Raw Materials Reconnoitering

This post was written in May but has only just made it onto Blogger.

It was really more of a wish than a plan - come up to Paris and find some really cool fournisseurs for bits and bobs for my aprons.  Clignancourt and Montreuil were a bust but this morning I went to Vanves and found some great stuff.  I don't think I paid too much although I didn't really haggle that much either.  The great thing is that I've made some cool contacts with at least 3 stall holders.  I'll probably have to go back and do the maths though to see what my pricing is like, but I dont mind charging a lots for an apron made of antique lace - all the lace I've bought is really quite beautiful.  But I really do need that visiting card so I think that will need to be the priority when I get back and to make sure that its done and printed before we leave for Littlehampton so that I can start dishing it out in the UK, because I'll probably find other fournisseurs there too.

I'm also ruminating about the mantras thing, and someecards and the fact that I could probably put together some pithy feminine sayings and have a photo of my apron somehow as an illustration and get them going viral.  I think I need to check out vintage life again and see if I can't find something, otherwise I've got those quotes I saved from the calendar - Ideally they need to be on someone - I could possibly photoshop the aprons onto an illustration.  The idea of a photo shoot gets pretty complicated when you think about wardrobe (haha other than the apron, that is) 

I might actually be thinking of several different "cards" at this point.  On the one hand there are the slightly saucy ones and "women with attitude" stuff that could, eventually go onto Glamour Aprons fb and get shared around whereas I did want a postcard to pop into the package explaining that its OK to get an apron - so, that's not the same. Then there's the photo shoot which could just be plain gorgeous and wouldn't need pithy comments.  I wonder if I could get away with photos on the mannequin with the pithy comments. The easiest thing would be to do illustrations.  The photo shoot is annoying because I should know someone who could do the modelling for me and then we could just have fun one afternoon dressing up and taking photos.  The only person I can think of is Carol and I think she'd be too self conscious. I'd need to lose some more weight (but maybe not that much more)  

Essentially I could put together 10 sayings for 10 photos with a mise en scene to go with it then I'd just have to parachute in the model, i'd need to think about what the apron would be worn with (never blatantly saying "you can wear them naked") - ridiculous really, I should know someone and then I think "well, since its going to be your clothes and your props why don't you do a Cindy Sharman and photograph yourself" strictly speaking there's no harm in trying and since it'll all start with the saying, that'll be quite cool - after all Cindy Sharman exposed at the Jeu de Paume.  I don't want to be stick thin and wouldn't want a thin nor a young model anyway, so maybe I do fit the bill.  Would be fun trying anyway. 

Need to make the gorgeous new aprons first so that gives me time to shed a few extra pounds…I think Ragnar could help with lighting and things like that.

So I need to get the lovable aprons done, only 3 anyway, the utility aprons, 3 again and the glamour aprons - although I'm sort of thinking that the photo shoot should just be Glamour Aprons.  I suppose the lovable and utility aprons can double up on the quotes and scenarios, even the outfits…

I need to get in touch with Loic and order thread, bias binding, rickrack, satin ribbon possibly…maybe try to source these myself on the web. possibly even some industrial lace. Just stuff that I can bung on à tout bout de champ!