Goodbye freezing cold Adelaide and Good Morning European Sunshine for Marketing Assistant Skye
For the last 2 months I have been lucky enough to replace the brisk winter of Adelaide with the hot European sunshine. Travelling with one of my closest friend’s Jess, we literally followed the coastline, soaking up the sun, partying till dawn and having the time of our lives in the hot European weather. We began our travels in London and from there visited Paris, Amsterdam, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Croatia and of course the Greek Islands. It was a two months to remember!
Just Touched Down in London Town Monday morning, 6am, Heathrow airport. After an exhaustingly long 22 hour flight we finally arrived in London- HURRAY!! Looking like an absolute tired wreak next to Jess (who peacefully slept the whole flight- how does she do it!!), I somehow managed to gather my suitcase and hopped on the London Underground, all ready to begin my European Adventure. London-Wow, what an amazing city! Filled with so much life and atmosphere, I instantly fell in love. The architecture, the beautiful green parks, the gorgeous markets and of course the fashion was all so overwhelming. Just walking up Oxford, Bond and Regent St, I was in my absolute element.
Jess and I on Oxford St in London
Paris the city of love Next stop Paris, the city of love, what more can I say. Every street, every corner, every park was filled with way too much public displays of affection. Having met a great group of friends we walked the streets of Paris visiting all the gorgeous landmarks. Since the Little Fuchsia Winter 10 range is drawn on a French influence, I instantly felt ‘so Frenchy, so Chic’ in my LF white shirt and ‘must have’ blue velvet blazer.
Barcelona Barcelona, what a vibrant city, filled with markets, museums, sangria, beautiful beaches, restaurants, partying, tapas, bars and of course, crazy fashion!!! Right now it’s all about colours, colours and more colours!! The brighter the better!! The women were dressed in gorgeous vibrant outfits, making me want to ditch my neutral wardrobe. However after seeing Rob’s new summer 10 dresses, I don’t think that will be a problem now that I am back in Adelaide- cannot wait to get my hands on the jade green silk number! The beaches in Spain were also amazing, Jess and I spent most days lying on the beach (since we were clearly the whitest in Southern Europe), drinking cocktails and shopping- what a hard life!!
Jess and I having a delicious dinner in Barcelona- oh how i miss sangria
Italy Italy... What can I say... spaghetti, bread, gelato, pastries... The food is so delicious you just do not know when to stop (Travel Tip: Do not visit Italy before the Greek Islands...). Whilst in Italy Jess and I decided that it would be a good idea to get our heart rate pumping and walk the Cinque Terre coastline. The Cinque Terre trail is a 5 hour walk along the Southern coastline of Italy. You walk through the most gorgeous little Italian towns and stop for swims along the way. The views are breathtaking and the walk itself- well it is rather breathtaking as well.
The Cinque Terre Walk
Greece The Greek Islands- Oh how i miss them- the sun, the crystal blue water, the beautiful architecture, the delicious food and of course the friendly people. Mykonos was our first stop in the Greek Islands, and what a great first stop indeed. The town is constantly buzzing and the beaches are an ongoing party. Walking through the cobble stone village of Mykonos it is easy to become extraordinarily lost, since every corner and every laneway looks identical. There are also so many gorgeous jewellery and clothes stalls which I visited every day, gathering a great collection for summer!
Floating Away on our Lilo's
Our next stop in the Greek Island’s was Ios- the island where sleep is no longer your friend. My time in Ios was filled with drinking cocktails, dancing, beach parties and laughter (lots of laugher)! I would not recommend this specific island if you are planning a family holiday anytime soon. Because this island is anything but peaceful!! Siesta is something that I became very accustomed to in Greece. All shops, restaurants, deli’s and even yiros stores shut their doors at 2pm for a little siesta nap- sounds like the life doesn’t it!! Two days into our stay, Jess and I began to follow the sleeping patterns of the Ios hospitality business. We too, would stay up till morning have a siesta nap while the town is shut and be awake by 6pm to begin our night. After seven hectic nights in Ios, Jess and I were more than thrilled to jump on the ferry to Santorini (a more peaceful and relaxing island). We met up with our friends from Perth in Santorini who drove us around the island on motorbikes- quite frightening really- but the views were amazing. Santorini is just the most beautiful place I have every visited. It is truly unbelievable. One night we drove to Oia in the old town, where we watched the most amazing sun set. Typically I purchased a white dress in Santorini to blend in with the surrounding and feel like a Greek Goddess!!
