Moonfly Kids

When I checked my Inbox last night, I was pleasantly surprised to find the most gorgeous photos of my new Spring/Summer line!  Eileen of Whimsy Portraits cranked out these beauties in record time in spite of rain, cold, mud, petulant toddlers and wandering geckos. How incredible! Thanks Eileen!

And just to show off what a wicked-cool team of creative people I have to work with, Krystal of Spark Creative whipped up this fantastic piece for my ad spot in the November issue of Earnshaw’s. Moonfly will also be featured in the October issue of Earnshaw’s, in the fashion pages, so look for us!

The outfit of the day is a weekender, so it’s super casual.  My hubby had to assist with the picture taking because I still can’t figure out the camera…

I’m very excited because it is finally cool enough to wear layers!  Well, at 85 degrees in Vegas it’s at least cool enough to wear one very light layer. I’m a big layer-er. I’m the person who snaps up all those weird pieces on the sale rack, like vests and super tight shirts and big baggy cardigans, pieces that everyone else discards or can’t make sense of. Layer them up, oh yeah, that’s how I roll! The play of color, texture, and proportion can’t be beat, and the warmth is welcome when it gets chilly. 

My cool Mona Lisa shirt from Palmer Cash is somewhat covered up by my nerdy-chic sweater vest from Urban Outfitters. My sweater has cool smocking at the shoulders accented with little tiny crystals that don’t show up in the picture, well because, you know why. Basic Elie Tahari jeans round it out.  One very important note here, I am NOT a jeans person! Can you believe it? Maybe twice a month at most. Later when the temp drops,  I have a long baggy cardigan that looks like something one of the Olsen twins might wear, or something pulled out of Grandad’s closet. 

Accessories include my favorite Omega men’s watch, the same style James Bond wears.  I’m hoping it will impart just a bit of Bond’s suave unto my reeking geekiness. Oxidized dangling chain earrings top it off. The peace sign I’m flashing isn’t so much a sign of my liberal leanings, it’s just deflecting my discomfort at being photographed.

I’m all set to go see Playhouse Disney Live at the Orleans Arena! It’s gonna be a bitchin’ time.

Since this is a website related to fashion, I thought it would be relevant to include an ongoing post about my personal fashion choices, as they usually inform my designs.  I have divergent tastes, from designer threads to bargain finds, I definitely am not a fashion snob!  But while mixing high and low has been all the rage in recent years, it is a practice that can easily go awry without a bit of restraint, and a bit of balance.  I myself am guilty of a few horrendous mixes that resembled a Goodwill bin with a pair of Hermes-booted legs sticking out, but if everyone looked perfect everyday, what fun would that be? 

My first attempt at taking a picture of my daily outfit didn’t really pan out.  Main reason being is that I become entirely spastic when there’s a camera in my hands.  There’s no focal point, the lighting’s wrong and it’s always blurry, because spastic people can’t stop moving, ya know. Bear with me until I find a way to operate the self-portrait mode.  And let’s thank god right now for the miracle of Photoshop!

Here’s me attempting to photograph myself wearing my favorite cowl neck shirt from Banana Republic and a diamond necklace that I first wore on my wedding day. I do believe in wearing jewelry if you are lucky enough to have some, especially pieces with sentimental value. It’s a very personal touch, and it makes the most mundane T shirt look elegant.  Well, so long as the T shirt doesn’t have peanut butter smeared all over it. 

That’s my dog Banjo in the background wondering- what the hell craziness is she up to now while I’m waiting so patiently for my bacon treats?

   

Spaz in action

Better luck next time!

For my birthday last year, I treated myself to something very personal, and very special.  I contacted Danielle LaPorte of carrieanddanielle.com for my very own Style Statement.  I had heard about Carrie & Danielle from a magazine, Vogue, maybe, or perhaps Lucky, many months (or was it years?) earlier and had made a mental note to call them sometime in the future for an interview.  I was intrigued at what they offered, a personal interview, and a customized Style Statement just for me!  A perfect birthday gift to myself. It was like having your astrological charts done, but so much more personal.  

