You're Invited to the 2009 Holiday Boutiques! Smitten by Smith is headed back to D.C. for the weekend!

You're Invited to the 2009 Holiday Boutiques

Enjoy a unique and relaxed shopping experience. Free admission, taste-testings, demonstrations, tons of giveaways, special cash & carry sales, custom orders and even a trunk show!


Washingtonian Woods Clubhouse - upper level
511 Midsummer Dr.
Gaithersburg, MD 20878

November 14th 11am-5pm

Vendors include:
Smitten by Smith, Pink Papaya, Silpada, Pampered Chef, Stampin' Up, What's in Your Heart, Stella & Dot, Functional Fancies, Tastefully Simple, Close to My Heart, Sing A Song About Me, Gold Canyon, B's Purses, Vantel Pearls, Longaberger, Usborne Books & More, Snickerdoodles, Invitation Jane, Kelly's Kids and Private Quarters luxury linens.

River Falls Clubhouse
7915 Horseshoe Lane
Potomac, MD 20854

November 15th 11am-5pm

Vendors include: Silpada; Private Quarters luxury linens; Pampered Chef; Arbonne; Creative Memories; Pink Papaya; Tastefully Simple; Functional Fancies; Razzle Dazzle; Stella & Dot; Lil Cuddle Bugs; Vantel Pearls; Wildtree Herbs; Madison Handbags; Longaberger; Usborne Books and More; Bows For My Girls, Sing A Song About Me, Beijo Bags, Gold Canyon, Barefoot Books and Smitten by Smith.

Grab your gift list and come out and join us!

For more information, please visit:
www.blissfulboutiques.com

Smitten by Smith Summer 2010 looks!

Smitten by Smith's Summer 2010 has a playful look with geometric shapes!

Smitten by Smith update...

Things have been a little crazy and I have been bad about updating my blog. This past weekend I had a Smitten by Smith booth at the Atlanta Apparel Mart-AmericasMart for the Spring|Summer 2010 showcase. My booth was on The Premiere floor 2, booth #439. It was a really great experience for me. Collier, Holland (my sister), and Grant (one of my close college friend's) all came to help out during the show. Collier and I set up for the show Thursday which took a lot longer than I thought it would because we decided to put black and white fabric on the walls...which was quite difficult. I would call my first market experience a success. It was great exposure and I feel like I met wonderful people as well!

I fell in love with a new brand called Troubadour. The designer, Lindsey Carter was so nice to talk to- she has been in the fashion industry for quite some time. Lindsey used to design for JCrew and started a golf line called Carter Humphrey as well. Her sales associate Julie was very nice as well! Collier and I enjoyed chatting with them as market definitely had some down time. I hope to stay in touch with them! http://www.troubadourclothing.com/

On Saturday night I put three of my Summer 2010 pieces in the Apparel Mart Fashion Show which featured designs from vendors showing at the mart. It was very entertaining and I thought over all it was a nice production. There was even complimentary food and vino-always a plus. The Apparel Mart was Friday through Monday at 3 PM...so I was rather tired when it was all said and done. Now it's back to work! I am finishing my designs for Fall 2010...it's so strange being a year ahead. I now want to wear my Summer 2010 pieces and its getting cold.

Join the Fight Against Breast Cancer

If you know me personally, you probably know that my mom, Allison Sinrod, is a Breast Cancer survivor.

She was diagnosed in 1999, and this year we are celebrating her 10th year of remission.

Consequently, this cause will always have a special place in my heart.

To help support Breast Cancer research, I will donate $10 from each online sale.

It's October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month...

Now that's shopping you can feel good about!

www.smittenbysmith.com

Sneak Peak - Summer 2010

Everyone needs an Oolong Jumper in Navy!

DC - Summer 2010 Photoshoot

This past weekend, Collier (my new partner in crime) and I drove 10 hours from Atlanta, GA to Washington DC for my Summer 2010 photo shoot.
I should mention, Collier Broadaway is my new sales representative for Smitten by Smith! Collier is more than qualified, having had several jobs in the fashion industry - including working for PUCCI. We were KDs together at Alabama.

Smitten is very glad to have her!

