Fashion Slow Lane!

I have never taken a real painting class.  I don't know anything about paints or how to paint.  The other day I had some time to browse a local La Jolla book store.  They had a small section of paints and brushes.  I picked up some cheap brushes and paints.   Here is my first creation.  It looks kind of like something a 3rd grader would paint, but also there is a touch of magic to it.  One of my friends said they would buy it at a flea market.  That does not help my creative ego, but the nice thing about painting with no agenda is that there is no rules. A face with a box around it? Cool.  Add some grass.  That's is fine.  Does it mean anything? Not necessarily.  Was it fun and relaxing?  Yes.  Then, perfect, that is the whole point. What is your inspiration?   NO RULES.   My first painting in 10 years.  No rules.  

I stumbled across a new website that is devoted to bags of all types and covers everything from reviews to the backgrounds of the designers behind the various brands.   If you are bag geek like me you will love this site!  It is based out of Australia and the name is Carryology . The website is www.carryology.com The name is a fun play on words.  I love this site!  Right now its just for fun, but if you love their site, like them on facebook and help spread the word.  This is the only site I have ever seen in the past ten years that is devoted to bags of all types.   Yes, there is the purseblog.com and bagsnob.com and those type of sites dedicated to women's high end designer handbags, but this site is for bags in general for both men and women.  The site is owned and operated by the team that is behind a wallet brand for men that can be found at better boutiques and department stores in Australia and the United States. Worth a look! Ciao...

“We all have two lives. The second one starts when we realize that we only have one.”  ― Tom Hiddleston What a wonderful quote.  Enough said.  

If you want to be interesting.. If you are a good listener people will find you interesting just because you listened to them.   In general I am not a good listener.  I have selective hearing.  I got that from my dad.  He could tune us all out and read the newspaper.  It was an art.  Children also have selective hearing.   Anyone who is a parent knows what I am talking about.   In business it is important to be a good listener, often you will find the answer just by listening.  It could be the tone of voice or even what is not said in the conversation that is the clue to what you are listening for. In business, especially as a freelance consultant, I have learned to listen and then know when to put up boundaries.  People often want to tell me their life story when they are working with me on a project.  That is nice, but we are here to get work done.   I listen, but I know when to listen and when not to listen.  ...

When things go wrong its tempting to shift the blame.  Don't.  Be your own worst critic. Accept responsibility.   People will appreciate it, and you will find out what you are made of. Be your own worst critic. Accept it.  Move on and grow. Be your own worst critic. Accept the blame and move on.   Grow.   Wisdom comes from this.  

We have a new shop in shop in one of the best department stores in Tianjin, a metro city of 15 million people not far from Beijing.   This store has several luxury brands such as St. John, Coach, Prada, Gucci, and many others.   We are able to get emerging American brands on the same floor in the same mall as these luxury brands. Here is some recent photos of a small American brand in one of our Chinese luxury department stores. (click on each image to enlarge) To find out how more about how we can help your emerging American brand expand to Asia please contact roccodante@gmail.com Thank you, Tara

Does your brand need help with PR and you don't know where to turn? Do you get tons of random emails from PR agencies claiming to get your brand on the latest B list celebrity?   We have been there, done that.  ( Really? You want me to pay $20,000 - or was it $50,000?  to gift my handbags to D list reality TV celebrities-lets not go there! ugh. insert sarcasm here )  There are hundreds of celebrity toting Public Relations firms out there all claiming to be the best and get your product on the hottest celebrities and in the top magazines, but hiring a PR agency is much more than that.  Not all PR agencies are created equal as we have found first hand.  As part of our ever expanding network of fashion insiders, we often like to blog about the ones that stand out the most and we believe that a direct, honest approach is the best way to go! We would like to introduce you to insider PR guru Colin T. McDonald.  When one interacts with Colin T. McDo...