Day 3 in NYC

Today was filled with lots of walking, laughs with old and new friends, and sight-seeing for inspiration. I am constantly searching for background settings for our New York fashion shoot. I started with a 30 minute walk to meet my friend Taylor, who I met in the studies program at the University of Arkansas. She is a fashion buyer in NYC. We met for lunch and then went to get gelato afterwards at the best place in town. I learned about life in NYC and we talked through the New York Fashion Week plans.

On my way to meet her I discovered brightly painted graffiti walls with thought provoking questions like "what will you leave behind?" Hopefully, we can leave a legacy of more than just some spray paint! 

Colorful rugs for sale on the streets. 

Street style at the farmers market at Union Square.

Later in the afternoon, I stumbled upon a bead store that had beads from across the globe. They carried African beads like the ones I buy in the markets in Kenya. I began selecting beads and jewelry materials to finish out jewelry I've designed to show with the Spring/Summer 2014 collection.

On the way home, I stopped in Beecher's to consider for a photo shoot. I was greeted by James, the main chef and he told me about the different types of cheese made daily in the restaurant. He served me samples of each kind. He even surprised me at dinner and set out a flatbread appetizer with veggies...on the house. He was so nice!

I returned to my hotel room and worked until 3am selecting music for the show, determining the order of the clothing show on the runway, and finishing up the jewelry and accessories.

And that was the end of a very long day number 3!

Day 2 in NYC

Today we went to the Helen Mills Event Space to drop off some southern pies for the show producer. He is from Memphis and requested that I bring some good southern sweets to NYC for the show. I went to Burge's in Little Rock and picked up some apricot, chocolate and peach fried pies. The event space was beautiful. It was bright and clean. The construction men were working on getting the seating and runway all set up. The layout is brilliant. We could not be happier with the space for the J&J show!

Walking to the Helen Mills Event Space.

The clean, bright and well-lit interior.

The man who manages the building.

Today was a great day!

Day 1 in NYC

Getting ready for fashion week has been so fun! I have loved every minute of the plans to get the show together and the clothes ready. The fun has continued as we arrived in NY. We flew in last night and today went around the city for my first time. I have never been to NYC and think that Fashion Week is the perfect time to be introduced to the city. There are models walking around everywhere. The fashion here is inspiring and energizing. The day was spent trekking around the city sourcing locations for a spontaneous NYC photo shoot. Kari and Caleb Nichols are the photographers who will be doing the shoot. They started a company called Cottonwood Studios Worldwide. They are a dynamic duo who truly compliment each other. We found some beautiful locations and will be shooting the Judith & James S/S '14 line!

An adorable market on 5th avenue.

Kari and Caleb Nichols. The best photography duo I know! 

Caleb and Kari starting our tour of the city with the Flatiron building.

1620 Photo shoot

I had heard about 1620 from a few people and how delicious the food is. One day on my way home, I stopped by to see the interior with a photo shoot in mind. I couldn't get in the front gate because it was locked so I was looking through the outside windows. Some guys walked out of the backdoor and I asked them if they worked there. They said yes, but I didn't believe them so I asked again. They laughed and said yes. They looked like they were in their 20s. The one with a black "Savoy 1620" shirt on led me to the interior of the restaurant. A man named Rick lead me through the stunning restaurant. Every inch of the interior was gorgeous. The little touches were all perfect. I was complimenting the place, not knowing that Rick was the one who designed it. The charm of the restaurant is in part due to the people who run it. Rush Harding and his wife Linda are so delightful and always fun to be around. Payne Harding is the lead chef who strives to exceed the expectations of the guests who dine at 1620. We loved the Pacific Rim salad that he served us after the shoot.

We went to 1620 last night to do the photo shoot. Erin Baskin styled the shoot. She is phenomenal. She brought two models, Anna Margaret and Megan Burgess who have worked with her for one of the largest department stores in the nation. Stephanie Templeton was the third model who has experience on runways in NYFW and in Spain. We took pictures around the interior and exterior of 1620. We even went into the kitchen and took photos while the models created a special Judith & James dessert with one of the chefs. We were treated like special guests and appreciate the hospitality of all of the staff at 1620. Anja DeWitt of Lela & Lyla was the photographer. She is one of my favorite people in the world because of her contagious energy and infectious laugh. The pictures turned out better than I imagined due to Anja's talent and creativity. She was dedicated to delivering the highest quality work.

Here are a few pictures of the photo shoot:

Photo credit: Lela&Lyla

https://www.facebook.com/lelaandlyla

Tulips

Tulips

Today I had a buying appointment at Tulips. The clothing rack I used was falling apart as I was walking to the front door. There was a random man standing down the way on the sidewalk and he made eye contact with me (a mistake when a girl is struggling). I called to him for help and he came and set up the rack for me by locking it in so it wouldn't fall apart again. I asked him to carry the clothes into the store for me so he did and I followed. Emily and her mom Lynda greeted me at the front desk. They were dressed in crisp white and jeans. They are a perfect pair. Emily took me to the back room where I set down the rack. She loved the bright colors and prints of the African pieces. Pulling out my Ipad, I showed her pictures of the widows who make the clothing. Emily has a heart of compassion and an eye for style. She liked the clothing and then when she heard the story of these widows in the slums who are struggling to survive she started pulling pieces to buy. She selected the icy blue tunic, high waist skirt, tie dye shirt, and a few other pieces for Spring/Summer. She was a sweet hostess and made me feel at home in her store. She and her mom run a tight ship, but never cease to smile and make you feel welcome in their beautiful pink store. You will never be disappointed at Tulips on Kavanaugh.

Pop Art Inspiration

American pop art is one of the primary design inspirations for the Judith & James clothing line. I like to draw out colors that "pop" in the African fabrics. The example below of the coral tunic is one of the first clothing pieces that I designed with Andy Warhol inspiration in mind. The bright colors contained in clean lines on the African prints remind me of Andy Warhol's zebra below. Clean lines with bold colors translate into my new Spring/Summer 2014 designs.