Anyways, we have been traveling a lot spreading the word of Smitten by Smith.
We are getting pretty good at whipping out the rack, popping the clothes on, and tootling along into stores.

With all of this traveling, I have learned many things.
First and foremost, I have come to the realization that satellite radio makes songs popular because they repeat songs over and over. The good and the bad... to the point where you sing even if you don't like the tune.

Another road trip routine has been "dinning-in" at the best fast food restaurant IN the WORLD...Chick Fil A. I love the service there...they are always so friendly and they even ask if you want a refill when dinning in. That’s huge, right?

When we arrived in DC, we met my parents and headed to The Tombs for a delicious first meal in Georgetown.
The next day we wondered around Georgetown and located several spots for the photo shoot. That afternoon, we met my parents at The Hay Adams Hotel and walked over to The White House. It was Collier's first time in DC, so seeing The White House was a must on our agenda. For those of you who do not know... I was born in DC and moved to Florida when I was 4. Most of my Dad's family still lives there, and I grew up visiting.

The photo shoot began at 5:30 pm so we started prepping Margaret Leigh (my talented sista and model) around 4:45 pm. This was a very late start (as far as getting her ready), but she looked like a Vogue model rather quickly. A better introduction: Margaret Leigh is my younger sister who attends Georgetown University. She modeled for my Holiday/Spring collections as a favor, but did such a wonderful job that I really
hoped she would model again for round 2.
We did the shoot all around Georgetown which was wonderful because it’s such a beautiful place. The brick townhouses and bright colored doors made the perfect setting for the Summer 2010 Collection. We finished shooting around 8:30 after three long hours.

Collier and I headed to The Bethesda Crab House for dinner where we
became knee deep in crab claws and shared an over due pitcher of Stella beer.
It was a long eventful day!
I am so excited to see how the pictures turn out. My sister was such a trooper and did an
incredible job.
I never listened to my Mom when I was younger when she said that my sisters would be my best friends when I grew up. She would always say it when we were in the middle of a fight... we would all be like, "yeah right Mom..."
But she was so right... sisters are built-in best friends.
Starting a business has made me realize how supportive they really are.
I have one sister who sat through hours & hours of meetings in Thailand, I have another who helps me with all of my promotional items (including this blog), AND another that has given up hours of her time to model for me… when she has plenty of other things she would rather be doing.
If any of you read this...which I hope you do...I love you all and I couldn't do this
without you.
I am headed home to Florida tomorrow for a trunk show, Thursday morning at The Market & Mainly Shoes in Pensacola!
If you are a local please come by to see my latest designs!

-Smith

Recap: Birmingham Trunk Show

The trunk show in Birmingham was wonderful. We had a wonderful turn
out and the food was so tasty!
My friend, Virginia Harkins, was such a lovely hostess. The appetizers were delish.
Thank you so much!

The Birmingham trunk show was extra special, because it was the first official “sneak peak”
of my Summer 2010 collection!

Check out these Smitten by Smith cupcakes, made by my friends Avery Henry and Ruth Wood!

Smitten by Smith in Bella Magazine

Check it out... Smitten by Smith is featured in Pensacola's Bella Magazine!

Smitten By Smith
Pensacola designer creates party-perfect style

Whether you’re headed to a holiday soiree or on a girls’ night out, you can look party-perfect with a color-drenched cocktail dress that’s festive and fashion-forward.

These short and sassy styles are not only handmade, but they are designed by someone you may know: Smith Sinrod, a budding designer who grew up in Pensacola. She is introducing her first line, Smitten by Smith. The holiday and spring collections consist of cocktail dresses and separates that are full of girly glamour.

“They are made to perfection,” said Peggy Woolverton, owner of Mainly Shoes, an upscale boutique in downtown Pensacola. “Not only are the shapes fantastic, but the fabrics and construction are unbelievable.”

The Market/Mainly Shoes is the only local boutique that is carrying the line, and Angelique in New Orleans also picked it up. The pieces start at $200 and up, and sizes run from 00 to 14.

