Archive for LOLAstretch
August 5, 2008 at 4:05 pm · Filed under dance, designers, candice thompson, CANDICE, design, LOLAstretch
Finding this image yesterday was an “aha!” moment for me. Often patterns can be really dangerous, especially when put on a leotard. But here is an example of how to do it right. Thanks Pucci! You can expect to see the influence of this when my new fall colors for LOLAstretch are announced on Friday. Maybe there will be more than just a fabulous pumpkin or jade……
{Gymnast leotard designed by Pucci for NY Times Magazine shoot. They are a design house famous for prints, as evidenced!, for those who might not be in the fashion know.}
Don’t you wish the American Team was really wearing this in Bejing, instead of the rhinestone dusted usual?
Recent Posts by candice thompson
July 14, 2008 at 4:08 pm · Filed under dance, website, candice thompson, CANDICE, LOLAstretch
July, for me thus far, has been a month of serious housekeeping and structural reorganization for LOLAstretch. I made a decision to put the custom ordering features on our website on a summer vacation. This was all for the purpose of catching up with some delayed orders and making plans for how to make custom orders run more efficiently in the future. (I am setting up a new manufacturing process right now, the details of which I will bring you very soon–it is all very exciting!)
So have I really been on a summer vacation? Absolutely not! The idea for a little summer holiday was mainly a good way to focus on selling some of our current stock and giving us the space to do some serious ground work for back to school/work ordering. But what I didn’t imagine was that when it got down to the nitty gritty of cleaning and organizing, I would be devoting so much time to updating my website. As it turns out and as anyone who has a website knows and is currently nodding, the work of keeping your site updated and current is never done.
So here is a view of my world which, for the moment, is basically being tied to a desk.:
This is my most prized possession when I get to work in the a.m.– a hand painted coffee mug from Ireland that keeps my morning staple piping hot. Thanks Suzanne!
And this is where I am currently at, updating the feature Candice’s Closet, where we feature what we have in stock. It is a rather involved process as even our stock tends to be quite custom. I can’t just put in a product and say how many are available. Each one is a different combination of colors and fabrics, so I have to add a separate description for every entry. Plus, there are constantly new things coming and going, so it is ideal for me to check in as often as I can to be sure it is accurate.
After this, I will move on to other databases and spreadsheets that keep vital information and start planning the budget for my new designs and upcoming photoshoot. (The idea for the photoshoot hit me yesterday and I have been obsessed by it ever since. I could barely sleep last night. I will show sketches as soon as I have some!)
As much as I would love to be waking up in a cabana on the beach this morning, I have to say there is something nice about getting down to business at a time when business in general is quiet and everyone is still groggily coming back from a weekend away.
Recent Posts by candice thompson
June 16, 2008 at 4:09 pm · Filed under dance, costumes, candice thompson, CANDICE, costume design, creative arts studio, LOLAstretch
To borrow a great phrase from my favorite and only tv show I have watched in the last few years, Project Runway. Tim Gunn would be proud if he only knew of the almost 70 costumes I designed and made over the last few weeks for eight different classes at the Creative Arts Studio for their annual showcase at Brooklyn Museum. Some were for my own ballet students, some were for other classes like Hip Hop.
It was insanely stressful but in the end the two shows this past Saturday and Sunday came off without a hitch and it was a successful end to the school year for the students and teachers, who all worked as hard and intensely as I did.
Here are some backstage photos I took on Sunday, letting you into the nerves and excitement that are present when kids are the stars of the event:
Two of my advanced students, Elizabeth and Olivia, getting ready to perform on pointe for the first time ever!
Another advanced student, Sean, getting her pointe shoes on. She has been injured and performed rather stoically and beautifully through the pain just as a professional would, which of course, had all of the teachers incredibly on edge.
My Ballet 2 students in their “Fall” costumes, showing me backstage that they were ready to perform. And perform they did, I saw some jetes I had never seen before in terms of height and felxibility!
A couple of Ballet 1 students, in butterfly leotards of mine with attached “wings”, went around giving tired teachers shoulder rubs. I got in that line quick!
More Ballet 1 butterflies waiting to go onstage, bubbling over with nervous energy on top of their usual high energy.
Miranda, of Ballet 2, waiting in line for the final bow at the end of the show.
A few of the hip hop students in nutcracker short unitards I made. The theme for the entire show was The Four Seasons. It was the end of the show and as you can see, the girl on the left is losing one of her gold stripes. One of the biggest goals of mine was to create costumes that could be worn by the students in their classes after the show. The parents spend a lot of money and it seems a shame to get only one wear. So pieces like the gold stripes were tacked on at the last minute for easy removal, and all of the skirts were separate from the leotards, which were all based on my LOLAstretch designs.
My advanced ballet had the final piece of the show to Vivaldi’s Summer. Here is a photo I took, like a proud parent, from the audience. The were in champagne chiffon empire-waisted dresses.
Congratulations to all of the students at CAS! You were beautiful!
xo
Candice
Recent Posts by candice thompson
June 9, 2008 at 5:06 pm · Filed under dance, research, candice thompson, CANDICE, LOLAstretch
A few months ago, I started writing more frequent blogs with the intention of leading you all on a daily journey with me as I work on and grow LOLAstretch. But the stress and pace of the last few months has made that near impossible. We have had a huge growth in sales in the last year and some manufacturing delays as well as shipping debacles to boot, so in my oft frenzied state, it has been hard to distill moments lately.
