What to say...

When you have nothing else to say.

Have you ever found yourself - fingers to keyboard, and a blinking cursor dancing around in the empty status update text box, just mocking you? A day when you just cannot, for the life of you, think of a single damn thing on your mind that may appeal to your ever-so interested facebook flock? We all know it's uber fun to get all of those likes. If you find yourself having a bad case of the locked lips, or fingers, for that matter, check out this website. Now, I can't guarantee your online popularity will rise dramatically or your friend requests will increase by 30%, but hey, it's entertaining nonetheless. Happy status generating!
Photo.

Is it the hat?

A lot of people hate this hat. It angers a lot of people, just the sight of it. -Uncle Buck

I still get sad when I think about how John Candy is no longer with us - along with another one of my favorite funny guys, Chris Farley. Either way, this post can be dedicated to both of them crazy mofos. Since the hat that I borrowed from my granny's closet has currently gone MIA, I've started wearing one of the boy's hats (I generally enjoy stealing pieces from his closet, from time to time). I wore the faux fur bomber to the grocery store one day and couldn't believe all of the stares I got at a suburban Rainbow foods (in Plymouth, MN). . but the worst part is, I'm not quite sure if they were positive looks or whatthehellareyouwearing?! looks. Interestingly enough, since having been living downtown Minneapolis for the past 3 years, I have not been too concerned with what I am wearing. I like to switch it up a bit and wear something that draws attention, be it good or bad - tell me which girl doesn't. I challenge you to do the same, besides, it's always fun seeing people's reactions. In the meantime, share this tender moment with the ones you love over Turkey day, and remember to bust out your ugliest hat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT-fj8buujA&feature=related

daily, weekly, monthly. . .

It doesn't matter when or how we get there, only that we do.

I finally finished Paco Underhill's Call of the Mall: The Geography of Shopping. I loved his first, Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, so I just knew that I couldn't pass this one up. I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in shopping, spending time at the mall, architecture, visual merchandising, advertising, design, retail, in general - and the list goes on and on. I cannot wait to fall into his next and final book, for now, What Women Want. Now, although my background is in retail and soon-to-be more of the psychology of the consumer, as a consumer myself, I found this to be such a great read. We have ALL been in a mall, COUNTLESS times and, like the book mentions, I'm sure we have all had a few 'wtf/scratching the head' moments - mostly in reference to asking the question: what were those companies thinking? Or maybe that's just me? Nonetheless, Underhill puts everything into perspective for both the consumer and corporate minds in charge of all of these shenanigans; what works in the mall and what doesn't - and what should be changed immediately (small tweaks that could raise profits DRAMATICALLY). He refers to the Mall of America and Southdale (the first enclose shopping space, or mall, which help us locals paint a better picture. It also makes me so much more interested in consumers, in general, how they act and why and what these retailers are doing similarly and differently over the years that have been fool proof.

This book also brings me back (about a year ago) to working at a mall kiosk. If you are really curious, I sold calendars and games - at times, it was very insightful and interesting, on the other hand, it was boring and often times embarrassing (never thee ideal job), but really - I learned a lot from that job. I would stand there (yes, we weren't allowed to have chairs - even for the 9 hr. shifts) just observing/people-watching. To think back on it, I had a front-row seat to the mall, all of the action, especially during the 3 month holiday season, when our kiosk stood strong, and we did well, might I add. I would place items on the ground (we had a toy monkey that rolled around on the floor, laughing) or start playing with toys (bouncy balls, hand-held, wooden puzzles, ANYTHING) that would attracts kids to the stand. This strategy (although it was done mainly to keep my sanity) worked about 80% of the time - even if they wouldn't buy anything, it got them interested, asking questions and, ultimately, looking. This is just one of the many examples of an on-the-job activity that I would 'experiment' with while working in a retail setting. However, one could only stand there bouncing a ball for so long. Eventually, I got smart, went down to Border's and got lost in a good book.

we paid a visit to. . .

Mr. William Clark.

“Fashion is a man-made flower: Sown by the artist, cultivated by those of taste, harvested by all who love beauty.” This is William Clark’s personal mission statement, in which he admittedly, ‘stole’ from an old vacuum box. A few of us were lucky enough to visit William Clark’s personal studio, for a couple of hours, as we sat down with one of our metro’s greatest fashion photographers. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, William Clark approaches photography with an open mind and a more contemporary perspective. He is known for his ability to take risks, for he is never satisfied with the status quo. William got his start as a photography assistant, for a company called Image Studios Inc., in Appleton, Wisconsin. He then moved to Chicago, where, he claims to have enjoyed the energy of the city, but it just wasn’t for him.

Following that, Clark moved to Minneapolis, where he now lives with his wife, his two-year-old daughter, and another on the way. He quickly found that there were endless opportunities for fashion photography in Minnesota and it has been his passion ever since, stating that, “Fashion has the biggest room for creativity.” William has been capturing images for editorial and advertising purposes, for over a decade. Some of his clients include Macy’s, Target, Mall of America and Metro Magazine. William’s true area of interest, in which he claimed to enjoy the most, lies in producing collaborative works for his own portfolio. This usually involves working with ‘an army,’ as William called it, made up of a photographer (himself), an assistant, an art director, a designer, hair and makeup artists, a style team and a prop’s team. All members work together to make a vision come to life, on the day of the shoot. “Everyone brings something different; everyone sacrifices, everyone wins,” William revealed.

When speaking of initial inspiration, William explained that the first step to executing a successful shoot is a concept, which could stem from something as simple as a word or an image. From there, a story is made, a production team is assembled, model casting is held, shooting begins and the rest is history. William spoke of the importance of knowing that you are only as good as the people you work with and that both collaboration and networking are two, key factors to consider when working in this industry. As a fashion student, taking my first photography class, my graduating quarter, I found this experience to be both fascinating and inspiring – Fortunately, I was able to get my hands on a business card.

Pictures via http://www.williamclarkphotography.com/

prettylittlethings.

photos via weheartit

Why We Buy. . .

The Science of Shopping.
Quite possibly the most inspirational, most eye-opening, personal favorite of all time!
If you are in retail, and have not read this book, you will not survive.