Bella caught up with Sinrod, who recently moved to Atlanta. Here, we ask her about her line and about her passion for fashion:
Q: Tell me about your line.
A: My line consists of classic pieces with bright colors and bold patterns. Each design allows the everyday women to look her best while feeling sophisticated and sexy.
Q: Who are the women you envision wearing Smitten?
A: Women who have a sophisticated style and aren’t afraid to wear bright colors. Both of my collections consist of novelty pieces that can be versatile for many types of occasions, whether it’s a cocktail party, family wedding or just a night out on the town.
Q: What was your inspiration for your line?
A: Fabric has always inspired me when I am working on design ideas. I went to Thailand with my design silhouettes sketched and sewn samples. Once I found my manufacturer and fabric source, I was able to pick my fabric for each design, bringing the collection together.
Q: What does creating your own line entail?
A: I went over every inch of each design with the owner of my factory. She would make the patterns, and I would approve each one. The next step was the creation of the samples. Once the samples were produced, I had my photoshoot in Pensacola for the Web site.
Q: What was the hardest part about creating your own line?
A: Getting my foot in the door with boutiques has been hard, right off the bat. I guess it can be hard for people to take me seriously when they first meet me: I’m 23, but I look 16. But once store owners and buyers have seen my collections, they seem to believe in me a bit more.
Q: What has the response been to your line?
A: So far, I’ve gotten a really good response to my line. The quality of my dresses is the best it could possibly be. Every dress is fully lined and has a hand-stitched hem.
Q: How does it feel to have you own line?
A: It’s very exciting! There were a lot of people along the way that discouraged my starting a line right out of college, but I’m so glad that I did. I feel that because I just graduated I have an edge. My life is Smitten, day and night, but it’s worth the hard work.
Q: How and when did you get your interest in fashion?
A: I’ve always been interested in fashion. When I was a little girl, my mom let me dress myself for school, which was probably a mistake because I had some pretty wild outfits and hats. I wore a different hat to school every day because I liked feeling unique. I was called “the hat girl.”
Q: What are your long and short-term professional goals?
A: My long-term goal is to make Smitten a household namebrand. Eventually, I’d like to produce a casual line for Smitten. My short-term goal is to have a photoshoot for the summer 2010 pieces I just designed, and then put them on the Web site. Also, I’m working on selling the line to other boutiques. I have meetings with stores across the Southeast.
Q: What was the best advice you got that you could pass on to other aspiring fashion designers?
A: One of my teachers recently told me, “Of course, it’s hard, difficult, time-consuming, life changing. If it weren’t, everyone would be doing it.”

About Smith
• Summer 2008: Smith lived in New York City and interned for Mary Howard Studio. Howard is a set designer whose ads appear in Vogue. At the studio, Smith shopped for props, organized the studio and helped on set.
• May 2009: Smith graduated from the University of Alabama, where she majored in Apparel Design. After graduation, she traveled to Thailand to create her clothing line, Smitten by Smith.

Want To Go?
• Oct. 1: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A trunk show of Donald J. Pliner shoes and handbags, and Smitten by Smith
designer Smith Sinrod for holiday and spring fashions.
• Oct. 13: The Bobbi Brown Artistry Team from Saks Fifth Avenue, New Orleans, by appointment.

• Where: The Market and Mainly Shoes, 248 W. Garden St.

• Details: 434-3012.

• Online: Smittenby
smith.com/portfolio, or Smittenbysmith.blogspot.com.

• Upcoming: In addition to the trunk show, Smitten by Smith will be featured in The Market/Mainly Shoes’ Fashion Show on Nov. 5, a fundraiser for Ballet Pensacola. Look for more details in the next
issue of Bella.

PULL QUOTE

“The quality of my dresses is the best it could possibly be. Every dress is fully lined and has a hand-stitched hem.”
– Smith Sinrod

Smitten comes to T-Town

This is Smith's sister.

I am guest blogging since Smith has been out on the road for the past few days.

And what a successful trip!

Smitten's found four, yes four, new boutiques in two days.

I want you to know that Smith is so thankful for your enthusiastic response and overwhelming support.

I am SO excited to announce that...

Smitten by Smith will be sold at Solo Boutique in Tuscaloosa, AL!

