Taryn's Design Diary

For those who have been following along these last few months, I have endlessly complained about how giant the first metal logo plates were. Nobody’s fault but mine. 2 inches by 2 inches seemed all right at the time. And I still love them. They’re just, you know, flashy, excessively showy and garish.

In the metal logo plate remake, version 2.0, I went for a much smaller size, 1 inch by 1 inch. I cut the actual size out of paper and placed it next to the old logo plates for comparison. See above.

This week, the manufacturer sent back the tooling proofs for the new logo plate:

The top row above shows what I gave the manufacturer (with measurements, of course, which aren’t shown). The bottom row above show the proofs they sent back. Thought I’d share an insider’s view of the production process. =)

The difference between the before and after? Huge. Before, the 2″ x 2″ TZ logo plate was at the front and center of your attention. Now, with the 1″ x 1″ logo plate, you’ll actually look at the bag. Imagine that.

Stay tuned for more progress reports, as they should be coming in with greater frequency. We project to complete all samples production by the end of this summer.

2010.07.15 Update.

And here is a shot of the new 1 in. x 1 in. metal logo plates. =)

Sydney Dong, the designer of SD Marvel, is brilliant. Hand-woven detailing, 100% hand-stitched, and made with fine quality lambskin, cow leather or nylon, his collection exemplifies luxury. Every one of the SDM bags will resonate with the uptown girl.

I went ahead and took the liberty to post photos of my favorite SDM bags. The Purple Black Twist is a signature design with a fashion-forward je ne sais quoi to it. It’s so chic and refined. I was one click away from getting the Green Water Weave–and still have my eyes fixed on it!–except I don’t carry leather goods. =*( That’s just a personal thing though, a little private pact between my four-legged friends and me. Nevertheless, for those of you who are totally cool with genuine leather, the structured Green Water Weave would be a fantastic office tote. The two Sasa Totes above to the right are elegant and classy. The Sasa Four Star has a vintage vibe to it and the pink Sasa signature reminds me of those beloved ”ladies who lunch.” I definitely picture it on the arms of a woman with expensive taste. What a stunning, stunning bag!

SDM is based in Hong Kong, carried in Sabatina boutiques across the province, but via e-commerce, the company ships everywhere. That’s good news for those of us here in the U.S.!

Says Sydney: “I can totally tell you that I really, really, love handbags, probably even more than my wife and my mom, because I must be the first one in front of the window of the fashion shop to see if there are any new, special handbags.”

Now that’s what we call a passion and zeal for one’s profession. And once you’ve gotten your hands on an SD Marvel handbag, you’ll have a passion and zeal for Sydney!

I sat down with him (virtually, that is) for an interview on the SDM line.

Interview with Sydney Dong, of SD Marvel

Sunny: How would you describe the “SD Marvel” brand?

Sydney: I spend much time on developing a unique copyright-protected weave pattern to stand for SD Marvel. When you see this pattern, you will immediately recognize it as SD Marvel. The weave pattern is representative of the mother’s handstitched clothes to her child and the warmth of wearing handstitched clothes that a mother has made specially for her child. One of a kind, made from the heart, and invaluable. Hence, the elements comprising any SD Marvel bag is the unique woven pattern and the special feeling of warmth emanating from every bag, because every bag is painstakingly hand-crafted and custom-made per order. They’re truly a luxurious addition to any wardrobe.

Sunny: How would you describe the quintessential “SD Marvel” woman?

Sydney: The SD Marvel woman is an inspiration to others, a woman with discerning taste who won’t simply accept trends as they come, but will set them herself. She’s a leader, not a follower. She’s young or young at heart, a cosmopolitan woman with an eagerness to travel the world or experience new and different adventures. The quintessential SD Marvel woman is refined, graceful, and always kind. She has a free and gentle spirit, but she also knows exactly what she wants and that is to be unique, to stand out and to be noticed.

Sunny: Currently, which bags are your bestsellers?

Sydney: Our bestsellers right now are the Canfield Soho, the Mini-Hotdog Romance and Simpatico Classic Hobo.

Sunny: SD Marvel was at New York Fashion Week this year. Please tell us: what was your experience like?

