Henri Liked Me

My day started at 2:30am so that I could be in line by 4am. By the time I got to Henri Bendel's there were already seven other people ahead of me for the Open See event. The lady that was first in line had gotten there at 1am!!!!

I opted for the fashionista-look, meaning my open-toe, Chloe' , 4-inch-platforms and a cropped, sculptural jacket from Zara that was very Oscar de la Renta -- which of course offered no protection against the wind and chill, over a little black dress.  But as one designer explicitly proclaimed "This is F**ing Henri Bendel's, you have to play the part!" Okayyy, check, style accomplished, just five hours to see if my collection will make the cut. 

Jen Tan-Chi was in line behind me, so we got to visit, and my friend Berit was a doll and got there at the crack of dawn to help be my assistant.  I am so thankful for her help!

After five hours of waiting, you had less than 2 minutes to present your collection. My professor, Tom Handley from Parsons, had told me about a friend of his that was working the event. And she was the one that ended up reviewing my headbands, it was meant to be! She was really enthusiastic and she immediately pulled over the head buyer and had her look at my headbands. 

They gave me their card and said they wanted me to come back for a full appointment. In "Bendel Speak" that means everything. A lot of designers left with no business cards, and I guess from the past those with cards and an appointment were "in". It felt like I was trying out for a play and I got a call-back.  

I made a lot of great connections standing in line and met a lot of fun designers. People came from all over the country, and even the world -- Brazil, Canada, Chicago, LA, Miami, Atlanta. It was interesting to see everyone else's creativity and how they presented themselves and their goods. 

My adrenaline kept me going and now I am absolutely ready to crash. But Amanda is cooking me an amazing dinner with the boys in my honor, so I am off to celebrate for a bit...and watch some 24, Heroes, and Gossip Girl -- have to get some more inspiration for the next round. Well more from Blair and Serena, Jack and Peter - not soo much ;-) 

A Nice Package

I got my haircut on Friday at Toni and Guy. And of course, as usual, I wasn't able to resist picking up a few products. And when I got home I realized what a collection I already have -- not to mention the two other TIGI flat irons Jaime has given me over the years! * One is a super skinny flat iron and one is really thick, just to defend myself a little!

Sure the products are nice.  I love the smell and right after having your hair styled I am a sucker for buying whatever the stylist puts in my hair. But do the products really work better than what I could get at Duane Reade? NO! However I am totally drawn in by the packaging. It is eye candy and then with the pretty fragrance -- well it's over for me ;-)

I even used Toni and Guy's packaging design as a topic in my Parsons application essay. In my essay I talked about packaging design, and how I admit to purchasing products more for their clever design than for what the product can actually do for me. I am fascinated by brands and packaging design is a key element in building a brand. Sometimes the aesthetics are worth more than the actual makeup of the product. 

If I was ever to go back to school, it would be for packaging design or communication arts. I could eat this stuff up! As evidenced by my large collection of hair products, MAC makeup containers and cool water bottles like Voss -- although I am thinking of making the investment in a Sigg water bottle -- more green, but also just a really cool design!

Be Considerate...Be Aware...Be Present!

I am going to steer off path for a second and blog about something not fashion related. 

I made a list of character traits I want to embody.  The more I observe those around me, the more I am blown away by how people treat each other. It is amazing and not in a good way!

Furthermore, I started thinking about my future niece and the lessons I would like her to ponder and reflect on: 

Be considerate, think about how your actions are going to impact others.

Be aware, alert and on top of the ball. I understand everyone is busy and I am NOT a proponent of being glued to your phone. But there is a difference between being extremely busy and just dropping off the face of the earth and then expecting instant feed-back once you make your re-appearance. Live your life, but realize the consequences of the choices you make. They are your choices, but no action is without a reaction. If you take months to make contact, then don't be impatient when others take their time as well!

Be present. Be in the moment. It kills me to go to dinner and have everyone put their phones on the table as if their phones were part of the table setting. Unless it is an emergency, put your phone away and be part of the moment. If you are really so anxious to be in communication with whomever is calling, go have dinner with them and don't waste my time. I want to catch up with you, not listen to your phone call to someone who is not with us!

Don't act entitled. Earn your keep and pay your dues, we all have to. And the fruits of your labor are much more rewarding than if you just take because you assume you are entitled to it. The audacity of it all is unflattering. 

Don't judge, you have no idea what goes on behind closed doors or how a person got to be where they are. We all have our own life-story that is unfolding and no one story is the same. 

Don't assume. Take the time to find out and verify the facts before plunging forward and just thinking you have it all figured out. 

Realize that your best intentions may not always be right for the person in consideration. And it's more than okay to let that person make decisions that are not in line with how you would do things. 

Goal

I want the next headband that Posh puts on her head to be a Jennifer Paige headband :-) 

Excited

I got my labels back from the printers last night. I have to admit, I was like a giddy, little girl on Christmas morning! I was so happy with how they turned out. I wanted a way to not only carry my headbands to Henri Bendels, but also a way to merchandise them so that they told a "story" -- which is huge in the retail world. There's some of my visual merchandising classes being put to use  :-) 

A Page out of the Posh Prepster Look Book

A page out of my look-book. I took all the pictures in my living room. And then my amazing sister Jaime worked her magic in Illustrator.  

