Wicked Whimsy

Posts Tagged ‘indie designer’

Hopefully, you’re all familiar with Cupcakes and Mace – I don’t know which is better, the lovely jewelry or the blog! I’d like to start doing more interviews for the site, and Kim was the first person I thought of to email. We talked about business, style, and cats! Curious, aren’t you? Well, go on, read it!

Michelle: Just to start the interview off for readers who might not be familiar, can you talk a little bit about yourself and your business?
Kim: I’m just an average Kiwi girl who likes pretty things but also likes to be a bit different. I got bored of working in offices where I wasn’t respected as an individual with valid ideas and my newly rekindled love for playing with trinkets led to the Cupcakes and Mace jewellery line.
Michelle: How’d you come up with the idea for Cupcakes and Mace?
Kim: The blog or jewellery line?
Michelle: The jewellery line!
Kim: I’d been looking around Etsy and fell in love with all of the plastic charm bracelets. They were all out of my price range though so I bought the pieces I needed to make them myself. The Boy and I had talked about making laser cut jewellery when he was at uni a couple of years ago and it was fantastic timing that his dad bought a laser cutter for his own business just as I was ordering chains and beads.

Why helloooo there, awesome!

Michelle: Earlier this year (I think it was February or March?) you quit your office job to work on Cupcakes and Mace full time. Did you find the transition difficult?
Kim: I actually didn’t finish till the start of June. I had all these plans about how I was going to run my home office just like it was a real one. I would get up early and have a shower, settle in and get lots done in the morning, give myself an hour for lunch etc. In reality it has been nothing like that! It wasn’t a hard transition, it just hasn’t gone like I pictured it originally.
Michelle: I found that when I wasn’t working a set 8-5 job that I was really surprised where my natural peaks in productivity were…and when you work at home it’s a lot easier to work with those than just trying to barrel through & work for 8 hours straight whether you’re getting much done or not
Kim: Yes, definitely! I can have down time at 2pm if I need it.
Michelle: Yeah, to take a nap or recharge or do lunch or whatever…my best times are from 8-11 AM and then from like, 5-8 PM…which doesn’t work very well in a traditional job!
Michelle: Next question: One of the reasons I love to read your blog is that you don’t shy away from controversial topics, you often link to blogs like Feministing and Shapely Prose. Have you ever had any negative feedback about that? I wouldn’t think so given your general target audience, but…
Kim: No, none. I guess I’ve targeted my audience quite well as I’ve had negative feedback approximately twice in over a year of running Cupcakes and Mace. If you arrive at Cupcakes and Mace without knowing what it’s about you’ll probably find out pretty quickly that I have a foul mouth, am an atheist, and that if you don’t like what I’m saying I’ll suggest you piss off.
Michelle: That’s definitely a good thing; I’m always curious because people get offended over the tiniest things on the internet, you know? It’s such a bizarre thing to me.

Michelle: How would you describe your personal style?
Kim: Ooooh, a mix of geek chic, rockabilly, comfort, and laziness.
Michelle: And do you think that personal style (as opposed to fashion in general) is more important? (to you, or in general)
Kim: Oh yes! Definitely. I don’t follow fashion trends, I don’t watch runway shows or fawn over the latest shoes. I much prefer to see someone comfortable and in love with their clothes because they genuinely think they look good, not because they’re the latest offerings for the season.
Michelle: Totally, you can definitely tell when someone is in love with their clothes as opposed to just wearing it because it’s the hot new thing. I really hate how “stylish” means “take ‘classic’ pieces and add trendy ones” any more, instead of working on something that suits you.
Kim: Agreed!
Michelle: Random question: I’ve noticed that, like any sane human being , you love cat macros. And that made me wonder, do you have any pets?
Kim: Ha! Unfortunately not. We live in a little unit and while The Boy and I both adore cats he thinks it’s not a very good place to have one. He’s also allergic to them, but is willing to take antihistamines for the rest of his life just to have a kitty. Cute!

Michelle: That’s so funny, because I have to take allergy medicine because of our cats – my dad thinks I’m insane!
Kim: Aw, not insane, just in love!
Michelle: That’s true, I love my kitties! Okay, and to wrap up, do you have any advice for aspiring businesswomen?
Kim: Don’t wait! Dip your toes in while you’ve still got your day job and see if your idea is viable. You don’t have to have everything sussed in order to get going, I’m still figuring things out now. By the way, someone just commented on the blog saying they love the blog because it’s so full of cat love!

