Twinkle By Wenlan

This is my second experience attending a fashion show during my internship at Twinkle by Wenlan. It has been a fantastic experience for me and has allowed me to understand more aspects of the industry. I am especially glad to have been able to join in both fashion shows during New York Fashion Week. These allowed me to participate in different events that featured both the Spring and Fall collections. This year’s work differs from my previous experience in that I am currently working to invite the Chinese-language press to our show. It is the first time Twinkle by Wenlan has reached out to the media from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. Because of Wenlan’s Taiwanese background, many Chinese media are especially interested in her personal experience, the story of how she struggled to make it in New York, in addition to Twinkle’s line of apparel. Working with Chinese media has been enjoyable, and the media outlets have been friendly and responded favorably. Hopefully, this media campaign will result in more people in Asia knowing about Twinkle by Wenlan and fall in love with the designer and her products – as I have.

Wenlan interviewed by International Press

Fall 2010 was my first experience on the ‘other’ side of the runway during Fashion Week. Before the show, I wasn’t too sure what to expect and came in a bit apprehensive. Backstage at Twinkle’s Fall 2010 Fashion Show was probably one of the craziest places I’ve ever been. It’s organized chaos; models are popping in and out, press are backstage snapping pictures and trying to get interviews and there is a constant stream of people in and out offering their best wishes and getting the backstage scoop on the show. Wenlan’s dog, Milan, was also backstage checking out the action!

My first task was checking in on the models backstage and making sure that we knew where they were at all times. Watching models backstage is similar to babysitting- they’re always running out to smoke a cigarette, rotating around the make up and hair stations; you have to keep an eagle eye on 26 girls! I was a little panicked at first because some of the models were running late from an earlier show. Eventually, they all wafted in from their various earlier jobs and got settled into hair and make up and my heart rate slowed down!

Then it was time for the show to start. I was backstage with Wenlan and the Assistant Director helping make sure that the girls were in the right order. The run-of-show is very specific and is deliberated over for a long time before, so it’s important that it’s right! If not, the program is wrong and the looks don’t tell the right story. Since girls are changing into one or two more looks, it’s a constant, heart pounding process of making sure they’re in the right order. I barely got to watch the show as I was so busy making sure that the girls were lined up correctly and we had everyone!

Finally, after the last girl walked out onto the runway for the finale, I could catch my breath and my hands stopped shaking. And I loved every second of it!

By: Stephanie

30 mins before the show starts!

The fashion industry is known for its obsession with thinness and its accompanying estranged relationship with eating.  However, we at Twinkle have a different fixation concerning food, specifically sweets.  Granted, we try to eat healthily (doesn’t everyone?).  BUT. Who can resist those tempting oatmeal chocolate chip cookies sitting in the middle of the office?  Or that cupcake topped off with illegally delicious strawberry frosting?  Or that chocolate covered donut filled with some sort of mysterious custard cream?  Certainly not us!  And really, it would be quite rude to ignore sweets completely and just let them sit there.  Our parents raised us with better manners than that.

A box of Crumbs cupcake which we finished in a second the other day!
picture courtesy of crumbs bakeshop. http://www.crumbs.com/

We all know the flowers and trees are at least thinking of blooming… or we hope they are! But while there may still be snow on the ground and a nip in the air, we can escape into something deliciously tropical with this easy as cake Pineapple Crisp!

Ingredients:

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple
1 (20 oz) can pineapple tidbits
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Heat your oven to 350*.
2. Drain both cans of pineapple and spread them evenly on the bottom of a 9×9 pan.
3. Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and egg until smooth. Use your hand to evenly sprinkle the mixture over the pineapple.
4. Pour the melted butter or margarine on top and sprinkle with cinnamon.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve it hot or cold.
6. Enjoy!

Who’s the lucky one?

There’s nothing wrong with a conventional Valentine’s Day gift. No, really! Different from birthdays and anniversaries, which are personal milestones, Valentine’s Day is a national celebration of your love. But how do you personalize the serenade of your heart strings and not just make Valentine’s another date night?? Pull out a pen and paper – old fashioned: yes; romantic: definitely! –, reach into the crevices of your heart for some poetic inspiration and let the love flow! Here is a list of poetry styles that may help you get the creative process in motion:

Acrostic – reminiscent of grade school art projects, who says you out-grow acrostic poems? Write your sweetheart’s name vertically and begin each horizontal line with each consecutive letter from his name.