I had an interview with Danielle, who I liked right away.  She had the kind of voice that hugs you through the phone, and the kind of insight that makes you take one step back.  She asked me different questions, and listened intently to my response. At first I felt really self conscious, since every question is about me, what I like to do, what inspires me, what I think about this or that, it was like a huge Kim-overdose. But Danielle was patient, and lead me thorough the interview very professionally, like a therapist, but so much cooler and more connected.

After our interview, Danielle put me on hold to review her notes for a moment, and I was convinced she was going to come back on the line and announce, “Yes, as we all suspected, Kim, you are a complete and total DORK.” But, of course, that is not Danielle’s style, and she gracefully announced my Style Statement.

Now, you should be burning with curiosity at what YOUR Style Statement is! So finish reading this, and then call Danielle asap.

The Statement consists of two perfect words, used to describe you, and only you.  The first word is 80% of you, your “essence”, the second word is 20% of you, your “twist”.

I am “Bohemian Contemporary” here’s just a summary-

Bohemian-the ultimate champion of the arts, taking a stand for creative liberty and self-expression. Bohemian adores the unconventional, quirky, avant-garde, and slightly or outrageously offbeat. They put very little stock in what other people think of them. Bucking the system makes them giddy with delight, but because the are so culturally informed, they can navigate with social ease whenever they wish. Bohemian can become prey to its own rebellious nature (don’t I know THAT!). Bohemian is a free spirit, free thinker, a traveler of the world and of the mind.

Contemporary-has a strong presence and looks you in the eye. Progressive thinkers, they seek out leading edge ideas and people to help them get where they want to go. They prefer to interact with genuine and authentic people, but can tolerate many types to achieve their goals. In overdrive, Contemporary can be forceful or critical(who, me?) especially of themselves.

How freaking cool is that? I found it incredibly valuable to have Danielle articulate my style.  They took all the aspects of me-ness and distilled it down to two words.  I now have my own tag line!  And it is eerily accurate.  I refer back to this when I am designing and I lose my focus, when I am decorating, when I am getting dressed, when I’m cooking–wait I don’t cook…  It has been an invaluable tool for honing my creative hand.

Words carry weight, so find out which two words best describe your style. It is a lovely gift to give your inner self.

My afternoon ritual includes driving halfway across town to fetch the Tiny Man from his preschool and bring him back to the nest.  My favorite part of this ritual (besides my sweet baby running into my arms as soon as he catches sight of me in his classroom) involves the arrival of PACKAGES! on my doorstep. The PACKAGES! magically appear whenever I am out of the house. When one shops as much as I do, this is a near daily occurrence. Much of my shopping is business related, but that fact does nothing to quell my enthusiasm for finding a PACKAGE! on my doorstep every afternoon.

What is it about brown paper PACKAGES! tied up with string that makes my heart thump?

 

 

oooh, there it is!

 

 

In addition to the sweet anticipation, there is also the challenge of bringing the PACKAGE! into the house. Now, this would seem a pretty straightforward task for a normal person, but my world is not normal. I am surrounded by maniacs, both human and canine, and thus accomplishing even the most mundane task requires a Sisyphean effort.

1. Sneak stealthy look at PACKAGE! resting innocently on doorstep.(if only you knew the havoc you wreak, PACKAGE!)

2. Divert toddler with toys on other side of room.

3. Open back door and let crazy canines into backyard.

4. Tiptoe over to front door, get another look at the PACKAGE! and slide deadbolt open.

 safely in my studio
 

Today, the coveted PACKAGE! brought me three fabric samples from a recent fabric show I attended.  Take a peek.

prints galore
 

Those of you who are familiar with Moonfly will be surprised to see such colorful, bright fabric on my cutting table. Moonfly is usually all garment dye, using solid color earth tones, right?  Yeah, well, it would be boring and predictable to do the same thing every season. So I’m doing some experimenting.
 

In all honesty, I don’t think I’ll be using the middle print since I have seen it somewhere else already.  And this is my issue with prints.  Especially children’s prints.  There are limited designs out there available to a small manufacturer like myself.  So, God forbid, this print might appear in another designer’s line, or worse, on the shelves at JoAnn Fabrics.  My line won’t look that special after all, n. Eeeck.  Say it isn’t so. This is where creativity reigns supreme.  There has to be someway to make this work. And I will find a way, bygod I will!!
 

I’m just beginning to plan my fall ‘09 line, so stay tuned as I document the painful, humbling creative process of producing a line.