly an epiphany. All the rest is, in a sense, fluff. Don't get me wrong, all the rest can make life awesome and fun and fill up your world with experiences, memories, and basically enhancing your time here. But what are you doing with your life? Who will remember you and how will they remember you?

My secret? I think we are all here to carry on the good. If the nice people aren't put here, then the bad ones takeover. And, as you know, there are a lot of bad guys out there. I can think of several.  But I think there are a lot more good people, far outweighing the bad. Thank goodness! We need all the the soldiers we can get.

Day 68 - Bust

It's snowing....I mean, c'mon Mother Nature, haven't we had enough torture for one year?  And it's not just flurries...it is actually piling up.  What the hell??

Alrighty, so moving on, Bendel Open See is likely not gonna work out for us.  They are clear that no apparel can be shown.  Damn it!  But fair enough, they are an accessories retailer so...

Jerry is working.  Got a great job!  Congratulations to him!  We are working through how to manage our time and still push forward with OM.  Gotta keep a good balance, which we've handled quite well so far.  I don't foresee any problems with this, as we can both manage heavy workloads at work and with OM quite well while keeping the responsibilities 100% separate.  Plus, we LOVE this stuff, all of it.  The more, the better.  We love being enveloped in the world of fashion.  It's in our bones, it's our air.

We started talking with PR companies...now we have to figure out if and when we can afford it.  I mean, I had no idea this stuff was so expensive but I also know it is a necessary expense if we want to expedite the awareness and subsquent success of OM.  So, we'll bide our time and ensure that we make a well informed, well educated decision.

Thanks for following!  More to come.

Day 67 - Hiatus

Ok....so sorry about that unexpected break. Here's why:

What do you do with 2 Irishman in NYC for St. Patty's Day? Well, actually I should say St. Patty's Week? Well, party of course! So we've been entertaining our guests and having a great time doing so. But time to put our noses to the grindstone. Party time is officially OVER!

Here's the latest OM news:
- The Etsy store is up and running.
- We are starting back again trying to get into a showroom for Resort 2011.
- Emails and phone calls are going out to buyers and editorial contacts practically on a daily basis.
- And we are starting to look into PR companies to help us get these pieces in magazines and/or on celebs.

Not much else to report at the moment. Oh! One more thing! Jerry is heading to the Henri Bendel Open Call on Friday morning. Its an opportunity for new designers to present their line to the Bendel Buyers. Overton Monroe will be there with bells on. Never know! It could be amazing for us! So that's really exciting. We have no idea what to expect, so we'll go with a positive attitude and an optimistic outlook and roll with it!

Those side projects mentioned previously?? Well still in work and under wraps for a bit longer. I need to make some headway before I can share anything worth mentioning.

A bientot!

Day 66 - New Beginnings

Starting a new professional life and loving it! Thank God. Jerry is also moving in a new direction doing work that he loves too. The future looks bright and we are going with it!

To date, our biggest challenge is still getting those darn sales. We are at a stand still in a sense with Fall 2011. But it's ok....positive thinking. We just need to push through and do our thang. It WILL happen, just taking longer than we wanted, which we kind of reluctantly expected. What the heck, can't happen overnight! We often remind ourselves that this whole thing really just got off the ground in November (despite earlier discussions from 3 years ago). So...keepin' on 'till then.

We feel, as long as each week is building, progressive, and productive in some way, shape or form, we will be A-OK!

So cheers to new beginnings and to the future! Oh wait...we shoulda cheers'd yesterday...for Mardi Gras. Damn! Let the fasting begin....

Day 65 - Made to Order

Good news! We are creating a Made-To-Order option! This will allow Overton Monroe fans to purchase direct from OM, made specifically based on your measurements for the one and only you!

Until we have an opportunity to build our own E-Commerce platform into our website, we'll be borrowing services from Etsy.com for the immediate future while we work through the challenges (and expense) of adding the direct purchase feature to our site. Thanks to a suggestion from my sister-in-law. Hoping to have our online shop ready within the next few days. Jerry is busy working on that.

In the meanwhile, it's time to get geared up for Resort 2011. Time to hit up those showrooms all over again. One season down, infinity to go!

Thanks for reading!

Day 64 - Creepin'

So we are about 2 weeks beyond fashion week.  To date, lots and lots of calls/emails to boutiques and showrooms all over the place but....no sales yet!  What the heck?  We like it but what are we gonna do to gather sales?  I think we needed to be at one of the trade shows (Project or Coterie).  So, we're putting that on the list for the Spring 2012 season. 

However, we are still hopeful.  I think we're just anxious and figured sales would be had by now.  It's ok, we'll be fine.  Just gotta keep on pushing through.

Sales has been our biggest challenge but we knew it would be the case and fully expected it.  Anticipating the challenge doesn't make it easier to deal with it necessarily...I mean we still need to find a way to get it sold, right?

Hmmm, we'll just have to figure it out.