I am, however, at a crossroads with the company and I must make some very pivotal decisions about the future. As I try to decipher which direction to take it, I have decided that the most important thing I can do right now is gather information from people in business, big and small, who have more experience and expertise to offer.
I have been lucky to have encountered many small business owners in NYC in the last few years, but few have been as generous and knowledgable as Joel and Barbie Christoph of Yogabela.
I met them when I sold them an industrial sewing machine for their workroom back in December. I had just made a full switch to a manufacturer and had not really ever figured out quite how to get it calibrated. As delays with my current manufacturer have persisted, I began the search last month for alternative ways to see to it that my customers receive their orders on time. And when you are a small company without the heavy hand of leverage, that can be a tall order. And it has been.
So, in addition to contacting large factories, such as the one I currently use, I decided to get in touch with anyone and everyone I know who produces in a smaller workroom. I was lucky enough to be able to pick the brains of Joel and Barbie, two of the collaborative designers and makers of Yogabela, on Saturday afternoon. They produce high quality yoga wear in Long Island City in a sunny workroom atmosphere which grants them greater control over their product and inherent problems/delays. It is a rather compact space and the atmosphere of the place is more like that of a design room than a factory. That being said, it is a huge endeavor– just to employ 3 sewers requires large consistent sales numbers, and comes with a great deal of responsibility. Not to mention it requires so much creativity and passion, not just for the product but for the overall operations and systems of production.
Joel and Barbie showed me around their space and explained how they operate. The knives for cutting, ordering/storing fabrics, storage for stock etc. In addition, Joel was kind enough to explain how he operated when the company was smaller and through each period of growth. He detailed similar experiences of delays and shipping problems they had before they started self-producing. Boxes of goods disappearing en route, products arriving in incorrect sizes or colors. I got a very clear idea of the pros and cons between using an existing factory and starting your own, there being long lists for both options.
Here is a photo of one of my favorite items they make, a short short with ruffle around the leg. They are so cute and flattering and are perfect for that bikram yoga class or hanging out at the pier on an obscenely warm day such as today.
The meeting left me with these great shorts in hand and a lot on my mind. The one thing I hear quite consistently is the warning tale of companies that grow too fast. So for now, it is keeping up with my customers for today and more research for tomorrow. The pros and cons lists have been started.
Many, many thanks to Yogabela. Click here to see check out these adorable shorties and more!
And many, many thanks to my customers who continue to enjoy LOLAstretch through this period of growth and change!
xo
Candice
Recent Posts by candice thompson
May 27, 2008 at 8:07 pm · Filed under dance, family, candice thompson, CANDICE, costume design, LOLAstretch
Where has this month gone? I offer this photo montage to explain my absence from the blog after the ad hoc Ballet show. My parents visited and then this past weekend I went home to Arizona to throw my sister a baby shower!
Meet my family:
One of the first things I did with my parents was take them to the Cherry Blossom Festival at Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Breathtaking! figuratively and literally as I was hacking away from all of the flour inhalation during the ad hoc Ballet show and cherry blossoms are quite potent in addition to being beautiful….
So many beautiful, inspiring things at the garden….this is my favorite color!
The following week we rode bikes from Canal St to the end of Manhattan, past the Cloisters! That is what you are in for on vacation with parents who run marathons:-) While resting at a pier along the way we had a Bruce Willis sighting.
Next on the list was the Museum of Natural History, followed by a night at NYCB! It was a perfect rainy day agenda.
On the way to JFK, we made one last stop at DiFara’s Pizza. If you have never been there it is worth the trip. The wait is insane as it is just one old man making pizzas rather slowly, one at a time, but it is probably the best pizza I have ever had!
Then my parents went back to Arizona and a couple of weeks later, I followed them.
Sunday morning I took a hike up Pinnacle Peak with my niece and nephew.
The weather was unseasonably cool but with the usual warm sun, so it was all around great weather. And everything was in bloom too!
The reason for the trip is the belly in this photo. My sister, Lisa, is about to have a baby and so it was an occasion to celebrate! I love that her snow cone matches her suit.
Here is one of my favorite photos of the weekend from the baby shower. Four generations of family: me, my mom, my grandma, my sister and my niece.
So now I am back to work and summer in the city. Wrapping up costumes for Philippa Kaye Company this week and tackling numerous LOLAstretch obstacles and challenges, as well as getting used to a new job post. More on this later, for now, I hope you enjoyed getting a small glimpse of where I am from.
xo
Candice
Recent Posts by candice thompson
April 10, 2008 at 11:46 pm · Filed under dance, candice thompson, CANDICE, LOLAstretch
This weekend is Ballet Builders Showcase at the Kaye Playhouse. On Monday night, Emery LeCrone came by my studio to pick up the costumes I made for her ballet. She was so excited and so we had to get a few snapshots because we thought they were quite striking. If you are familiar with my LOLAstretch designs, this costume is sort of like a double Asymmetrical Sass in black with charcoal colored mesh. It was a complete design coincidence as Emery came to the table with the concept.
Emery and I thought you all would get a kick out of these and hopefully you will get to see them more formally under the bright lights if you make it to the show on Saturday night!
Recent Posts by candice thompson
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