Indie Emporium HOLIDAY Show

Have plans this weekend?? Needing Christmas gift ideas? Because……It’s here! This weekend is the Indie Emporium’s first HOLIDAY show. I am so thrilled that I get to be a part of this wonderful event. If you follow me on my social media sites.. you know I’ve been talking about this event for a few months now. :) The time has come and, of course there seems to be a ton of last minute things I have to do before Friday night begins.
Infinity scarves are going like candy! So, I’ve been sewing up more of your favorites and I will have goodies galore for y’all to choose from at my booth. I’m bringing in some of my handmade paintings, newspaper print wall art, infinity scarves, and of course my clothing line will be featured there as well.

-----> Here’s a little rundown of what all will be happenin’ <-----

[December 13,2013] Friday night doors open at 7p-10p – The first 50 guests get a FREE swag bag filled with treats from some of the vendors. (There is a coupon for my clothing line in there… so make sure to grab one of those!)

[December 14, 2013] Saturday doors open at noon-10p – There will literally be everything from live music, SHOPPING through the 60 vendors booths, interactive make&take projects, food, a fashion show!!!!, DIY demos (okay, so fun - who wouldn’t love to do to do that..diy is so in!), etc…etc…etc.. So many fun things!

Here is a direct link to the schedule: http://www.indieemporium.com/schedule/http://www.indieemporium.com/schedule/

FASHION SHOW  8p Saturday - I have some amazing girls coming out Saturday to be my models. Let me just say, I am so lucky to have each and every one of them. First off, they are stinkin' GORGEOUS. Each and everyone of their hearts is so filled with joy and I just love it. I will be featuring 6 of my tops down the runway. This is my first official fashion show that MY designs are in. I’m mostly just so excited for this opportunity and so grateful for everyone who has pitched in to help and has taken their day off to be a part of this with me. I couldn't do it without my models. :) I have some of my besties coming and helping out with my booth while I help prepare the girls for their debut down the runway. Come out and see these beautiful girls. Can't wait! 

Guys- come bring your girlfriends, it’s an instant win… shopping is involved.

Bring a friend, come see all of the booths, walk around, and enjoy your weekend at the Indie Emporium Show.

Come see me Friday, or Saturday, OR both. I’ll be there. :) I would love, love to see you all! 

xo,

Amanda 

thankful

HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone!

 

 

I am so thankful for each and everyone of you. Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog posts, checking out my website http://www.amandamooredesigns.com, and for ultimately being my biggest fans. Because of you, I am able to pursue my dream of becoming a fashion designer and owning my own Christian-based business.

 

Today I celebrated this holiday with my family. My mom, dad, and my brother Ryan.

This morning my family and I volunteered to help serve and prepare meals in the 29th Annual Cushing Community Thanksgiving Dinner. When my dad brought up this idea a few weeks ago...I automatically said, "YES! Let's do that!" I had always wanted to do this. The importance of giving back and serving others has always been upon my heart. So we headed up to the field house this morning around 10am to help prepare meals. There were a lot of volunteers that came in and out throughout the morning and early afternoon. From stirrin' green beans, to boxing up meals to be delivered to houses around the community..it was a successful, thankful morning. :)

 

I am thankful for:

my Savior.

my family.

grateful hearts.

my God centered friendships.

 

I hope everyone is able to spend this day with the people that mean the most to you.

 

With so much love.

xo

Amanda

 

 

 

"ryan's"

Every designer has their own story of how they started. No matter who I talk with, each artist’s story has one similarity – the simple fact of if you’re not messing up at first, you’re not doing something right. The whole concept of owning your own business and creating your own things for people to buy is that you learn as you go. You try out one thing.. and if that doesn’t work, tweak it and make it better. I’ve been a fashion designer, CEO and Founder (accountant, merchandiser, designer, marketing personnel, secretary, email sender, phone call maker, researcher, advertising maker, packaging up product person, inventory keeper, business runner, lalala literally a million things……. ) of Amanda Moore Designs for….one year now. And it has been the most exciting, stressful, tiresome, stressful (oh, I already said that..,) most rewarding experience I have ever been through. But I can say with confidence that every time I sell a garment and every time someone is so thrilled with their purchase and can’t wait to wear one of my designs... makes it all SO worth it. The other day someone came up to me and said, “I have to have a Ryan’s Orange!!!” That in itself, made me so happy. All the glory to God, as I am faithfully relying on him through this journey.

