It pays to be our fan!

Today's task: finally started the model's board for our 32 outfit show!

As I anxiously plan for the Hawaii Women's Expo and excitedly talk with my production team, volunteers, and customers, I realize this expo is going to be one huge and super fun party!  Sure, we're going to be working hard, but I want all of us to have a lot of fun too!  What better way to ensure we have fun than to turn it into one whole weekend long party?  And, whose on the guest list?  Why our loyal facebook fans, of course!!!  So, if you're already a facebook fan, please join us this weekend as we celebrate almost 3 years of Bliss!  Not yet a fan?  What are you waiting for?  Click here and become one!!!  

Here are some of the amazing things we have in store just for you!

Facebook Fan Friday:  Opening Night Party!  Join us from 6:00pm - 7:00pm and get first pick of all the new Bliss pieces.  In addition to the expo special of an additional 40% off, all Bliss facebook fans are eligible to select a BFF envelope containing a gift card valued at $5, $10, $15, and $20.  Limited supplies of BFF envelopes are available and you must be a Bliss facebook fan to participate. Stay with us until 7:45pm and watch our exciting Opening night fashion show! (Expo opens at 5:00pm)

Super Saturday: All day Saturday, BFFs receive a free $20 online gift card (valid 9/10 - 9/30) with all purchases over $100!  Proof of "friend" status also required.  Stay to watch our amazing Saturday fashion show at 3:00pm!

Girl's Day Out Sunday: Bring at least one girlfriend and if both of you were facebook fans as of Labor day Monday, you will both receive a $25 gift card for use on Sunday only.  Gift cards cannot be combined.  Click here for more information. Stay and join us for our last fashion show of the year at 2:00pm!  There will be a special facebook girl's day out BFF seating section! 

Sunday Happy Hour:  From 2:15pm - 3:15pm on Sunday only, take an additional 50% off clearance items!

The home stretch to the Hawaii Women's Expo!

Here we are, about 4 days away from the first day of the 10th Annual Hawaii Women's Expo!  Shipments of over 200 pieces of new tops, dresses, jeans, ccdoodle vintage obi belts, beautiful necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, and even ccdoodle men's ts have arrived, been tagged and are almost ready for their debut. 

Ever wonder how many people it takes to
put on a 15 minute fashion show...take a look! :)

Prepared the Stage Director's folder
 including her "backstage" pass, the music
CD for the show, exhibitor passes,
and the line up and detailed schedule
for the weekend.

Putting on one major fashion show is a production, but putting on three fashion shows requires the three Cs...coordination, collaboration, and ... lots of coffee!  About 50 volunteers will assist with this year's expo and fashion shows and when you consider that the show itself is only 15 minutes long, that's a lot of quick movement and shuffling of people and resources.  A fashion show is what I like to think of as organized chaos.  My job is to make sure the organized part is more prevalent than the chaos part.  Stay tuned to join me on this crazy, but totally exciting week!

Picked up the fashion show
programs and flyers from the printers.

The road to the Women's expo!

After almost a year of preparation, we are now officially on the countdown to what is shaping up to be three absolutely fabulous shows!  At this year's 10th Annual Hawaii Women's Expo, Bliss Online Boutique will be featured in fashion shows on Friday, September 7 at 7:45pm, Saturday, September 8 at 3:00pm, and Sunday, September 9 at 2:00pm at the Neal Blaisdell Center's Exhibition hall.

I have always LOVED fashion shows!  I love the music, the excitement, and of course the fashion! I've been in the audience and on the runway, but where I love being the most is backstage! If you enjoy fashion shows like I do, here's a little glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes to put on a 15 minute show!

The day after last year's fashion shows were over, I knew I wanted to do it again...only I knew we could do it even bigger and better!  In order to do this, however, I had to enlist help.  After compiling a fantastic core production team consisting of Stage Manager Angela Choy, Casting Director and Head Make Up Artist Nathalie Kim, Photographer Keoki Kim, and Stylist Leah Fukuyama, it was time to get to work!  I asked fashionista Leah Fukuyama to go "shopping" for me!  She pored through hundreds of tops, dresses, and bottoms to select the perfect pieces to be on the stage.  After getting feedback from a small focus group, we finalized our selections and are bringing in over 200 pieces of brand new and simply beautiful pieces including beautiful tops, dresses, cardigans, jeans, leggings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, scarves, and even a few pieces from local designer, ccdoodle! 