In the meantime, we have one more update to share...the video clip is done!  Check it out at http://www.overtonmonroe.com/.  Now, we had wanted it to be a bit fancier but we like it.  We're keeping it and, next season, we already have our ideas rolling around in our minds.

See you all in a few days!

Day 63 - Recovery

Great weekend in New Orleans.  Now I have 2 days to wrap things up before heading back to work.  2 days to relax and recover from the busyness of this past weekend.

So, I hit up Magazine Street and dropped off a handful of line sheets and look books.  Let's cross our fingers now that some of these tremendous little boutiques pick up the line.  In the meantime, we're still trying to work out sales here on the NYC front. 

Today?  Well, we potentially have a showroom that may want to rep us!  That would be the most amazing news.  We're hoping to touch base with the owner of the showroom this afternoon.

Tomorrow is TBD.  I think it somewhat depends on today's progress.

I would be remiss not to mention last night's Red Carpet, right?  After all, it is my very favorite night for fashion and glamour.  My eyes are dazzled by the beautiful creations that walk the red carpet.  This year, for some reason, seemed even more magical than I remember.  Here are my faves!

1/ Gwyneth Paltrow - She looked great...her gown was GORGEOUS!

2/ Nicole Kidman - Classic and beautiful.

3/ Amy Adams - A little conservative but super classy and she clearly knows that blue is her color.  Plus I love the emerald jewelry.

4/ Mila Kunis - Well, I'm a huge Elie Saab fan and this was so dainty and pretty.

5/ Robin Roberts - She looks amazing. Sharp and spot on with the whole thing. Did you see her shoes?  I think RR lost a little lbs but she looked HOT HOT HOT!

6/ Anne Hathaway - With all those changes, it was difficult to keep up with her looks!  If I have to pick one, it's the Givenchy (her look #2).  2nd fave?  Valentino red.  3rd is the Oscar de la Renta gold. Least favorite was the liquid blue Armani Prive...hated it.

7/ Helena Bonham-Carter - NOT!

Since we have a couple other creative projects in work, I'll be writing the blog a bit less often to free up some time to work on those.  I hope you like what's coming;-)

Day 62 - The Big Easy

And today, a little R&R...well, not exactly. Fun WILL be had but likely not much rest OR relaxation. We have 3 birthdays to celebrate plus a new job. So...sleep? Probably not too much of that going on.

Heading to the Big Easy to take it easy for a few days, in theory. But actually, my plan is to grab my sister-in-law and hit up the little shops on Magazine Street. Yes, that's correct, I'm peddling my slips right up and down the streets of New Orleans. Fitting, right?

Jerry is staying back. He's got his own agenda full of fixing up the slips a bit (they're getting a little tossled now, need to spruce them up a 'lil). He's got some printing to do plus networking, as much as possible. Gotta keep it going!

Yesterday's video interview was fun and went well! There's something strange, and a tad bit awkward, about sitting in front of a camera telling the story of one's life. With a little practice, we could get use to this I think! Can't wait to see the results. We'll share...I promise. Thank you Sarah, Channon & Elisabeth for hookin' it up!

And finally for today, PLUSHNYLON's Overton Monroe article Part II, the continuation of last weeks publication, is now live! Check it out at http://plushnylonmag.com/entertainment/designer-spotlight-overton-monroe-%e2%80%93-part-ii-the-vision-the-process-and-the-breakthrough

Taking a long weekend...see you on Monday! I mean, if something amazing happens between now and Monday, you'll def find an update here;-)

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Day 61 - Thank Goodness for Good People!

What a day!  Here's how it went...

10am - Thanks to a great friend and supporter, we were afforded the opportunity to walk through Coterie and meet lots more good people. We spent the morning strolling the aisles trying to figure it all out, made a few acquaintences, sought out any competition and determined that we need to be at Coterie next season.  We loved it.  Being there completely rejuvinated us.  We are re-inspired and ready to make a go of Overton Monroe for many seasons to come.  This is not a hobby....our hearts are too invested!  Good thing we were reminded of this.

1pm - Curve was super cool too...but we realized that, even though we'll likely be hanging on the floor with bras & panties in the majors (hopefully someday soon), we really want to be considered closer to contemporary ready-to-wear.  So, another great realization...Curve is not the trade show for us. But all you guys out there should DEFINITELY check it out....it's a lingerie trade show;-)

2pm - Headed to SoHo for a key meeting at 3:30pm with more great people! Brighter future, lots of fun, ready to move on professionally to an amazing new opportunity.  Couldn't be happier!  We have to keep in mind that while OM is moving ahead full force, I still need to work and will continue working indefinitely (call me crazy but I love to work).

5pm - Home to Jersey to take a little break, chill with my hubby before heading back into the city for the last meeting of the day.

7pm - Back to SoHo for our dinner meeting at Balthazar.  Praying that something comes of it.  Made new friends and Jerry and I are excited to be broadening our network. 

1am - Home

Today?  Super tired but lots more to do.  We have a video interview at 1pm.  Not quite sure what to expect but we're going with it! 

Tomorrow?  Hello New Orleans!  Woo-hoo!  Building memories with my bros and sistas (hubby too).

The more we can grow our circle, the more support we're likely to stumble upon.  But most importantly...if we can do this by surrounding ourselves with good people, we'll feel success to have built a business well grounded with genuine support.

Oh!  One more thing!!  We have more press!  Check out this great article: http://www.informalrunway.com/2011/02/introducing-overton-monroe/

Day 60 - Choices

And our selections for the opening video clip are done!  Website updates are done too!  We are super excited.  And today is a potentially BIG day for OM. 

Ok...one thing at a time.  Firstly, here are the photo selects for our video clip.  Now, we'll see what our web guy can do with this material, which is meant to be the intro to our website.  Remember?  We had put this on hold a couple of weeks ago?  Finally we're done.  Can you see the read the story?  What does it tell you?

Also, we had a handful of minor changes to the site.  Check out the Collections tab and the detail pages for each style.

Finally, this morning, we have lots to do.  Firstly, Coterie and Curve for the early part of the day.  Then back to back meetings.  Our day will end with a key dinner meeting with what could be really great press! We're crossing our fingers.

Tomorrow, another busy day....It's all good stuff;-)  And...we're almost to 7000 hits already!!  What?!?!

Day 59 - Refreshed

Sigh.....so refreshing to have a weekend away. Don't get me wrong, a weekend at home in PA is never quite "relaxing." No, that's not the word I'd use, but rejuvenating, motivating, refreshing...yes. That's more like it.

There's nothing more important than spending time with the people who support you, family and friends, the ones who conditioned you, who created your world, who love you, who made you the person you are, those who understand the true you. It all really puts things into perspective.

So here we are, driving across the state. I remind myself that merely 4 months ago, on this same highway, making the same drive across PA (only I was with my husband that time), Jerry and I decided to take that leap of faith and officially establish OM after more than three years of talking about it. And thank God we did.

Tomorrow is a big day for us. Lots of exciting things including what we hope to be an awesome interview. Wednesday, we're being filmed for another interview and we have two others on deck thereafter.

On top of that, we have trade shows to visit and, at the end of the week, I'm heading to New Orleans to hit up the boutiques on Magazine Street.

Our sales pro is all over the NYC Metro area calling boutique after boutique. We are on a roll and making a splash.

Thanks for following!

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Day 58 - Pebbles

Just so, so much to do!  How do we get it all done?  How did I get it all done before?  Well, we just need to keep moving forward, keep looking ahead, one day at a time. 

We are moving into our R&D Road Trip Weekend to do our research for the Resort 2011 collection.  Can't wait to hit the open road!

Update on the look books....hardcopies are still not done.  We are just torn and, therefore, kind of procrastinating for a minute.  We've got several quotes on a variety of different qualities but we just don't know which one to choose.  We need another day or two, one more place to check and luckily, it takes only about 2 days to get the books printed.  The good news is that the digital look book is all set, line sheet is all set and website is done.

No update on the sales side.  Still doing what we can to push forward there...but it's early yet.  Fall 2011 Fashion Week is not quite over and sales will continue on for the next 4-5 weeks.  We just need our orders in by end of March and we'll be fine for production delivery (honestly even mid-April and we're still cool).

We have 2 more press pieces coming up within the next week and potentially a third big one!  We will keep you posted once those articles are published.

Thought for today:
"Nobody trips over mountains.  It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble.  Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain."  ~Author Unknown

Huh, similar to the more famous statement, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" and the small stuff comes in many ways and on many different faces.  They will try to derail you.  Don't let them!

Day 57 - "The Go Getter"

We are in a holding pattern for the immediate future.  The OM team is getting the word out, doing everything we can to get the stuff sold, linking up our Facebook, Blogger, and Twitter to http://www.overtonmonroe.com/ and continuing to spread the word on LinkedIn.  Share the news if you can!  The faster we can make this go viral, the sooner we can get OM to the next level!!  We'd love your support.

While we still need to get Fall 2011 sales and then move into production, Jerry and I are planting seeds for the next season.  As a production professional, thank goodness I have that process down pat for Fall 2011.  I'm not worried in the least bit that we'll be able to negotiate great prices at the factory, achieve ON TIME delivery of all raw materials, and subsequently succeed in delivering goods to our warehouse and retailers perfectly on schedule.  Stores, of course, love when designers deliver as they say they will.  I assure you, they will not be disappointed.

For Resort, we have started talking about fabrics, sketches, some special items and are just about ready to get Resort 2011 out of our thoughts and onto paper. 

So between now and the time we start Resort...what are we doing you may ask?  Well, we've gotta find other avenues to get the word out in addition to our current strategy...hence, we will be attending CurveExpo and Coterie, both trade shows targeted to bridge the gap between designers and buyers.  We'll be attending both next week!  Go Get 'Em!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stYPo9bHiFI