Sydney: I was not able to make it to New York for the show, unfortunately, due to other business engagements in Hong Kong. My associates took care of the entire project for me, which went splendid. The whole experience, though, taught me a lot more about the great amount of preparation that goes into a fashion show. Hopefully I can be in personal attendance at the next SD Marvel show!

Sunny: Who are some of the designers you admire, and why do you admire them?

Sydney: Bottega Veneta & Christian Dior. These designers each have such a distinctive, special character to their work.

Sunny: What advice would you give to a woman on the hunt for her “investment handbag” or that one great goes-with-almost-everything bag?

Sydney: Materials, design, and details are personal considerations that will of course vary from woman to woman based on her style and tastes. The most important factor in deciding on your “it bag” is how it makes you feel. It’s a lot like choosing a lover. You may not be able to articulate why you love that person, but there is no denying the passion and feeling.

Finally, I’d like to add that price is not a good determining factor. An inexpensive bag from a designer you’ve never heard of might make you feel like a million bucks, so why not get it? A bag that costs thousands of dollars might utterly lack compatibility with you, so why get it just because it’s by a highly-demanded designer? You want to get a bag that will make you more confident to be who you are.
 
Sunny: What advice would you give to an aspiring fashion designer?

Sydney: Perservere–I think everybody will find success eventually, whether as an aspiring fashion designer, driver or even lawyer, as long as you keep your faith and stay focused on your interest. However, you must have confidence and believe in yourself, especially when nobody else seems to. Don’t give up too easily.

Of course, there’s also the technical aspects of any field, and you need to devote time to learn the skills of the trade. Also, find mentors. Get in touch with people who can help you achieve your goals faster. If you’re just starting off, then you’re a student, and you need to find your teachers. A mentor isn’t the only help you’ll need either. You’ll need assistants and sponsors, just like any President or CEO of any company needs a good secretary, and every budding singer needs a sponsor. So don’t ever be afraid to ask for help.

An Inspiration

Sydney has been a wonderful inspiration and mentor to me and I hope you will all support his line. SD Marvel bags look three times more expensive than they actually are. Everybody these days is throwing around the term “affordable luxury” or “artisan quality and craftsmanship for bargain prices,” but few brands live up to the promise like SD Marvel. As I mentioned earlier, his particular style is very uptown. If that describes your style too, you’re going to really appreciate Sydney’s aesthetic point of view.

SDM Links and References:

• SD Marvel | Browse the e-catalog for SDM’s full collection.
• SD Marvel Facebook Page | Add to your FB MyPages today!
• SDM Flickr Album | Luxury, luxury, luxury. Everything about SD Marvel epitomizes luxury. These photos are worth a thousand repetitions of “wow.”
• Video Footage of the SD Marvel fashion show at NYC Fashion Week 2010 | The models should have directed more attention at the handbags, since they are the feature of the show, and outfits could have been styled better to complement the bags, but the sum of the parts was still exciting.

Next weekend Hubby and I are going to Vegas, and I need an evening bag to match some of the Vegas-y outfits I plan to wear. I could have purchased a similar bag at the neighborhood mall, and for less than 30 bucks, saving myself the whole day of time that it took me to make this bag, but now where would the fun be in that?

I strongly recommend to anyone who is really into handbags to try making one. Most of us don’t work with our hands enough. We sit in an office in front of a computer 9 to 5 and believe that using our cognitive abilities, applying our college degrees in American letters or some-other-study-ology is the only worthwhile intellectual excursion. But there is an inimatable happiness in making something from scratch, especially something practical that you’ll be using yourself. And if you’re a handbags freak like me, start with handbags. One ought to have some basic understanding of how our favorite possessions are made.

For beginners, a clutch would be easiest, like the one I’ve made here. The materials cost about $12 buying from Joann Fabrics, though that is not a place I recommend buying from. I am not a fan of that store, but it’s the closest one to home, sadly, so there it is.

I knew what kind of fabric I wanted going into the store–something very shiny and louder than the usual me, but still “me.” Something that expressed Vegas. There was also a particular dress I had in mind that this clutch/evening bag would be paired with.