Next, we needed talent for our show!  We needed models, make up artists, hair stylists, dressers, and assistants!  I am so fortunate to have Nathalie Kim in charge of all of the talent casting for this show!  She has tirelessly worked to secure an amazing team of make up artists and hair stylists to make our models look even more beautiful than they already are. Nathalie then met with Dawn Larson-Lord of Larson Talent to hand select talented and beautiful models from Larson Talent and Wilhemina Models to come to a casting call. During our casting call, the models all exuded such beauty and poise, even though we had them walking on an uneven concrete sidewalk in front of many curious fans and admirers. Thank you to Dawn Larson for sending us such an unbelievable array of talent...and for making our job SOO hard! :) 

After a production meeting with our Stage Director, Angela Choy, we realized that in order for this show to run smoothly and efficiently, we needed more help!  We decided to create a fashion show internship team of enthusiastic and fun young women who were interested in learning more about fashion and/or modeling.  I selected 6 beautiful interns; Tiffane Cheng, Meshelle Hirashima, Joyce Furuya, Sharon Ramos, Leslie Anne Nilo, and Jessica Cheng; who have a variety of interests and experiences including fashion design, event coordination, merchandising and buying, fashion blogging, and modeling. Some have already assisted with our purchasing decisions and Joyce is already starting a bliss blog entry.  Meshelle will accompany us to our KHON on air live promo taping and most of the interns will be there to assist at the runway rehearsal and fittings.  All of them will help backstage during the fashion shows and will have the opportunity to meet with and learn from professionals in the business.  They will also have an individual and group photo session with our professional photographer, Keoki Kim.

The upcoming weeks will be hectic, but stay tuned!  I hope to keep this blog updated on our very busy, often crazy, but always ALWAYS FUN journey to the Women's expo! 

- It's sometimes fun to do the impossible...Walt Disney
 

A sneak peek at some of the pieces picked for this year's
fashion show!  Color blocking is huge for Fall!

Going through model's composite cards.

An inspiring morning

I wish every morning could start like this!  After rushing to drop my two boys off at school and sitting through rush hour downtown traffic, I finally arrive at this oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of downtown.  The brand new Cafe Julia (opened May 1) in the Richards Street YWCA is an absolutely charmingly beautiful restaurant that serves a very delicious breakfast and lunch.  I had the Local Style breakfast with scrambled eggs, mini ham steaks (delish!), and tater tots and thoroughly enjoyed each bite (I cleaned my plate). 

It was such a treat to be able to sit, relax, and enjoy a delicious breakfast!  But, the best part of my morning was having the opportunity to sit and talk with two inspiring and amazing women. This morning, I met with Kimberly Miyazawa Frank, the new CEO for the YWCA Hawaii, and I was impressed and inspired to learn so much about the YWCA and all of the amazing work they do for women.  The YWCA, through its' Homebase housing project, provides transitional housing opportunities to economically disadvantaged women transitioning from challenging life circumstances to permanent housing. Up to 84 residents are able to be accomodated at one time and are provided breakfast and dinner (made by Cafe Julia staff) 7 days a week.  Women also have access to a variety of self sufficiency resources to help them to find a job and  permanent home.   

One of the resources women in the homebase program are offered is the Dress for Success program.  Dress for Success Honolulu provides professional attire to women who are referred from government agencies and non-profit organizations.  The women in the program, who are often homeless, domestic violence survivors, or recently incarcerated, receive one suit as well as job interview coaching and mentoring before her job interview.  Once she finds a job, she can return for a second suit.  The Dress for Success program is so much more than simply providing clothing for women in need, it's about helping women to become economically self sufficient and to feel good about themselves from the inside out.  It's about changing lives. 

Join Valerie Kubota and A Little bit of Everything as well as myself and Bliss boutique at "SOul Beautiful" on Thursday July 12 from 6:00pm - 9:00pm at the Venue in BambuTwo for an event benefitting the Dress for Success program and all of the wonderful, selfless work that they do.  The event will include an awesome summer fashion show featuring dance group Blank Canvas and some of Hawaii's top models.  DJ MassFunk will be there with amazing music and the Venue will have a full bar of decadent cocktails!  Shop til you drop and bid at the silent auction, both benefitting the Dress for Success program!  Tickets are $10 and include one cocktail (specialty martini or wine) and pupus.  VIP tickets available for the first group of 20 or more.  Click here to purchase tickets!  If you are interested in donating to the silent auction, please email customerservice@shopblissonline.com .

This event might be small in size, but with all of your help we can make a difference in someone's life through the Dress for Success program.  Sure, you'll be having the time of your life, but you can feel good knowing that while you're shopping for your own closet, you're changing a life by putting clothes into someone else's closet as well.  Hope to see you there!

Pinterest...my newest guilty pleasure!

I blame my girlfriends for introducing me to my new addiction.  I really didn't need anything else luring me to my already heavily used computer.  It all started innocently when a couple of friends starting talking about this new site called Pinterest.  It didn't appeal to me that much, but everyone raved about it so of course I had to try it.  I tried it once, but found it too overwhelming and didn't really like it.  But, a few days ago I decided to give it just one more try...and I was hooked.

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web.  OMG, how could I NOT love Pinterest?  It combines ALL my favorite things, organizing (I'm a little type A...just a little ;)), beautiful things, and the web!! This website, which hopes to "connect everyone in the world through the "things" they find interesting", launched in 2010.  In August 2011, was named to the "50 Best Websites of 2011", and now reportedly has over 13 million users despite being invitation only.