Enjoying the gorgeous views in Santorini
After Greece it was time to get on our plane and fly back to freezing cold Adelaide. Again I didn’t get a wink of sleep and of course Jess was nearly unconscious (travel tip: don’t travel with someone who can sleep on planes, it drives you insane). I had the most amazing trip away, meeting people, learning about different cultures and having the time of my life, but by the end of the two months not only was I ready to come home, but I would have had to turn to busking on the streets and wasn't prepared to do that, especially in a foreign country.
So now I am back at the Little Fuchsia office, all refreshed and recharged just in time to get my hands on Rob’s new Summer 10 range!!
Skye xx
Diary of Agent Becc at Little Fuchsia, ADELAIDE.
Day one: Attention Adelaide, Agent Becc has arrived!
8.30am: Welcome to Adelaide
As I enter Adelaide town I am immediately met with smiling faces, positive hellos and absolutely no peak hour traffic- despite my almost 9am departure from the airport. This was going to be a good day. One text from Little Fuchsia’s golden girl Simmie and a famous Cibo coffee later, I find myself cruising down a very peaceful Adelaide road to Orange studio at the very cute 1 Orange lane, Norwood.
9ish am: Little Fuchsia model shoot
Model in hair and make-up chair, check. Photographer, check. Rack of spring/summer samples, check. Little Fuchsia team (ironing), check. I instantly think- typical shoot layout but not your typical team- ‘family’ was more like it. Simmie, Robyn’s (THE Little Fuchsia) right hand woman quickly makes me feel at home taking me through the team and the layout of the day. I start by making myself familiar with the new collection, particularly admiring the brightly coloured summer dresses and sequined heart tees. I begin to feel an itch of excitement as the model dresses in look number one- the shoot is about to begin.
Between watching the lovely photographer Jacqui work her magic and getting to know the story behind the brand, Little Fuchsia herself, Robyn Ingerson, arrives. Slightly nervous, I put my hand forward to introduce myself as her Sydney publicist to which she instantly changes to a warm welcome hug. Nervousness gone. It is like I’ve known her since like forever.
A truly inspiring figure in the fashion industry, Robyn reveals everything about herself- from her beginning as a casual staff member at Sportsgirl right up to her present role as the creator/driver of smart casual women’s wear label LF. When asked what makes her and her brand one of the most successful labels in Adelaide (a part from its smart and easy style) she confidently discloses that it’s all about her relationships with all who are involved- from her hand-picked suppliers, staff to customers, Robyn knows all by name and appreciates the input of everyone around her, right down to an intern called Daisy. Each and every garment is inspired by and named after an important character in her life. One of my favourites, the SAM dress, is named after her 8year old son who painted the unique print of the dress- it seems the creative gene has been passed on!
After lunch pm: It’s a WRAP
Almost 3pm arrives and while Robyn is working with photo whizz Jacq to pick that one shot out of many, a very cute five year old called Sophie runs across the studio into the arms of her mummy. In Robyn’s world work may be important but family comes first and 3pm means Kids time. A quick goodbye with Sophie wrapped around her legs, Robyn is off to pick up her son and the shoot is done for today.
Day two: All about Little Fuchsia
9.30am: The beginning of an end
Waiting in hotel lobby thinking how great it was to get some extra sleep post my 5am start the previous morning, Robyn pulls out front ready to take me through round two of my LF journey. Back to orange lane we go, but this time for flat lay shots. While Robyn gets down to business right away, I spend my time getting to know work experience gem, Daisy. As we go through next seasons forecasts together, Daisy and I swap personal stories about family, friends and school (yes I didn’t graduate all that long ago- or at least I like to tell myself that!) until I finally ask what she thinks of Rob and LF. Not surprisingly she shares my exact thoughts: AMAZING. Rarely had we seen such passion, love and support behind a brand. Robyn is not only hands-on with all aspects of her business and family life but also makes time to mentor/inspire (and even make a cup of tea for) the beginners in the industry.