Thanks so much for the interview, Kim! Be sure to check out the blog, the shop, and the sale they’ve got going on right now, and you can follow her on Twitter, too. Gotta support those indie bizzes. Especially when they’re run by people this awesome!

So, at the Bleet Up last week, there were some vendors as well. And though I neglected to mention it in my recap post, one of them in particular struck my fancy, a lot. In fact, I was left pretty speechless (which if you know me, is a feat unto itself). That line was, as you may have guessed, Rene Geneva Designs.

I’ll admit it. I’m often one of those people, that while others are gushing about how neat an item of clothing is, I’m thinking “Whatever. I could totally get a similar effect with (insert fabric) and a few hours.” But, guys. These items are gorgeous. One could even say they’re gorgeous to the power of gorgeous. Times two.

All of the clothing there was impeccably crafted and made out of quality fabric. And though they only go up to a 10/12 (which is much too small for a largest size, honestly, and one of my only problems with this line), a lot of their clothes are fit so that the curvier among us can wear them without looking like a sack of potatoes. The styling on some of the picks is a bit puzzling (like this piece – why would you pair that jacket with that top?), but I can vouch that most of these pieces are are truly gorgeous. Here’s my two favorites:

I’m not honestly sure how flattering this would be on me, what with the high neckline, but I really want to find out. I’d pair it with some gray lace tights, my knee-high Seychelles boots, & elbow length fingerless gloves.

This coat is absolutely gorgeous, and it’s the perfect mid-weight for mild Texas winters. I’d wear it with something purple peeking out underneath & black or red patent (waterproof!) shoes. Add a shimmering necklace and you’re warm + fancy!

They seem to really shine in the dresses and coats department, and they have a selection of corsets too, for those who are so inclined! You can shop online or see the list of boutiques that carry Rene Geneva, in case you want to see the items in person first. And when you buy from them, you’re supporting a small, green, woman-owned business!

Something like this would normally be more in the territory of the lovely Jen, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pass the word on about Rene Geneva. So tell me: whatcha think?

(Sorry for no post yesterday! I really have no excuse, except that I forgot which day of the week it is. Sometimes I do that.)

You remember Monday, when I mentioned that I’d won a giveaway from Pretty Good Things? Here’s the post about it!

Bun-Bun 2.0 Fascinator

Mary P. is the one-woman power behind Pretty Good Things, which has all sorts of wonderful and whimsical hair accessories. From the website: “The carefully crafted hats, fascinators and hair do-dads are influenced by current trends and pop culture (because PGT is with it) and also class and tradition (because PGT ain’t no hussy)!”

Obviously, this is my kind of line!

I won one of the Take Flight Hair Clips in saffron yellow. It arrived startingly fast – I believe I won the contest, it shipped one or two days later, and then I received it just a day or two after that!

No sloppy packaging here – everything was loving and carefully put into the box so it would arrive safely. Mary included a business card and a handwritten note (on the back of the postcard) thanking me for entering the contest. My hair clip was under there, under all the tissue paper…

Adorable, amirite? And very well made too. I haven’t worn it out yet & in fact, might need to give the feathers a pick me up with some steam (as Mary also suggested in the note), because the cats got ahold of it the first night I had it…and then somehow miraculously got ahold of it again after I’d put it up out of their reach. Sigh. It is a testament to the quality, though, that the fascinator is still in pretty good shape aside from the feathers looking a little raggedy!

I’d definitely suggest checking the line out. Quirky, well made items that are lovely to look at are hard to find. The prices are very good too, especially considering the quality. And don’t forget to take a look at the blog, where Mary regularly runs giveaways!

It all started when I saw the high waist Victorian plaid Steampunk skirt on SmashingDarling:

Do I even need to explain? No. I’ll just stare at the screen and drool.

So, then I looked up the designer’s website, and her ModelMayhem profile, and found even more goodies:

It’s a pretty perfect blend of whimsical Victorian fashion and punk influence. LOVE IT. She has an Etsy shop also!

In other news, Audi of Fashion for Nerds has finalled opened up an Etsy store with some of her gorgeous hats. And Winona at DaddyLikey is running a giveaway for a Shabby Apple dress. The dress in question isn’t something I’d wear, I don’t think, but I’m sure one of you would like it, no? And they have some other fantastic dresses, so be sure to take a look at their website.