fall in love with orange

IT'S OKLAHOMA STATE'S HOMECOMING WEEK!!!!
If you can't tell..I'm really excited. So in honor of America's greatest homecoming celebration AND it being my most favorite time of the year, fall...lets "fall in love with orange." ;)

The brisk coolness of this season, seeing the colorful changes in the leaves, and cardigan weather seriously brings my heart so much joy. All I can think about is how I want to go on a hay-bale ride and carve pumpkins...and I don't even like to carve pumpkins. Just the idea of a chilly starry night (the skies proclaim the work of his hands ps 19:1), sittin' on a bale of hay riding through a pasture of pumpkins with friends - I just have to do it.

Onto what's trending this fall.
So earlier today I was scrolling through Harper's Bazaar's Pre-Fall 2013 runway looks and look what's on the runway...ORANGE. The title outside of Netflix's, Orange is the New Black, Orange is actually becoming the new black in this seasons trend.



THIS color, love.

Stella McCartney Pre-Fall 2013

Orange detail.

Vera Wang Pre-Fall 2013

A great orange tone leather handbag.

Céline Pre-Fall 2013

Black is always, always, always a classic look. It's personally one of my favorite statement pieces. But I do love to mix up color and design elements based on how to make color pop, while going about your daily life. 

The most recent solid color top in my collection is.. you guessed it - orange. :)

(I took that picture!) If you follow my facebook page I'm sure you've seen a couple of the new images. This top is seriously so comfortable. When flipping through fabric choices in the design process I saw this color and highlighted the page immediately. I thought this color would be great for this season for many reasons. Why Orange? Here ya go...

• Orange is in the TOP colors for women’s fashion for fall 2013 in the Pantone color report
• For all of those football fans out there (including me!)
• Add a pop color to your wardrobe
• Pairs great with denim, a classic black pant, or mix-and-match colored patterns

So - get your orange tops to celebrate OSU's homecoming this weekend, add to your game day wardrobe, and be in-style with this flattering top design. 

 



(that's me! captured by photographer Mary O.)

xo, designer

Amanda Moore

One word: fabric

Here’s how it all starts to happen....

About 2-3 times a month I receive multiple packages of fabric swatches...which is GREAT. This allows me to stay at my home office, flipping through the swatches in one place instead of having to travel to a different show every few months. After receiving the swatches I sit down, flip through all of the samples, get the feel of EVERY piece, then set aside the likes from the dislikes. It's basically a huge elimination process where most of the pieces are in the "no" pile just because I'll be looking for a specific cotton blend for example. OR in simpler terms...fabric that will look good being transformed into a shirt or whichever sketch I've drawn up. :)  



This is actually a picture of some of the swatches I went through. These swatches are smaller than a “header” which is a term for fabric placed on a 12”x12” piece of card stock for buyers to look at and feel the swatch.

When flipping through the textiles - I look or specifics. This time around I am searching for fabrics for my extended fall collection so I already have in mind the kind of color, stretch, and feel that ultimately would be transformed into a several blouses. Finally deciding on colors. This can be a long process – choosing the fabric is a vital step in the design sequence. The tones I have selected for this line include colors based on what I felt was right for the collection and the season, researching the Pantone color charts (very important), and seeking pallets that fit with the season, and ultimately what just goes.. After this process is complete lots and lots of emails and phone calls are exchanged for ordering processes. Fabric yardage, estimating how many units per yard, logo tags, typing and sending out care label info, ordering marker copies of patterns from grading, specifications for cut-sew manufacturing, lead time, etc. Lots of different terminology - but that's an overview in a nutshell. It is a lot of busy work, but this being my second run through…I definitely felt more confident in knowing exactly what to do and who to call... which was a good feeling! Still lots to learn and make changes on, but every designer I've talked with that has told me their story of "how it all started" ...all had one thing in common they've made many changes since the beginning.

xo,

Amanda

Photo-shoot

Yesterday was another great photo-shoot day!

The NEW shipment of tops came in last Friday so I immediately contacted my photographer (Mary O. Photography) SHE IS SO GREAT AND TALENTED. Oh, and I may be a little bias because she is my little and great friend, but really The Lord has given her a wonderful gift of having a keen eye for photography. She is very creative and is also just so much fun to work with. This was our second scheduled shoot for my clothing line, but we have had many photo-shoots together throughout our college years. :) Okay, so back on topic! I received an email from my manufacture early Friday morning, as I was on my way into one of the Elementary schools for subbing. My shipment of tops had been sent out Thursday which meant I would be getting them on my doorstep at any moment. Thankfully my mom works at the school I just so happened to be at that day and when the UPS guy stopped by she asked if my package was in his van….and IT WAS! Yay! So, he dropped it off at the school and I went and opened the box up as soon as I could to look over the garments. They looked great! Now all I needed to do was schedule a day for a quick mini photo-shoot in order to place merchandise online for all of you to look at and purchase. :)

Tuesday ---October 1, 2013----Photo-shoot time!

This was the day I wished I had an assistant. By this point, I am used to doing everything by myself from accounting, financing, marketing, media, running a company, keeping inventory, being the designer, calling advertising companies……everything you can think of. But I was just so excited for the shoot, I was overwhelmed. This morning I needed to:

• steam six tops
• break down the dress form into two pieces so it would fit in my car (and so i could carry it, it can get kinda heavy ;) )
• grab accessories - scarves, necklaces, bracelets
• beauty products – makeup bag, curling iron, hair spray, brush (essentials)
• boots and neutral flats (always bring an extra pair of shoes on a shoot to switch up the look)
• make a check list of all the shots I need to get
• stuff everything I can into one (large-ish) tote bag!
• load up the car
• hang tops so they won’t wrinkle on the drive
• GET myself ready- hair, makeup, clothes
• remind myself to eat lunch
• drive to location

Once I am there, Mary and I head out to a location we think would be the best for single detailed shots for the website including front, side, back, and detailed views of each top. The wind was a-blowin’ and it was very sunny – which meant shade was necessary in order for shadowing effects to be unseen and to eliminate excessive shining from the light onto the tops. We found the perfect spot. White walls, shade, and….. it was right by a stinky dumpster. BUT lucky us, it was empty so the smell wasn’t an issue. Perfect. Mary modeled the quick shots which meant I WAS BEHIND THE CAMERA! After a quick lesson of how to adjust the camera properly with the lighting we were on a roll. Swapping out scarves and jewelry to add a lifestyle detail to each shot, I grabbed selective jewelry and placed it on Mary and she was all about it. We were on a schedule so we moved very fast pace and so much fun. After capturing all of the detailed shots we switched places and I began to model the tops. We found this beautiful turquoise staircase so I put on one of the orange tops with a vintage turquoise round sterling silver bracelet and the shoot went from there. Orange with turquoise is a great combo. We came across an alley lined with trees on the left and on the other side white rustic paint and square block windows covered the walls. Really, a great alleyway can give a photo-shoot so much life. The details in the rustic walls and the unique glass windows you’ll find are amazing. And well..what’s a photo-shoot without a field now a days? So we found one and those shots turned out amazing…I can’t wait to show y’all. In-between shots we ran to the car, changed tops quickly, pulled hair up into a bun (thank goodness for bobby pins – a girl’s best friend), and layered some great arm candy all to switch up the looks.

Me carrying the dress form

 

Mary with her super adorable Fossil camera bag and the rest of the dress form.

 

 

CANNOT wait for everyone to see!

xo,

Amanda