Noonish: Shop& stylin’ fun
Next stop, Tangent. On the outside, the what seems like a ‘tiny’ white building opens up to a large lifestyle store with loads of unique, one-off home wares, gifts and of course Little Fuchsia fashion! And with its own dedicated corner, it certainly stands out.
Rob goes on to do her thing with merchandising, colour coding the racks, making it easier for the Little Fuchsia customer to self style. As I stand there in admiration, Rob says it’s my turn to get styled/spoilt with LF! Eyes light up, excitement boils, but I must. remain. calm. Dress ups? Squeal.
1x maxi dress in my favourite colour, 1x black must have tunic, 2x shirts, 1x pant and 1x velvety red blazer later, I am back in the car with the very generous Rob on the way to our next stop.
1ish pm: Little Fuchsia Flagship
And I thought Tangent was incredible. Hello Little Fuchsia on King William, Hyde Park! The store was everything I imagined plus more. Neat racks, luxe changing rooms and a homely sitting area. With a Victorian feel, I can see how the store successfully makes all feel welcome, comfortable and at home- representing what LF is all about.
Not long into my drooling session, Rob drags me out of the store (please don’t make me leave!) to introduce me to a place called Melt, Adelaide’s hot spot for pizza. Yum.
Almost 3pm: Au revoir Adelaide!
Almost time for Rob to get to her kids and for me to fly home. We quickly wrap up our chat session and get back on the road to pick up my luggage as sadly my LF time has almost come to an end. One big hug and many thank yous later, I find myself sitting at Adelaide airport waiting to be called to a Sydney gate feeling inspired, passionate and very very spoiled.
X Becc
August 17th Blog
Well finally I hear you all saying - I know – I am the worst blogger, in fact I can’t even call myself a Blogger, it’s embarrassing, anyway I promise I am going to improve! It has been so long since I wrote that I thought it would be best to start from now and work back.
Currently I am in Delhi for a few days with my great friend Susie Wong, my preferred travelling companion (no offense JD).
Sue in India
God do we laugh – it’s like an illness – I completely lost it in the airport yesterday trying to recount a story from our last trip to LA, couldn’t breathe, tears running down my face, people staring, thinking to themselves, should we help this girl, is she ok? Then realising I am just laughing joyfully!
Anyway – this photo is one of the reason’s I laugh so much with Sue – this device is what she has bought for us (one each thank goodness, some things you just shouldn’t share!) in case we come across a dodgy loo in the next week – I mean, it’s called the Whiz! Who sits down and thinks, then designs, then manufactures these things – I want to meet these people! Will tell you later how I go with the Whiz!!
The Whiz!
Sue and I are here in India to see my main factory to check on production as well as to find inspiration for Sue’s jewellery range. We have been friends for 25 years and laugh about the fact that we need to fly all the way to Delhi to catch up – but that’s life! How lucky are we that we can do it I say. Sue's currently painting in my hotel room while I am writing this blog – what a talent, I am in awe!
The past few weeks have been so busy. We have appointed a brilliant PR company in Sydney called Agent 25 and have the lovely Becc Naumovski as our PR girl who is going to be spreading the joy of Little Fuchsia all around Aust in the coming months. Becc came and spent a few days with us along with the very clever and gorgeous Daisy Wellington, local Adelaide girl who we luckily offered work experience too. Hopefully Daisy will come and help us with more styling and design imput in the coming months, a very talented girl indeed!
