Spring Collection 2014

I've been cleaning up the images to put on Lisa August's website for our wholesale accounts today. 
Maybe they can put a little 'spring' in your step on this cloudy cold day-unless you live in an area that's warm and sunny, and if so you shouldn't be reading this blog right now, go enjoy the weather!

The triangle bib in our new soft pastels mixed with tokyo tortoise and black.

Our pastel ombre chain

Our super long multi colored chain in the pastel with tortoise and black combo, we also have this neck in a neutral palette

Our classic filigree cuff is back in turquoise!

Our classic large filigree cuff is also back in light horn!

Our bestselling cabochon cuff bracelet now with peach cabochons

Our cabochon stud earrings are the perfect summer earring in tuquoise

Our tapered cuff now in shell

Classic color, classic cuff!

These bold orange beveled ears are lots of fun, and available in 6 bright colors, plus tortoise and black

Our new chunky chain is also available in the 6 brights, tortoise and black.

A shorter version of the neck above, in vibrant pink

Our new triangle ears shown in tortoise, love the clean geometric shape.  Modern and fun!

Our new oval jump ring ear shown in light horn

Our new filigree earring in peach, with a hessonite garnet drop.

Our new honeycomb earring, it's already selling really well!

The matching cuff to the new honeycomb earring, very comfortable!

15 in 14

It's been a LOOONG year.

The year started with a nice, calm New Year's Day followed by two days of work before showtime. One of which was a blizzard followed by some crazy cold days,  then a Sunday show set-up followed by two days alone at the ENK show because Claudia got a terrible migraine.  I spent those days at the show, writing some orders and worrying that I would be going alone to Atlanta for a week if poor Claudia didn't get better in time for our flight.  Thankfully, Claudia rebounded in true Lisa August style.  We met up at Laguardia and 'feasted' on some Auntie Ann's (this is unacceptable) for dinner, since everything else was closed.  We were the only flight in the airport as we waited for our plane to get there, crossing our fingers for four hours that our plane would not be cancelled like the rest were, stranding us 1 mile from my apartment.  Miracle of miracles, we took off around 12:45, landed at 3:45AM and got into bed at our hotel at 5AM, what a day!  We slept til ten, set up the show painlessly and relaxed in the afternoon until dinner, a very good dinner which blew Auntie Ann's out of the water!

The next morning, day one of a four and a half day show we were full of positive feelings, hopes and excitement.  These feelings were crushed a little, and we quickly remembered how large and maze like the Americas Mart can be.  We soon realized that our booth was considered (the following terms were overheard being said right by our booth) "a dead end", "a black hole" and my personal favorite: "blocked".  Not blocked!  Not blocked!  I love a good learning or relearning experience, and I do think we could do really well in Atlanta, we were just not presented well to the buyers.

I also came across a lot of low-end tortoise imports, which I don't have the displeasure of seeing as much in New York since the shows we do are on the high end side, so I'm sheltered a little from the knock offs I felt surrounded by in Atlanta.

All in all, I find the people of Atlanta to be extremely welcoming and friendly.  I will definitely miss the southern hospitality when I'm fighting my way off the next subway I take.  In particular, the GM of the hotel we stayed at drove Claudia and I to the show Saturday morning in his pick-up when there was flood and tornado warnings going off left and right.  That just does not happen every day (the ride and the tornado, because there really was one of course!) There's also some great food there-next blog will be a roundup of places to go in ATL...

This Saturday the 18th will be my first day off since New Year's and I look forward to it, it will also be little Lenore's birthday, so Happy Birthday, partner! 

PS-I apologize for the negativity, here's a link to my Thanksgiving post, because I am truly grateful, I'm just exhausted!  Giving Thanks

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year All!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, prosperous, all your dreams coming true kind of 2014!

Here's our upcoming show schedule, we are looking very forward to showing our new line to you!

This will be the first Lisa August line totally designed and produced in our new digs, so it's special to us, and also kind of pretty!

Lisa August 2014 Trade Show Schedule

ENK Accessory Circuit

January 6-8

Pier 94

Booth #: 3107

Atlanta Gift Show

January 9-13

America's Mart Building 3, 4th Floor Jewelry & Fashion Accessories

Booth #: 4-1918

NY NOW (NY Gift Show)

February 2-6

Javits Center : Personal Accessories

Booth#: 8622

Our catalogs showed up today (finally) and our boxes are ready to ship to Atlanta and get picked up for New York, so we just need this blizzard forecast to be a bust (famous last words) .

Stay warm and see you soon!

Our new catalogs, hot off the presses!

The Week Before Christmas At Lisa August

Historically I spend my last week at work before Christmas fighting a cold, setting up the line, working on last minute styles, laying it out for the shows, making sure the catalogs are being printed and shipped on the proper dates, and of course discussing food for our work Christmas party. 

So far that was all happening like always, but we've also had some glitches in our plans.  Last night I was supposed to help Lenore put her tree up after work like I always do, and instead we found ourselves at Lisa August until about 11:30 while National Grid tried to fix oh just a minor gas leak issue in the street right in front of the building, that's basically only effecting our building.  Of course!  Why not? So, they're still out there, it's over 36 hours now, and nothing really has been fixed.  Our gate and windows are open to air out the smell of gas, and of course it's been a cold and snowy two days weather wise.