Ever since I can remember I knew I wanted to name each collection after someone in my life. I used to write down people’s names after I drew up a top and that’s what the collection would be called...from my friends, family, people that have influenced me, helped me grow, and been there for me. Now that my dream is a reality - you’ll notice that this fall/winter 2013 collection’s title before each name is “Ryan.”

Ry’s my brother and I love him so much. He is 18 months older than me and we have such a close relationship that I am so grateful for. People always tell us, “wow, I hope my kids can have a close relationship like you two do” or “are you guys twins?!” we are not twins, but sometimes we go along with it and tell people that we are just for fun since we get it a lot. He's my best friend. So I found it very easy to know that I wanted to dedicate my first collection to my sweet brother.

It has been a little over a year since my business was founded and I AM SO EXCITED to say that with a lot of hard work from myself and so many others, my online retail store is up and running. I am so grateful for the abundant amount of love and support I have been given over this past year. The messages people send me (y’all know who you are) those messages of encouragement and excitement literally get me through. All of the prayers and encouragement, I can’t even express how much that means to me.

“If there’s one thing I can be sure, it’s that the love of the Lord endures.”

Hope you enjoy my collection.
With so much love.
xo,
Amanda

 (Em's wearing Ryan's Aubergine $55)

(Mackenzie is wearing Ryan's Teal $45, Emily's wearing Ryan's Cobalt $45, and Em's wearing Ryan's Aubergine $55)

(Ryan's Floral $65, Ryan's Aubergine $55, and Ryan's Cobalt $45)

photo creds: maryophoto.com

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

part II

market time......
Day one.
This was my first time buying at a market...so I had no idea what to expect.
I started off the day in a seminar covering each vendor, what fabric they specialized in (cotton poly mixes, furs, spandex, the list goes on an on), minimum orders, where each company were based out of, and important information concerning each vendor. There were around  80-100 vendors it seemed so when going through the list, I made notes and put a big star by the ones I thought would benefit me the best so I wanted to go look at them first. This is a very important step..once I walked into the room I was immediately overwhelmed. So I was thankful for my list of where to go first.
Booths were set up in an orderly manner. There were walkways separating each table, and tables were set up one after another. Fabric swatches were covering every table and some wall spaces for that matter. Literally, I spent hours flipping through squares of fabric swatches. In the mix of all of the buyers, designers, vendors, fabric and findings (buttons, zippers, beading)...it was so busy! It was so cool to hear other designers visions and stories of how their companies came about. I met one lady who was starting up a children's line, another who had been in the industry for a while and was searching for fabric to make young girls dresses. I was on the look for fabric that would become blouses for my fall collection. Getting the touch and feel, seeing the stretch, "was it see-through?" "would this color look good?" "eh, is this the right type of fabric?" So many thoughts running through my mind. At times, I had to leave the room, go sit down in the hallway, call my manufacturer to make sure how much yardage I needed for the amount of units being produced, re-evaluate my decisions, how much was this all going to cost, figuring out pricing, minimums, etc, etc, etc... thinking to myself, "what if I don't find what I'm looking for and I've come all the way to New York.." I was drained. A lot of people asked if I had a wonderful time. I did, but this was no mini vaca, it was a business trip. Mom and I ate quick meals at the diner in the lobby of the hotel and ran to McDonald's right down the block because time was all we had. We couldn't waste a minute. I had one day to buy fabric so I needed to make most of my time. BUT, by the end of the day I had found just what I was looking for. Whether it was spotting the fabric I had my sample made in and couldn't find anywhere...but there it was, in some other lady's hand.... I may have grabbed it right as she laid it down on the table and then had to wait for her to finish...and by the time she was done, I had my mom and the vendor searching for that beautiful silk chiffon floral print. Found it, searched for a solid that would "go with" and.. done with that design. Placed my order, and now it's constructed into a beautiful blouse. And onto the next. As a designer, I went into market with an idea of knowing just what I was looking for. It took me a while to find, but eventaully I came across the perfect fabric.
Never having been on the buying end of market, I was going in with an open mind. My experience working in a showroom definitely helped prepare me for what was to come. I knew what to anticipate, but was completely overwhelmed at the same time. Overall, I had a great experience. I found all of the fabric and buttons I needed for my collection and was ready for production to start.

xo