Daisy and Becc at the Photoshoot
Our Summer Shoot went brilliantly which you will all enjoy in the coming weeks by seeing Sara in shots of our new season range
Sara in “Oriah” Dress
Sara is such a joy to work with, so professional and talented as a model in front of the camera, it’s extraordinary watching her work. Sara also looks so relaxed in the range and to me epitomises the LF customer. Let alone the brilliant Jacqui Way, genius photographer – we have such a love and respect for each other and always share a good giggle! Days like this make me just love having my own business and confirm that I really have “followed my bliss” I know it sounds wanky but it’s true. I have so few days that I am stressed because I love what I do. I absolutely love working with both these girls as well as the rest of the team – Cherie on make up, Simmie on styling, Miss Jane on the iron, me – well making tea!
Miss Jane at the photoshoot
Group photo from the shoot Robyn and Jacqui Way
The week prior we had the Adelaide Magazine Shoot which you will all get to see in a few weeks. What I do want to share is the dress I am wearing is a stunning silk v neck dress with a flower print screened down the side – this was painted by my son Sam. I am very proud to be able to involve my children in the design process of the ranges – Sophe has also painted a gorgeous heart that we have screened onto a t-shirt – all coming in September.
The “Sam” Dress
The week prior we had the Reach Ball in Melbourne – the biggest fund raiser for the year – what a great night, it was an 80’s Prom theme – I totally embraced it, in fact JD even thought I looked good – think he might be blinded! Lucky me, I had my close girlfriends there to share the 80’s theme with – Abi drove 5 hours from the South East of SA just because she too like me was desperate to wear taffeta again and have big hair. I was a cross between Madonna and Joan Collins from Dynasty!
Getting Ready for the 80's!
Robyn and JD at the Reach Ball
Abi and Robyn at the Reach Ball
The week prior, in the whirl wind of a 3 week school holiday I decided to move house! It is fantastic, thanks again to my trusty handy man Ben – and no he is not available yet – still a few jobs to finish – I feel like I am Ben’s PA – everyone wants him – I may have to change my mobile number just to screen calls for Ben the best handyman in the world! The best thing about the new house is I now have a dressing room – a whole room for my clothes which I have set up like a shop – I have a going out section dominated by sequins, black and fur! A black and stone section, neutrals accented with pink and soft greys and a nautical rack – every girls dream!
The Wardrobe!!
The week prior I spent in HKong at a trade fair and working on next winter. The handsome Ben Smith, women’s designer for Fletcher Jones joined me as we spent some time at retail together, visited factorties and for me did 3 hours of fittings for Fletcher Jones one Saturday afternoon.
Rob and Ben Smith in HKong
While in HKong I spent hours at Sham Shi Po the fabric and trim market, collecting ribbon references, buttons and sourcing all my fabrics for Winter 2011 – this is my most favourite part of what I do – the beginning of a new season, finding inspiration from colour, fabrics, people, past ranges that I have designed or been around. Next Winter for me is remembering one of my favourite collections that a dear friend Leanne Follet designed for Ellie B – this was a diffusion line for Sportsgirl – I loved it. Leanne was a very talented designer, strong in tailoring and sourcing beautiful prints and suiting’s from Italy. This was the time when Stella McCartney was just a new girl on the block designing for Chloe. She was the one that made us all wear suits again with soft silk shirts underneath -and guess what – we are ALL going to be wearing suits next winter – watch this space, I can’t wait! I am perfecting the slouch manstyle pant as we speak!
HKong Fabric and Ribbon Markets
Also while in HKong I wrote my column for Adelaide Matters on "Product with Soul", follow the link: Product with Soul
OK, over and out – will give full report from India next week – I promise!!
Happy Shopping Always
Xx Rob
June 8th Blog
Well over the coming weeks you will begin to notice a change to the Little Fuchsia site. We are finally making it a priority to bring you more regular updates – when I say we I really mean me! I am the problem! I need to dedicate more time to writing more frequently and giving our constantly growing LF family – that’s you! – more info. With Brothers and Sister’s final season episode finishing next week I’m going to be totally focused on a Monday night to you! I promise!