Check it out &

Roll Tide!

Smitten in South Alabama

Smitten's been hittin' the trail, fellas.

We are excited and proud to announce that Smitten by Smith will be carried in two new boutiques:

CK Collection in Fairhope, AL

&

Holiday, Inc. in Mobile, AL

!

Funny misunderstanding

Today I was informed that I had a package from Thailand that could not clear customs because it needed to go through U.S. Agricultural inspections. The package invoice listed "Black Tea, Ginger, Jasmine, Chamomile" and the inspectors figured I was importing a large quantity of tea from Thailand-also known as a very sketchy package. I cleared up the problem today when I told them that I am a fashion designer with a line that consists of designs named after different flavors and types of teas. I thought this was very very funny...and thought I should share!

Smitten by Smith Trunk Show in Birmingham, AL

I am so excited - my dear friend Virginia Harkins is having a Trunk Show for Smitten at her new house in Birmingham. I am so fortunate to have such good friends!
We may have the UA football game on in the background... Come join us for wine, appetizers & shopping!

Follow Smitten on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/smittenbysmith

Exciting news for Smitten!

The wait is over...
You can now buy Smitten clothes online.
Just visit our Website, http://www.smittenbysmith.com/ to shop Holiday & Spring Collections!

Smitten by Smith Trunk show at The Market & Mainly Shoes

Mark your calendars, Smitten fans!
Come by The Market in Pensacola, FL on October 1st, 2009 to shop Smitten's Holiday & Spring Collections.

Everyone deserves a little play time...

While we were in Asia, we decided we would take a weekend trip to Hanoi, Vietnam.
We flew an hour and a half and poof - we were in Vietnam.
Vietnam is a beautiful country. My only complaint would be that they have an over population of scooters in Vietnam.
There were several occasions when I thought my Mom would die... as road kill. Now that wouldn't be pretty, would it? It is truly amazing how many people can fit on one scooter...or in one city for that matter!
There are people EVERYWHERE.
After a couple of days exploring the city of Hanoi, we took a three hour bus trip to Halong Bay. We were with a tour group...which always makes things more interesting. The bus driver drove like a maniac and my Mom was a little freaked out...as was I. My sister seemed fine - probably because she has adapted to the way people drive over there... after 8 years of living in Bangkok.

We finally arrived and the whole tour group piled out of the bus. We were staying two nights on a "Junk" boat called "The Pinta Gold Cruise." Halong bay was beautiful! We took a smaller boat to get to our lovely ship. As soon as we got on the boat, Lyle and I went to check out our room. Much to our surprise, we found rose petals sprinkled on our twin beds. I thought it was a nice touch, however, I was a little worried that we signed up for a "romantic love cruise" by mistake.
Turns out, it was a normal cruise and just a standard way of welcoming guests.
On the second day, Lyle and I were talked into going on a leisurly kayaking trip. We both pretended to be kayaking pros... which slapped us in the face about 20 minutes into paddling.
We ended up getting stuck going against a really strong current in a BAT CAVE... not cool.
The tour guide had to switch kayaks with Lyle in order to get us both out safely.
Scary stuff!
No more kayaking in Vietnam for the two of us.
After two days of eating, eating, and more eating we were ready to roll off the ship.
My Mom loved the early morning wake up procedure:
6:45 a.m. -the engine starts
6:46 a.m.- A.C. was turned off
7:00 a.m.- be seated for breakfast

...her room was right next to the engine room so, between the noise and steamy quarters, she was forced to get up.
Of course, this was so funny at the time, for Lyle and I.
Mom referred to the mornings on The Pinta Gold as "the bataan death march."
Don't ask my Mom to rate the cruise...it wasn't really what she expected.

Meeting time...

