Event Recap: Fashion Law Week [with a side of Louboutin]

Fashion Law Week is an annual event that was created by Howard University's Law School students, aimed at addressing legal issues in the fashion industry. This year's theme was Intelligent Design: Protecting the Luxury Brand.

I had the pleasure of attending the keynote presentation, given by Harley Lewin, an Intellectual Property lawyer known around the world for his IP protection work, specifically in the luxury apparel industry. Mr. Lewin is most recently known for winning the most significant IP case in the world in the past 10 years -- Louboutin vs. Yves St. Laurent. Some of his other clients include Diane von Furstenberg, Cartier, Alexander Wang, Dior, and Givenchy.

Although the presentation was geared to an audience of legal professionals, there were several good key takeaways that I thought could be applicable to entrepreneurs.

Photo Credit: InStyle

 

Stuff I Love: DIY Fashion

Lately I've really been into DIY fashion. Probably because Gigee Marie essentially started as a DIY experiment. There's nothing like adding your own personal touch to something and knowing that it's one-of-a-kind. And when money is tight, DIY fashion can be an inexpensive way to get that look for less. Here are a few of my favorite DIY fashions that I recently came across (click the links in the captions to get the tutorial from their original blogs).




Ostrich Feather Skirt via Frugal-nomics

Event Recap: Crystal Couture

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of participating in the 5th Annual Crystal Couture event, a five-day fashion show and trunk show that takes place in the Crystal City section of Arlington, Virginia, just outside of DC. Produced by the talented fashion event planner Maggy Francois and her team, nearly 70 boutiques, fashion and beauty brands, designers, stylists, and makeup artists gathered into what felt like a fab fashion warehouse. Attendees were able to watch runway shows as they shopped, sipped, and enjoyed free makeovers. Hosts of the event included radio personalities Sunni and Guy Lambert from WPGC 95.5, and Sarah Fraiser from Hot 99.5, as well as Miss DC 2011, Ashley Boalch. I met some really cool people, including a few Twitter and Instagram followers :-)

 

 

Unfortunately, I didn't get to take many pictures (plus, the lighting was horrible when using my iPhone camera...I think it's about time I invest in a real camera), but here are a few that I did take, plus a few photos courtesy of Mud Productions (go to their site and you can see Crystal Couture pics from the entire week).

[January] As Seen On

If you follow celebrity fashion, you're probably familiar with Olori Swank, the celebrity stylist known for her bold blue hair and edgy style. Olori regularly styles Keyshia Cole and Lance Gross, to name a few. So you know I was excited when Olori posted this pic of her rocking our Camo Clutch to her Instagram page back in January *does the running man*. Make sure you check out her website and follow her on Instagram. Thanks for the shout out Olori!

 

 

 

 

Pop Goes the City

Thanks so much to Pop Goes the City, for featuring our Jade Clutch as their "Pick of the Week". Pop Goes the city is a lifestyle website focused on the Dallas area. Although Gigee Marie isn't based in Dallas, they thought we were great enough feature us anyway *blushes*. Check out their website for the full feature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Spring 2013 Collection Now Available!

If you haven't heard, the Spring 2013 clutch collection is now available on gigeemarie.com. It includes bold jewel tones, hints of metallic, and snake print. As I previously mentioned, we have also added jewelry to the shop, so make sure you pick up a few pieces to add to your stash. Happy shopping!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gigee Marie Muses: Precious Gems

With emerald being Pantone's color of 2013, I decided to center my Spring 2013 collection around jewel tones. A lot of times, jewel tones are seen in Fall collections, but I think that jewel tones are just as appropriate for Spring. They allow you to ease out of winter earthtones and prepare for colorful, bold Spring palettes. We recently saw Teyonah Parris and Mila Kunis rock bold amethyst and emerald gowns at the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes, and Eva Longoria werrrrrked this gold dress at the 2012 Alma Awards last September.

If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen me post a picture of the fabrics that I selected for this collection. Here, you can get a glimpse of a few of the pieces, and how those fabrics came to life :-)

Make sure you visit gigeemarie.com on Monday, February 4 so that you can shop the Spring clutch collection (and our new jewelry!)