If you’ve never made your own handbag but want to, first conceive your design, then in your mind, deconstruct it into its basic shapes. These will become your pattern. Cut the pattern out of cardboard and trace it onto the material for your bag, and then onto a second material that will be the interior lining. See the above photos of the patterns I cut out and started sewing together.  Note: A ruler and calculator may be handy.

There are tons of how-tos online, but there’s really no need for them. Just stop and use your brain a bit. You’ll figure it out.

Also, I’m not a fan of homemade knock-offs. It’s…just don’t do it. Instead, actually design your own. This is not to say you can’t design a bag inspired by one of your favorite brands. Rather than outright copy a Betsey Johnson clutch just because you like the big bows, for example, take the big bow concept to create a design that is uniquely yours. 

Your first design need not be all a la Versace or Alexander McQueenish. Heck, I love simple. A big ole rectangle and zipper is just perfect. Add beadwork, interwoven ribbons, a little silver-tone or gold-tone hardware, or a braided handle for details and suddenly your big ole rectangle bag may look quite couture. 

The Vegas evening bag took me a whole day because my sewing machine decided to crap out. Then while I stitched by hand, the cat thought the needle and thread were his toys, and kept trying to bite off my thread. And yeah, that’s an old episode of Drop Dead Diva that I’m watching on my laptop while I sew. What a great chick-flick show that cutely distorts the practice of law! Love it.

After finishing the base of the bag, I started getting fancy and contemplated the big rose look, which seems to be popular right now, cover the entire front of the bag with roses for a very textured design, or the other extreme– total simplicity with only a pin from my jewelry box. I decided neither idea worked for the dress I wanted to pair this bag with.

Generally, sew the bag together inside out so that the seams don’t show. I used a red cotton fabric that cost $0.99 for my interior lining. I don’t need pockets in the lining because I always carry around a purse organizer, so the purse organizer would keep my things in place.

Plus, this is a one-weekend-use evening bag…for Vegas. As long as it fit Hubby’s cigarettes, lighter, a slim wallet, my phone, and tube of lipstick, I’d be good to go.

I wanted the bag to take on some semblance of independent shape, so I lined it with cardboard batting, which was just an old folder and layers of magazine pages I cut up. Reuse and recycle!

Note in the right photo above that the side edge puckered a bit. That freaked me out at first and I thought, oh no, I’m going to have to cut all those seams and redo it. Miraculously, ironing it out a bit took care of the problem. Plus, this bag isn’t for anybody else but me, so I accepted the imperfection and moved on.

As I sewed it together (inside out), I kept wondering how I’d turn it back out again with all that cardboard and magazine-page batting. Inside out, it’s a very punk-rocker-chic bag (see above left), and I’m about as far from punk-rocker-chic as one could get, so what in the heck would I do with the punk-rocker-chic bag in the event I couldn’t turn the bag out again? Don’t get me wrong, by the way, I love punk-rocker-chic on other people; I just can’t pull it off myself. In any case, I was able to turn it back out. Phew!

The clutch is 11 in. x 5.5 in., a good size, with a 7 in. handle drop. Zipper top with a magnetic snap closure on the flap, and a 35-inch silver-tone chain that I doubled up for a shorter handle, since I thought the double chain had a niftier look to it. Works as a clutch, or I can use it with the double chain handle. Fits all my essentials and then some for our Vegas trip next weekend. Yay!

The photographs make the material look like black with white polka dots. No, no. This thing is ultra-sparkly, catching and refracting light in a totally Vegas way!  I have this extravagant and detailed pin made of Swarovski crystals that I might attach to that flap, but don’t know yet. I kind of like it simple the way it is.

I hope this post demonstrates the ease and feasibility of making your own handbag, especially an evening clutch. As white collar paper-pushing professionals, we rarely get to see the fruits of our labor. Our job is little more than air-conditioned, well-dressed assembly line monotony. Working with your hands to sew every stitch, using pliers to put on a magnetic snap button and cutting chains is truly a catharsis of all the tensions and pressure that builds up from the 9 to 5. Way better and way more satisfying than happy hour. It’s Shop Class as Soulcraft for the fashionista! =)

June 16 of this year is the Duanwu Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday that falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. I, of course, did not know this. I got the memo, so to speak, from the manufacturer of my prospective Taryn Zhang purse hooks. They sent me a gift of several lovely ornaments in honor of the holiday, like the above red one.