As for our food, it was decided today that we aren't doing our usual pernil, oven roast chicken, rice and beans and maduros, which is upsetting, because I look forward to that meal all year.  For a new change we are doing it up Woodside style and getting burgers and wings from Donovan's.  We'll drink Micheladas and Sangria, and everything will be just fine.

If this year taught me anything it's that change is good, so I can deal because hey,  it's the most wonderful time of the year:)

Here's a little sneak peek at the Spring/Summer 2014 line, and my show prep...

The Bright Table: Chunky bangles, chains and hoops in marbelized brites.

Our peach, black and tokyo table-I LOVE it!!!

Our neutral table-torquoise and lite horn are back!!!

The Shows Will Go On

I love the holidays, well, most things about the holidays: the lights, cheesy movies, gift giving, Christmas songs, ALL the food-but it's all very tiring when you're trying to juggle the rest of your life, while not spending all your money, fighting off colds and holiday expectations.  It's also usually the most stressful time at work for me, designing the new Spring/Summer line, photographing it for the catalogs, etc.  No matter how long I've been doing this, this time of year always creeps up on me.  THEN there's New Year's: UGH.  By that time, I'm completely exhausted and can't wear clothes because I don't fit into any of them.  So, while I've been thinking I need to just get through the holidays, I realized recently what kind of January (and February) it's going to be.  

Without further adieu, I present to you the:

Lisa August Trade 2014 Show Schedule

ENK Accessory Circuit

January 6-8

Pier 94

Booth #: 3107

Atlanta Gift Show

January 9-13

America's Mart Building 3, 4th Floor Jewelry & Fashion Accessories

Booth #: 4-1918

NY NOW (NY Gift Show)

February 2-6

Javits Center : Personal Accessories

Booth#: 8622

You may have noticed that we are going to be in Atlanta this year.  We thought it was best considering Super Bowl Sunday being in New York on the same day NY NOW opens, we may not be as busy as one would want.  I do plan to tailgate in the booth that day if you plan on coming!

I know this sounds like a complainy post, and I'm really not upset, I just want to get through it all!  I'm very excited to show the new line off, and I think it will have a great reception.  First line designed at headquarters!

So, enjoy your holidays all, and come see us in 2014!!!

Vintage Button Necks

 

For the past few days I have been playing with the bags of old vintage parts (mostly buttons) from the 80s that I packed up and took with me in the move.  I've been wanting to find time to play with the pieces, so when I knew I had a trunk show at Lockwood Thursday, December 5th, I decided to take some time out to make necklaces.

The necklaces are fun and really funky.  Not everyone is going to wear one, but I feel like anyone can appreciate them, especially if you have a penchant for bold, over the top jewelry-very popular in the 80s.

 I look forward to creating more pieces, particularly cuff bracelets, but here are some examples of the necks, which I plan on selling on the retail site, most likely they will go live next week, when I have a little free time!

 I put the more black-toned necks on silver chain, and the browner, more tortoisy necks on gold chain.

I love this one, my friend Lydia described it as Long Islandy, and yes, although I'm not always super proud of it, I did grow up in Long Island, so I'm ok with that description!  I meant for it to be ironic, but I think it's still pretty.  I may just end up keeping it!

 I love the faux malachite in this necklace, and I think this may be the most 'wearable' of the necks, adding tortoise to any piece usually tones down the bold factor.

I like this red piece, it has a little 80s mod thing going on, and it's perfect for a black outfit.

This was the first neck I did the other day.  I think it's probably the most simple one, I love the button in the center.  That is one of my favorite 'old colors' that they don't make anymore that I wish I could use in the line, it's really stunning.

I also decided it was high time Lisa August Inc. joined instagram, so this was my first post:

 Pretty Cute!

Giving Thanks

I've been thinking a lot this Thanksgiving season for all that I'm thankful for, and it's a lot.  This has easily been one of the most challenging years of my life, and fortunately it has left me feeling grateful.  

I'm so grateful for my family and friends, who have been supportive, understanding and excited while we transitioned from Bellissima to Lisa August.  I'm especially grateful to my Grandfather, without him this never could have happened.  

I'm grateful to sketchy NYC real estate deals that fell through, because we never would have ended up in our building, and I can't see us in any other building at this point.  

I'm grateful for our co-workers for coming with us and adapting to our situation with such ease, even when things were so up in the air we didn't know if they would come back down. 

I'm grateful to have a jewelry line that people want (even in this economy), and customers who not only stood by us patiently for the past year while everything got sorted out, they cheered when we returned.  

I'm grateful to my manfriend who I began dating at the height of all the craziness, who calmly listened to and even seemed sincerely interested in my drama, and advised us with our building when we needed the advise.

I'm so grateful to my father who is the hardest worker I know, and probably the most generous person I know.  He has his own business, yet comes here on his day off and builds us shelves, tables and does whatever else we need for things to run smoothly.

Most of all, I'm grateful-ssimo to Lenore, my Mother, who I'll never be able to repay or emulate.  She's one of those people who should have been put on Oprah and showered with gifts and pampered for all that she does.  She has always been the perfect Mother and a best friend, but she has also always been a very hard worker and business owner.  Now I get to be partners with this business owning machine, who has some how gotten better with age.  Sometimes I feel like I'm the older one and she has more energy than me! Thanks, partner...

Oh, and I'm grateful I get to be Lisa August!