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Support Small Biz: Valentine's Day Edition

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so I handpicked a couple little gifts meant for you to treat yourself (because no one loves you more than you!). These unique gifts are handmade by small businesses and of course, they're all made with lots of love :-)

1. Gigee Marie Clutches
Our Bordeaux Clutch and Sorbet Studded Mini are the perfect touch to your Valentine's Day outfit. Whether you're planning an evening out with the boo, a "single ladies" girl's night out, or if you just want to spoil yourself, we've got you covered :-)


2. Modern Madness Mugs

I came across this shop on Etsy and thought these His & Her mugs were so cute. You can choose your own style of mustache and lips, including lip color. This shop carries various types of Mr. & Mrs. drinkware, including coffee mugs, beer mugs, drinking glasses, and wine glasses, so you can get one for you and him.


3. Lavish Soaps

I haaaaaaate those chalky candy conversation hearts. They're like the candy corn of Valentine's Day and year after year, they're a holiday staple that don't seem to go away. But, I don't mind them when they're in the form of soap. These handcrafted conversation heart soaps come in scents like pear, lemon cake, and red apple. While I don't advise eating these, I'm sure they taste better than the actual candy. *insert iPhone yuck face emoji*


4. Georgetown Cupcake

No Valentine's Day is complete without a sweet dessert. For this, I turn to the famous Georgetown Cupcake, which has special flavors for the month of February, including Strawberry Lave Fudge, Strawberry Champagne, and Valentine's Vanilla. And don't worry if you live outside of the DC area...they ship anywhere in the US.

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Coming Soon: A New Collection...Plus a Little Something Extra

I'm excited to share that I'll be releasing a new collection of clutches during the first week of February (yes, get excited!). The collection will feature lots of sparkle and color...a great way to transition into Spring. Over the next couple of weeks I'll be sewing my life away to get everything ready, and in between, I'll be sure to share sneak peeks of the new line on Twitter, Instragram, and Facebook. 

What's even more exciting is that I will also begin selling jewelry in my online shop (yes, get even more excited!).  One of my goals for Gigee Marie is to be known not only for my handmade clutches, but also as an overall accessories brand. I've decided to start this "expansion" by adding a few jewelry pieces to the line of products. Although the jewelry isn't handmade like the clutches, it'll be just as fabulous and reflective of the Gigee Marie brand. Here's a look at some of the jewelry you can expect to see. I hope you like!

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Fashion Illustrations

Over the past couple of months I have become obsessed with fashion illustrations. I definitely want to get a few to hang in my home office/sewing room. Here are a couple of illustrators/designers that I've been particularly admiring:

Anum Tariq - I discovered Anum's illustrations on Instagram after one of the bloggers that I follow posted an illustration that Anum did of her. I think this is when I fell in love with fashion illustrations. (Photo credits: Anum Tariq's Instagram)

The lovely Blair Eadie...who doesn't love her?

Ms. Anna

Hayden Williams - Hayden Williams is a designer/illustrator and has turned top celebrities into illustrated works of art. I'm sure you've seen this designer's illustrations all across Instagram and Twitter, as many celebrities have reposted/retweeted the illustrations that he's done of them. (Photo credits: Hayden Williams' Instagram)

Rihanna

Barack and Michelle

Baddie Bey

Brooklit - I discovered Brooke Hagel's designs on Etsy. She sells her illustrations through her online shop in the form on greeting cards, pocket mirrors, gift tags, magnets, notepads, and more. She has worked with Gap, Joie, Vogue, and InStyle who hire her to do sketches at their events. You can follow her journey on Instagram (Photo credits: Brooklit's Etsy Shop)

Jerron Couture - I came across this artist/designer on Instagram as well. I especially love how he illustrates updated versions of some of our favorite childhood cartoon characters. (Photo credits: Jerron Couture's Instagram)

Penny and Dijonay

Patty and Doug

Princess Jasmine

Mulan and Pocahontas

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Gigee Marie Muses: Emerald City

Last month, Pantone announced that the color for 2013 is emerald. I'm generally an earth tone kind of girl so I like to look to green hues to add a hint of color to neutral palettes. We originally incorporated a similar green into our holiday collection with our Jade clutch (shown below) which is a great winter color. Check out other emerald/jade pieces that make for great additions to your wardobe.

Dress: Michael Kors; Top: Tibi; Pants: Carven; Clutch: Gigee Marie; Nail polish: Butter London

 

 

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