Oh but wait…you’re curious about the purse hooks.

Purse Hooks: Purse hooks are really popular in Taiwan right now, and slowly gaining momentum here in the States. Last year a friend from Taiwan visited the Bay Area and she introduced me to them. It was love at first sight. I noted to myself that one day Taryn Zhang would make purse hooks.

The ones I want to manufacture are in the shape of a medallion. The hooks hang off the edge of tables and keep your prized handbags off dirty restaurant floors. I am obsessed with these things.  

So anyway, back to the fragrant pouches. This Taiwanese company sent me xiangbao, or fragrant pouches for the Duanwu Festival. They came in the mail today. It’s a tradition to send xiangbao, like sending Christmas cards to friends and family, or coloring eggs on Easter.

Folks used to believe that these pouches expelled wickedness. Worn around the necks of children, the fragrant pouches could ward off evil and disease. Emperors and empresses would carry these things with them at all times. It’s not entirely clear to me how or why the xiangbao came to be associated with the Duanwu Festival, but it did, and they’re given out on this day.

They’re called fragrant pouches because they are very…fragrant. The smell of them attracted the resident kitty, and he wouldn’t get out of the way when I tried photographing the pouches, so there he is in the background. He really likes the fragrant pouches. Long after I put the camera away, he was still playing with the ornaments and swatting at them with his paws.

Stock photograph of a sample purse hook

Now, purse hooks. If and when I proceed with offering Taryn Zhang purse hooks, I will be proud to say that they are made in Taiwan. Taiwan is my country of origin, and a place I hold in highest regard.

And of course I will be going with the manufacturer who sends me fragrant pouches by airmail, even though we still haven’t signed on the dotted line. That is what we call good faith dealings. =) 

I realize my blogging has been haphazard lately. Vacation photos, afternoon tea, fragrant pouches…and here we thought this was a purse blog!

… Asian American style, that is! Li Shan tea from Taiwan (the “King of Teas,” some say) served with strawberry jam filled almond shortbread cookies, Chinese honey almond squares, and these dessert dumplings I made up when I was trying to figure out what to do with leftover dough.

Manufacturing for the alpha collection is out of my hands for now, which means this weekend I was very idle, so I surprised Hubby with sweets. I sketched for several hours, got nowhere with that, and decided I wanted to have afternoon tea.

Two yolks, a stick of butter, a small teacup of sugar, honey, and a pinch of salt with flour slowly mixed into the batter until a relatively firm dough is formed; roll balls of the dough in finely chopped almonds, and fill with your favorite farmer’s market fruit preserves. Hubby prefers strawberry, so that’s what I used. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes and you’ve got the most delicious jam-filled shortbread cookies ever.

The almonds are home-grown on my aunt’s farm. She also keeps bees, and the honey I use is from her bees.

There was excess dough, so I threw in the rest of the almonds, rolled it out, cut a square, and then cut that square into even smaller squares, brushed with a wash of egg whites and honey, sprinkled on sugar, and baked at 400 degrees F until golden brown and crispy. The egg white wash and sugar gives the squares a glossy almost candy-like coating. Yum.

After I cut out the square to cut into little squares, I still had that tiny ball of leftover dough, so I rolled it out into two dumpling wrappers, filled with a spoonful of sugar (which will melt into a gooey center after baking), and pinched the dessert dumplings shut with the rest of the egg white wash.

Hubby and I spent a lazy afternoon filling up on calories, the best green tea ever, and conversation. We are both individuals with strong sociopolitical opinions, often divergent opinions, and so we have a lot to talk about. Lately it’s been Arizona Senate Bill 1079 and the BP oil spill. I know…not exactly the lightest discussion to accompany afternoon tea, but that’s how we roll.

I haven’t entirely thought through why I’m posting photos of cookies, probably because I’ve been reading too many food blogs and I feel inspired.

Just so this post is somewhat related to Taryn Zhang, I conclude with a photo of swatch test pieces currently sitting on my desk:

And here is where I do all my design work: