Finally out the other side!!

Time for the beginning of Catch up...which will happen over the next few days!
I have to catch up on things in MY LIFE since work has taken over for the last 4 weeks...I have honestly never been this busy at work - EVER!


So...let's roll back to June 8-10...
I got a number of emails "off-blog" asking what's involved to make a catalog etc...
So a quick run down with some photos from the Photoshoot. :-)

First I design the collection of hats with matching hangbags on some styles (in Autumn/Winter many items get matching gloves or scarves.) This takes about 4-4.5 months and is what brings me to Asia so often.
Then I put together all of the details (rough photos taken with my little camera, colors, descriptions, technical details about the item) into a working book that we will base the REAL catalog off of.

Then I bring in the team of freelancers...
the Art Director (who's job it is to put the physical catalog together), Stylist & her asst.'s (who puts together the outfits that each model wears in the catalog to match my hats/bags) and the catalog producer who keeps us on budget as best he can (he also works closely with the printer to make sure they do it all right). Finally I go thru a zillion model cards with the Art Director to select the models we want to see/meet on a "go see." (This means the modeling agency sends the models to "go see" us so that we can see if they look good in hats etc.)
We (entire team) spend a day going thru all of the styles in the new line and decide what color in each style will be photographed for the catalog. Then the Stylist goes out and does her amazing job! We all reconviene a week later to put the stylists' finds by outfit with each hat.
The next day we board the big black bus at 6:45am (see bus above) and drive to the location we've chosen (and gotten a permit to shoot at.) From there we add the photographer and her asst(s), our computer whiz who makes sure that all of the photos taken (digital) are filed properly and not lost or corrupted and the models roll thru and we shoot the catalog. I have to watch every shot to make sure the item is being worn properly and that it's shot from the angle that works best for the item.
To the right you see a shot of the back half of the inside of the bus -- it's outfitted with clothing racks and a makeup mirror etc. This entire back section is filled with clothing and hats/bags etc...this photo was taken as we were nearly unpacked for the day.
Once the shoot is done then I work with the art director while all of the details for the catalog are checked and rechecked. It takes about a month total to put the catalog together --- and this doesn't include the time put in at the printer where the photos are retouched etc.
As much as Ii'd love to post a zillion photos from the shoot -- I've posted shots of style PR4250, which is a style that we're repeating this year (because it sold so well.) For the rest of the line you'll have to wait until Spring 2006 when it hits the stores! :-)

After the last day of the actual shoot (I'm still approving the pages of the catalog this week), I attended a wedding of his friends Aric and Beth. I love this hat!!! It's one of my faves. Simple and elegant. The priest actually came over to me before the cerimony and told me how much he liked the hat. Shockingly I was the only one in the ENTIRE filled church in a hat. What has happened to our society?? C'mon ladies! Wearing a hat makes you just FEEL good (besides looking great!)

More of the catch-up to come...