Haiku – minimal in form and words, but deep in meaning, haikus are constructed of three lines: the first line contains five syllables, the second contains seven syllables and the third ends with also five syllables.

Lantern – based on the shape of a traditional Chinese lantern, you can choose whichever shape has meaning for you. Write a poem with the words laid out in a way that creates a specific shape.

Shakespearian Sonnet – don’t let the name intimidate you! A Shakespearian sonnet contains three verses and one couplet; the rhyme scheme is abab/ cdcd/ efef/ gg. No need to be lofty – love is a simple message!

Free Verse – choose your own rhythm, don’t get caught up on rhymes and let your pen be a messenger of all that’s in your heart!

Madeleine.

There is no better way to express your feelings to someone than a homemade dish. Don’t know how to cook? It’s ok! Try this easy Guacamole recipe for a delicious and colorful Valentine!

Ingredients
•    3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
•    1 lime, juiced
•    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
•    1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
•    1/2 teaspoon cayenne
•    1/2 medium onion, diced
•    2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
•    1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
•    1 clove garlic, minced
Directions
In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Lastly, put the tomato dices on top of the mix and make it a hear shape then serve.
Original Recipe by Alton Brown @www.foodnetwork.com

We’ve been hard at work for weeks prepping the Fall 2010 Fashion Show. I read a statistic yesterday (tweeted by one of our dear followers on Twitter) that the average New York Fashion Week runway show takes 6 months to plan, 18 hours to prep and only 10-15 minutes on the actual runway. It seems like months and months of blood, sweat and tears go into these shows and it’s over in the blink of an eye.

You’d think this would be off-putting fact to hear as we’re in the midst of our prep, but it actually had the opposite effect. We’ve been model casting all week, which is alternately fun and draining. After awhile, the girls all start to blend together and you can’t even remember who’s who! There are after parties to plan, giftbags to brainstorm and execute, music to choose, models to cast and basically all the tiny details you don’t even think of while you’re at the shows. I’m fairly certain that 18 hours isn’t nearly an accurate timeframe to estimate prep work.  But it’s all worth it.

The fact of the matter is, it’s not really over in 10-15 minutes. The truth is, you have 10-15 minutes to prove yourself to the fashion world. For that time, all eyes are on you and those impressions last an entire season. It’s your moment to showcase the hard work you’ve put in for the last six months; all that’s gone in to create a line you love.

In those 15 minutes, trends are born, styles are revamped and the history of fashion is written. After those 10-15 minutes, the gauntlet is thrown. If the fashion community loves your show, you have it made for the next six months. If they hate your show, you have six months to go at it again and prove them wrong next season.

By Stephanie

The Entrance at Bryant Park

Laura

It is just one week before Twinkle’s Fall 2010 collection is to be shown at Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week, and things are in full swing at the studio. For the last week, we have been casting models, which is a very tedious, and time consuming process. I have learned so much about all of the elements that fall into designing a collection, and even more about the details that are going on behind the scenes to produce a fashion show. We, as interns, have worked together to assure a smooth casting, as it can get a bit hectic when five models walk in together and we must sort all their information accurately and timely. After seeing twenty girls, I can’t help but know it’s time for a coffee-break, to rejuvenate and prepare for more! It is amazing being able to watch the garments come to life, as they mold into one beautiful, innovative collection.

Organizing Model Cards

My journey at Twinkle started with the pop-up shop.  There were many things to do to prepare for this event, which included tagging and taking inventory of all the merchandise to be sold in the shop.  Working at the pop up shop was the next step of the journey.  It was a 3 day event and on the first night there was a star studded launch party that I got to work at.  I also got to work in the store on the last night.  When the store closed that night it was time to break down the store.  The pop- up shop was a success.

Interning at Twinkle has been a great experience.  Pulling clothes, tracking samples, and maintaining the press binder are just some of the tasks that I do on a daily basis.  There are also other tasks that I get to work on.  For the holidays I packaged hand made yarn ball ornaments to be sent out to editors and buyers.  Then I got to attend my first Twinkle holiday party.  After that it was back to St. Louis, MO. It was great being back home and spending time with my family.

Me with Stephanie P at twinkle’s pop op shop