INSPIRATION....What are your thoughts....

Shaping up wth a great week as we get ready for our launh party soon to come...

Loving our Ideas...so delicate, so classy and so Parisian!!

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”

 “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”..

Coco Chanel

Inspiration is Everywhere

Hi. Cat here.

We are working with our web designer to create a beta version of our website for a big event at the end of the month. This version of the site won't have *all* the bells and whistles that our alpha will in May, but it will have what we consider to be the most important information for our audience right now. Consider it an appetizer before the main course.

One of the sections of the beta site is "Our Inspiration". It will visually depict what Masha, AnnMarie and I are inspired by in our work as designers, marketers and creative thinkers. How fun!

This past weekend, I went to Palm Springs for the FIRST time.(...and I'll tell you, it won't be the last.) I looked around and saw inspiration everywhere! First, the sun. The sun is something that those of us in Seattle covet, cherish, worship and sorely miss when she disappears for months at a time. Besides teh sun, Palm Springs is so rich with architectural detail, design awesomeness and natural beauty.

Here are few pics I took there that inspire me in my work with Ana Louie and also in life in general:

The wind turbines are awesome. Some people thing they're ugly. I think they're beautiful. They're graceful and delicate, yet strong and effective. They're a symbol to me that we, as a civilization, are doing something gentle on the earth to create energy. We are not digging, drilling, spilling or melting down. Natural wind is turned into energy. It's simple. It's inspiring. And the triad design of the windmill blades is balanced and visually pleasing to my eye.

This is a close-up detail of a large (12 foot by 12 foot) wall hanging inside the gorgeous mid-century modern Parker Hotel. I love so much about this piece of art. That it is a knit textile made of irregular width and texture yarns makes it feel so handmade. The curling design is organic, especially when contrasted against a modern and angular interior of the hotel. I just picture a fabulous mid-century knitter sitting beside a fire creating this item, and thinking about making a rug, or a scarf, or a sweater...and deciding on this as the end piece. I love it and would want one for my home.

This wall of repeated brick squares creates a outdoor vestibule and shade structure at the Parker. The repetitive pattern is soothing and interesting at the same time and it inspires me to remember that a good idea CAN (and should, usually) have an element of simplicity too. This wall is so well designed - it provides a cool little breezeway to wait for you car that feels special. You don't feel like you're just waiting - you're inspired to look UP at the sky and think "Wow. This is awesome."

I guess that's what inspiration is all about, eh?

Great week....our team has definitely come up with dazzling ideas as we move forward to our Launch date.  Liz Murakami has joined our team by adding her expertise on Event Planning.  Also not to forget Inti St. Clair who will be helping us with our photography and video segments to capture who we are and what AnaLouie is all about.  We are all very excited.  Keep posted for more information to come as we get closer to launching AnaLouie.....................

So it begins... or should we say continues...

Since November we've been developing our first season collection, which will be out in the stores by next Holiday season...
A lot events to happen before then!
Stay tuned......

Hello World!

Welcome to our blog! This is our first post and we're thrilled to be here. We're just getting started on this exciting new adventure and want to fill you as we make our way in the fab world of fashion.

The image below is the current placeholder page for our website. We're working on building the live working site, sketching clothing patterns, selecting fabrics, planning our launch party. Just yesterday our dynamic team of three (plus one more! our intern, Jessica!) met to discuss...well, everything. Busy!

Here at our blog we'll be giving a behind-the-scenes look at all the things we're doing to launch this new fashion line for young ladies ages 7 to 12 years old. You'll be hearing from AnnMarie Louie, Masha and Cat - the Ana Louie team. Introductions coming soon!