I recently read a fantastic business book (thanks JD) called “Rework” – for those of you in small business it is an essential read – one thing that resonated with me was about teaching your audience – and after 25 years in this wonderful industry I recognise I have collected a lot of information about fashion stuff – so I think it is time to share! Some of you know that I write a monthly column for Adelaide Matters and over the past few years I have written about wardrobe blitzing so have decided this is a good place to start my teaching platform! Here is an excerpt from the article to help you in reorganising your wardrobe. This is a good time of year to have a wardrobe overhaul prior to the new season starting.
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to return to Bali to continue working on our LF Summer range which will start being released in a few weeks. My favourite part of the trip is always working with my suppliers there who have become such wonderful and supportive friends. Elaine develops all of my accessory line, helping to keep my boot obsession alive and constantly changing – am currently wearing the enviable pale grey suede Cowboy boot – in store end June in Charcoal and Tan suede – total wardrobe clincher! Marilena manufactures all our stunning silks for us, she makes me laugh more than most and I love catching up with both of these gorgeous girls and thank them for all their support constantly in helping me make dreams possible for us all to enjoy.
Marilena and Robyn Robyn and Elaine
Jess Stephens (our ex GM) has finally returned from her travels in South America, Brazil and New York with a collection of incredible shots being the budding photographer.
Jess is going to use her creative/photographic skills and help me come up with a theme for our site which best encapsulates our direction for Summer, make shopping for you more interesting and informative, so watch this space………………..
Almost daily I get asked when will I do jeans for Little Fuchsia – I WILL NOT, ok – it’s just that I think it is such a personal thing – getting the perfect fit for your body shape – not wanting to spend too much or wanting to spend ridiculous amounts for the name – that is your choice – and mine too. I also don’t believe in dressing in Little Fuchsia head to toe – I encourage you all to be individual with your favourite LF pieces. This is why I love having girls of all ages – from 17 to 70 wearing our range – it appeals to all body shapes, ages, and personal styles. I love mixing LF with some of my favourite pieces whether it be a G-Star mini skirt and a vintage Saba fur, or any of my favourite jeans from AG, Jag, Raw, Sportsgirl, and D&G.
What I realised today I have not talked about is my great friend Sue Chenery’s jewellery range “Sparticles” that we have exclusively in LF stores. Sue and I have been friends for 25 years! I feel too young to have had a friend for that long but anyway! Sue came on a design trip with me last September to LA and during this trip we decided it was definitely time for her to launch her long awaited range of jewellery under her much thought through name of “Sparticles”. All the pieces hold a memory for Sue particularly and for me too of favourite items we had growing up, an antique silver bracelet Sue bought me for my 18th birthday – a distant memory!!, or the silver Russian wedding bracelet my Mum, Jude made for me around the same time that I wear everyday. They are gorgeous nostalgic pieces, hand made in Bali ( a factory I discovered on a previous trip owned by a friend of a friend of mine – incredible workmanship) This ties in with our LF brand philosophy of small family owned and run business’s and supporting local artisans.
Ok that’s it for this week, I’m going to get in the swing of this whole blog thing, I will aim to find interesting things to talk to you about, places to go, restaurants eto visit, shops to see and anything that you may find inspiring to develop your own look
Having watched the Sound of Music incessantly with my kids over the past few years I have decided to impart a few of my favourite things to you every week, enjoy
A Few of my Favourite Things
Dinner at Lord Cardigan, Albert Park , best lamb and lentil soup I have ever had – it’s all about the lemon you squeeze on the top – genius!
Jurlique Citrus Hand cream – there seems to be a lemon theme happening!
Two Hands Shiraz – unbeatable
My new Donkey Velvet Little Fuchsia Blazer with pink stripe lining!
Sparticles button cluster brooch
April 25, 2010 Blog
Well as usual I keep having these long stints in between writing my Blog- I am going to get really good at writing more regularly, well I’m actually not going to have a choice as one of my best friends Sara Hector is now my marketing consultant (yippee) and I can just feel she is going to be cracking the whip!
Sar, Jasper and Rob
So as per usual in the land of Little Fuchsia there is always so much going on. I’m going to start with the most exciting first!!