On my first day of meetings, I made sure to dress like a professional young woman - I even wore my hair in a bun. I was nervous that (because of my age) I wouldn't be taken seriously in my series of meetings. I arrived very nervous, and about 10 minutes early. This meeting was in a custom tailoring shop for women, in a large building with many other stores. The lady I was supposed to meet with was not there, and I was soon informed that she would not be there until 11 am. Feeling slightly discouraged, we left to kill some time until the meeting. We went back to the tailor shop on time. However, when we arrived, the woman was there but said she was "not feeling well." She kept repeating herself, saying that she felt very sick - with face in hands.
This was a little uncomfortable because I didn't really know what I could say or do to make things better. She finally asked me what I was interested in doing and I told her... I was starting a women's clothing line and needed to find manufacturers who specialize in silks.
She got on the phone, & within minutes started calling people she knew who did this. After about 15 minutes of listening to her ramble in Thai, she passed the phone to me.
I said, "hello" and got an identical response of: "hello?" from a man on the line...
This continued back and forth several times until I asked if they were manufacturers, and if so, could I meet with them.
I was confused because when the woman passed me her phone she didn't explain who was on it. We set up a meeting with our new contact the very same day. My sister Lyle's driver took us to the next meeting because it was further outside of Bangkok and we did not want to get lost.
We arrived on time and waited about an hour and a half in a small room full of beautiful silk coats.
My Mom, sister Lyle, began to get a bit nervous because we were in there for so long... but sure enough the owners arrived.
We established what we wanted to do and I explained some of my designs, in order to have samples made. After hours and hours of discussing everything, I left my second meeting. I waited about a week and I had another meeting to see the first samples and discuss other orders of business. My brother-law, Pete came with me to this meeting because not only is he a well established "business man," but he speaks Thai. His Thai was essential to my business meeting because he could figure out if we were on the same page and how we were going to proceed. My first set of samples were pretty much perfect, and I was so excited to see my ideas come to real life... without sewing them myself for once.

It was official, I found the people that I would be working with. After several meetings (about 4 to 6 hours each), we went over every detail - inch by inch - of each design for my Holiday and Spring collection!

The trip over to Bangkok and arrival

My mom...what a trooper, that woman can do anything. She is terrified of flying, but was a cool cucumber the entire way without taking meds or drinking vino. We flew from Pensacola to Atlanta (45 minutes), Atlanta to Tokyo (13.5 hours-a swat team of health officials inspected the entire plane to make sure we didn't have Swine Flu), and Tokyo to Bangkok (7.5 hours) and arrived in Bangkok around midnight.

Yay we are there! Right??

As soon as we got off the plane, we were informed that our luggage was lost... possibly gone. After hours & hours of no sleep, multiple feedings that consisted of things like rubbery/wet ham sandwiches...I started to cry. After circling the luggage carousels like a crazy lady, numerous times, I slowly exited the airport feeling defeated. The man at the airport told us that our luggage would arrive possibly that night. But it didn't.

And it did not arrive the next night... or the next.

So what did we do? We headed to to DKNY.

I needed to find something to wear to my meeting - and surely I couldn't wear my plane "uniform." My mom and I were starting to feel a bit gross.

We found some professional gear at DKNY (that we didn't really want), but were forced to buy due to our circumstances. The night before my first meeting I was so nervous that I couldn't really sleep.

Sure enough our luggage arrived that night!! Yay! I had contacts instead of my colorful/tacky glasses for the meeting!

The beginning of Smitten by Smith

My name is Smith Sinrod, and I just started a new clothing line called Smitten by Smith.

I never really thought I would be a "blogger," but what do you know...here I am blogging.

A little bit about myself: I recently graduated from The University of Alabama, where I majored in Apparel Design. Last summer, I lived in New York City and interned for Mary Howard Studio. Mary Howard is an incredible set designer responsible for (pretty much) every advertisement in Vogue. I loved working for her because I was able to really get close to many aspects of the true fashion world. My job often consisted of shopping for props, organizing the studio, and sometimes helping on set. After this internship I knew that I wanted to start my own business, just like Mary had started her own set design company.

Before I graduated, I set up my Smitten LLC to make things more official before I entered "the real world."

My older sister Lyle lives in Bangkok, Thailand with her three boys and husband, Peter. Once I decided I was going to actually go through with everything (and my parents approved of my future plans), I booked a plane ticket to Bangkok. I started researching manufacturers, and scheduled meetings if their information looked promising. I graduated, and within 5 days I was off to Thailand with my mom, Allison and sister, Lyle.