I am eternally grateful to Jaime for all the work she has poured into helping me. She is one incredible, little sister and I sure miss her!!!!!!!!

Music and Art

In a design class at Parsons we were told to pick out a song.  After really listening to the song we were instructed to draw 9 fashion croquis (the French word for sketch -- it is used to refer to any elongated fashion figure).  Eventually we created an entire collection based off that one song. I choose Cascada's "Every Time We Touch", and I had an absolute ball working on that collection. I would stay up until the wee hours of the morning listening to Cascada as I put the finishing touches on my sketches. 

I often think about that project and the relationship between music and art, and how one sparks something in the other. I love having music on as I work. I am a total I-tunes junkie and I find I am in constant need of new music. 

In fact if I get to the bottom of the stairs and realize I left my phone at home, I take it as a blessing and keep going, but if I forget my IPOD I'll climb back up the four flights of stairs so that I can have my music. 

I really like my latest selection of downloads. They include:

1) Kings of Leon "Only By The Night"

2) Lily Allen "It's Not Me, It's You"

3) Slum Dog Millionaire soundtrack -- LOVE M.I.A. Paper Planes and Dreams on Fire

4)Erin McCarley "Love, Save the Empty"

5)MGMT "Oracular Spectacular" -- playing "Kids" over and over again!

--  I probably shouldn't admit these downloads, but I do like them...

6) Lady Gaga

7)Kelly Clarkson

8) The Fray

9)Taylor Swift

10) Pussy Cat Dolls 

-- and then some older ones, but love them none the less

11) The Killers "Human"

12) Pink's entire "Funhouse" album

13) Katy Perry "Hot and Cold"

14) Lights "Last Thing On Your Mind"

 

The Ingredients That Go Into A Headband

Some of my supplies before they are turned into a headband. 

Debuting at Debut NYC

Debut New York is a really hip boutique just north of SOHO. The store is set up like a gallery and the concept is to showcase up and coming designers. 

I  met the owner of Debut at baby Gap buying clothes for my future niece. The owner of Debut asked if I was a designer (apparently she liked the way I had styled my outfit and she was curious about the large portfolio I was lugging around. I had in fact just come from an interview at Express). 

I showed her my headbands and she decided to showcase five! The pictures above are the ones she is featuring. I went into Debut last Thursday and I saw my headbands merchandised right up front by the cash register. There was even a little plaque with my name on it, it read"Jennifer Paige, Phoenix, Arizona -- Inspired by Industrial Design". It gave me the biggest thrill! 

I could get used to this!

All For Henri

Some of the many headbands I am taking to Henri Bendel on March 30th. I am going to have to "edit" down my final collection, so that it is tighter and tells a story. A lot of work to wrap up this next week. 

My Life Is Headbands

My apartment has become one big art studio. Ribbon, paint, feathers, sequins and a slew of other art supplies have taken over! At first, I kept everything in a large duffle bag. However, being OCD and a bit of a neat freak, that only lasted so long!

Now I have a stack of silver, mesh drawers on wheels to keep everything neatly organized. It is perfect! Still my room looks like I live and breathe headbands. And until the Henri Bendel Open-See for new designers is over, I do LIVE and BREATHE headbands. 

I told my roomate, Brian, I will have reached my fashion zenith if I can get my headbands into Henri Bendel. Well, into Henri Bendel, Fred Segal, and Kitson as well as onto the cast of Gossip Girl and Victoria Beckham. All fashion icons to me!

Parsons taught me a lot, and when you have this desire to create, well there just isn 't any stopping it...so we will see where it goes. I formed an LLC ,  I have a website  www.jenniferpaigedesigns.com ordered a bunch of woven tags to glue on as my tags, and purchased a case of headbands from Goody in bulk!  I am ready to roll!

So here is to the modern girl's headpiece aka the Posh Prepster. 

The Posh Prepster

Who is the posh prepster...

The posh prepster embraces fashion, design, style, and glamour. She is the ultimate fashionista. She is not afraid of being fashion forward or on the edge. She pays attention to the world of fashion, but she the confidence to boldly rock her own style. She is a bit of NY, a bit of LA, but mostly just an accumulation of all things creative, savvy and full of life. 

The posh prepster has a sense of adventure. She is is always up for a night on the town and all the details that go into dressing up for it. She mixes her Dior with her street fashion, her rock and roll with her Blahniks, her Chanel with her ripped up jeans. 

You see her at a cafe'. On the dance floor. Shopping Madison Ave. Scanning Kitson and Fred Segal. Digging through the bins at Last Chance. 

She is lipgloss and bouncing to her IPOD. Bangles and Cuffs. Amazing shoes and fantastic boots. New York in the summer, Arizona in the Winter. Champagne at brunch. 

Cutting edge architecture and cute cupcake paraphernalia. She understands the skater world but she appreciates haute couture. She is Blair Waldorf with the drive to snowboard down the mountain. A bit of edge with a bit of preppiness.

Punk rock music with a love of the ballet. 

She has depth and character but she is carefree and knows what it feels like to laugh until her sides hurt. 

She is fun. She is special. She is joie de vivre. 

She always gets her headbands from Jennifer Paige Designs. 

*** the smallest of posh prepsters can also wear Jennifer Paige Designs. Smaller headbands are used to fit the little tykes heads.