OK, so I'm not the only one who loves Pinterest!  So, why am I blogging about pinterest?  I think one of the great things about pinterest is that it can actually be helpful in discovering, creating, and refining your "style".  Simply scour pinterest or the internet and find pieces, color combinations, or outfits that you LOVE at first glance.  Don't stop to think about it, just like it or pin it.  Do it before you can say "But I don't look good in sleeveless!", "Yellow isn't my color.",  or "I can't wear stripes!"  Eventually when you look at your board, you will see a definite pattern...a definite style all your own.

Having a good sense of what your "style" is will help when you go shopping for clothes!  Ever bought something you thought you liked, just to have it sit in your closet?  Knowing what your style is will help you purchase the items that you really love, that fit your style, and that you'll wear over and over and sometimes OVER again! :)

And, guess what?  Bliss has just added "Pin It' buttons to each "New Arrival" (and all subsequent new arrivals).  So, if you love something on Bliss, don't forget to "pin it!"

I've also created a board called Follow Your Bliss in which I pinned blissful inspirations that I hand picked to share with all of you.  I'll try to update frequently with my favorite Bliss pieces, cool quotes, helpful fashion and beauty tips, upcoming trends, and more. Feel free to follow! :)  You can find it here.  http://pinterest.com/wnnchang/follow-your-bliss/

Happy Pinning everyone!!  :)

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"Fashion fades, Style is eternal..." Yves St. Laurent

the business of Bliss...

Over the past year, I've been asked countless times about how Bliss was started and about any advice I could give about starting an online/traveling boutique.  So, I thought I'd start out the New year with a blog about my business, Bliss. :) 

Bliss is a part-time "hobby" for me.  I work full-time at the University of Hawaii Center on the Family's Learning to Grow project as a Project Specialist working in Early Childhood.  I am also a very busy mom to two amazing boys.  So, I need to constantly find the balance between all of my competing interests and need to know where my priorities must be on any given day.

I still remember the day in 2009 when I purchased my domain name and web hosting service.  I felt nauseous the whole day!  The new challenge of diving into this business even with an already demanding schedule exhilirated me in the months (yes, only months) prior, but suddenly I was sick to my stomach with fear and doubt, and even a little guilt.  I couldn't believe that I was taking on this huge, kinda crazy venture.  :)

I am so grateful that I didn't turn back on that day.  Bliss has been one of the most amazing journeys of my life.  I've met and worked with some of the most talented and beautiful women on this island. I've experienced and overcome huge, seemingly insurmountable challenges and seen Bliss do things I never dreamt we would do.  I've seen what can happen when you chase your dreams.

The business of Bliss consists of a buying department, a sales and marketing department, and a receiving and shipping warehouse. ALL run out of a room in my home...more accurately from one hugely multi-tasking desk!  :) Ha ha.

The most time consuming process is the buying.  Everyone thinks this is the easiest and most fun part, but really it's the hardest.  In the beginning, I bought only things that I liked.  Thankfully, many of my customers and I do share very similar tastes (as this is still primarily what I do), but I have also learned about my customer throughout the years.  I've learned what type of styles and fabrics they like and what type of colors they DO NOT like.  Obviously, every boutique has a different customer so this will need to be learned only through experience.  But, the interesting thing is as much as Bliss has evolved, our "customer" has stayed fairly consistent. 

I also try to research the current season online and through countless fashion magazines.  I love looking through fashion magazines for inspiration.  Every season, I tear out inspiration pieces and tack it to my "inspiration board" (seen in the photo below.) But as you can see, I have no inspiration now.  lol!  (Actually, I just cleared out the board to ready it for the next expo collection.)

I am very lucky to have a volunteer fashion advisory board consisting of 5 fashionable women; Angela Choy, Lori Furoyama, Lana Nakamura, Tina Koike, and Leah Fukuyama.  They guide most of the purchase decisions for the seasonal collections that Bliss carries.

Here is about a third of my multi-tasking desk.  (Hey, I'm a huge multi-tasker, so my desk has to be too!)  When the clothing arrives to my doorstep, I unload, unwrap, and inspect the clothes before hanging and tagging.  Finally, I upload the items to my website, write descriptions, input inventory, and calculate a retail price. 

When an order is placed, pieces are pulled, folded, and packaged for delivery.  I try really hard to get every order out to the post office as soon as possible, most times it leaves the day after the order is placed (sometimes the same day) and because I only use priority mail, it usually arrives to my customer's doorstep the day after it is mailed.  It's not pretty, but here's my shipping department (under my desk). 

The remainder of my time is spent in developing sales and promotions, updating social media and sending out e-blasts, strategizing PR with my PR guru (and sister) Denise Park, working with photographers, models, and make up artists for an upcoming photo shoot or fashion show, and planning and prepping for the next expo. It's an exciting, fast paced, and always dynamic world and if you have dreamed about owning a boutique, having an online/traveling one is a great way to start.  If you are passionate about fashion and are willing to work really hard, take some scary risks, and be patient about the money making part (lol!), I encourge you to do it!  

Good luck to each of you as you chase your dreams this year!