Melbourne – 27th April Winter Launch Last night was such a special night in the history of Little Fuchsia – we launched our Winter 10 range in our new Hawksburn store ( 566 Malvern Road) It was a fantastic turn out of over 150 friends, family and LF customers. The very funny Bridg Duclos mc’d for me and did a sterling job, reminding of the early days of LF when I crashed at our friend Krissy’s house on Sunday night with a whole pile of samples for the girls to all try on - seems such a long time ago – so much has happened – I love that so many of my friends have been involved in the evolution of the business.
Robbie and Bridg at the Melbourne Launch
The parade was the best we have done, a big thanks to Sim and Skye for orchestrating and for our “Liv’ for modeling. Pauline Abordi, an old friend from my CR days captured the event brilliantly – check out Facebook for all the photos and make sure to check out paulineabordiphotography.com.au if you are ever needing wedding, family shots taken – she is a genius – mind you she needed to take a lot of shots of me to get a keeper! Oh Well, one day I’ll nail the “blue steel” look!
The Little Fuchsia Parade in Melbourne
Of course with the group of staff I have around me – the night ended with us all lying on my bed, drinking champagne and eating the best chicken sandwiches ever made by Chrissy Japp, totally saved us from serious head aches this morning!
Just on the Hawksburn store a big thank you to Tanjent – the best homeware store in the world – I am serious! – (1A Margaret Street, Norwood, SA – 088 3329161) for providing all the Tables, cushions, marble tea lights – Jane Price – SA artist extraordinaire – for being the creator of the beautiful paintings we have hanging in the store, Lyn Gardner, Albert park, for the stunning domes and for Libby Thornton Interiors, Melbourne for organizing the ottoman and spot cushions – it’s all come together and I love it!
Now back to what else has been happening
New York - 11th March Well I have never been so wet in my entire life – it poured the whole 4 days I was in NYC. Refer to my April Adelaide Matters article for a full low down.
Despite the weather I still had an inspiring time away – it is always brilliant to be able to see what all the key stores are up to – on this trip I worked out more what I didn’t want to do and feel really confident that Little Fuchsia’s range will continue in our own individual hand writing that is being followed lovingly by many of you. I will continue with our theme of great white detailed shirts, leather vests and beautiful silk items. There will be many surprises for Summer so you will need to wait and see!
I have included some shots of my favourite store Anthropolgie – it is such a stunning retail experience for clothing, accessories and homeware – if you are ever in LA or New York – check them out
Anthropologie
My most exciting event when in NY was meeting Gillian Leigh – ex “Neighbour’s” actress. She was conducting a Trunk Show of her amazing range of silk/cotton scarves in Bergdorf’s one wet Sunday afternoon when we got chatting. Her business partner Susan and Gillian were both really interested in LF and didn’t have an Australian stockist – heeeellllo! Sorted immediately. We now have these exclusively in Australia. I am wearing mine as I write this – in fact I have barely taken it off, such is my love for it. Check out their site and see all the celebs who are also getting so much joy from their Leigh & Luca scarves – http://www.leighluca.com/
Leigh & Luca scarves
Adelaide Launch Event – 24th March We had our launch event in Adelaide at Tony Bond’s fantastic gallery 139 on March 24th – it was stinking hot again, 250 of our favourite Adelaide chicks turned up to be treated with fantastic food by Emma Reeves, champagne and a brilliant parade styled by one of our very own LF girls, the very clever Mia Gambranos. It was a fun night, the parade ending with an array of gorgeous young girls ( Sophe my daughter being the youngest) to me – being the oldest! Check out Facebook for the photo Gallery.
Robyn with Soph and Sam at the Little Fuchsia Winter Launch in Adelaide at Gallery 139
King William Road, Hyde Park SA Finally our King Will store has had a revamp and is looking gorgeous. A huge thank you to Ben Nash, our handyman/painter/fixer of all things! Despite his attempts to get away from all of us girls he keeps coming back for more work – I think between you and me he is going to work for us girls at Little Fuchsia for the rest of his life – so no I am not giving you his number!
