Can social media save haute couture? (via The Star)

• The precious enclave of the Paris-based couture industry – fashion at its haute-iest pinnacle – is as much a talking point for bloggers and tweeters as the latest misstep of a Hollywood starlet.

Why Brands Still Fear Working With Bloggers. (via Yuli Z)

• While blogging is evolving as a business and profession for many of us, I think it’s important to recognize the differences between various groups of individuals in the fashion blogging landscape and avoid the very comfortable stereotyped thinking, especially if your job is to create and manage online media relationships for a designer or brand.

Vote! Fashion 2.0 Social Media Awards (via Style Coalition and ideeli)

• ideeli and Style Coalition invite you to participate in our first Fashion 2.0 Social Media Awards that celebrate fashion designers and brands for outstanding social media activity.

Should Fashion Brands Hire Agencies For Social Media Marketing? (via FMM)

• Brands and retailers often hire consultants to construct social marketing campaigns and plans that they can implement in-house. But after some trial and error, they often discover it’s more cost effective for them to let a agency or consultant handle certain aspects of online marketing and PR.

Chanel learns to think like a Media Company (via BOF) – make sure to read the comments too!

• Chanel’s real content focus has been in the digital space, harnessing Karl Lagerfeld himself to create increasing volumes of original content for digital distribution, especially around the brand’s showcase “Métiers d’Art” collections, which underscore Chanel’s unique commitment to the traditional Parisian ateliers the firm acquired in 2002 — costume jewellers Desrues, embroiderers Lesage, milliners Michel, feather-makers Lemarié, cobblers Massaro, floral designers Guillet, and silversmiths Goosens — a strategic point of differentiation.

Steven Anderson (LaPosh Salon), Ben Chmura (fashion designer), Nancy Vaughn and Andrew Ashton, LaPosh Salon

My firm had two weeks to put together a viewing party event (think watching TV with a bunch of people in a fancy place) for a fashion designer. Needless to say, its been a little hectic.

With everyone focused on the New Year and new beginnings, a great deal was already going on and many people were booked with prior commitments on the night of the event. Nonetheless, this kind of last-minute event planning worked because of the variety of relationships and connections White Book has established throughout the years as well as a bit of creative ingenuity. In order to pull this off we had to rely on our network – as soon as we found out that the party was a go, we got to work. From drink sponsors to photographers, we were able to pull everyone together to help spread the word and kick in for a great event, and by the time we were able to begin external PR, we already had 45 RSVPs and things were moving along nicely.

Here are a few tips to help you pull off a similar shindig of your own.

Pick up the phone

This is not the time for email. We immediately reached out to previous event partners and people of interest in the community to let them know “something” was coming. Since we had communicated with these individuals on previous occasions we were able to give a minimal amount of info (which is all we had at the time!), but that was ok because our contacts knew we could be counted on to follow up and keep everyone informed as more info became available.

Make a list

No time to create a full strategic event plan. Instead we improvised with a make-shift project schedule and jotted down all of the different components required to produce a successful event – things  like the venue, monitors (for viewing) and drink specials (for sanity). We categorized everything into “urgent and important” and “important but not urgent.” Everything else could wait.

Recycle

We reviewed decor used at other events (ours and others), banners, flyers, etc. that could be re-purposed appropriately for  our event.

Call in the troops

We asked for help. With only two weeks to plan and promote, this is where relationships come in. We all understand the value of networking with others within our areas of interest ~ to cultivate relationships, share ideas and receive feedback from “insiders” but it is equally important to make connections outside of the industry. Especially if you need to hop through hoops and your peeps are busy!

Conclusion

Like any event, you have to be prepared for the unexpected. We were only expecting 120 attendees, we had over 250. At the last minute we realized that the mini-Bose speakers weren’t going to get the job done, so we hooked up the deejay’s large speaker to be able to project the audio from the screen. We had fabulous raffle giveways from our vendor partners, including a $500 jewelry and make-up basket from celebrity stylists, Andrew Ashton and Steven Anderson of Andrew Ashton of LaPosh Salon, plus great items from Hpnotiq, Art Institute of Tampa, and New Identities Salon. In addition, several media partners attended and we received post-coverage from the Tampa Tribune and tbt*. The viewing party was a hit – happy client, happy guests…in less than two weeks.

Images are courtesy of Carrie Wildes Photography (www.carriewildes.com)

The boom in branded magazines (via Financial Times)

• Increasingly, luxury brands are introducing innovative editorial-style brochures and “look books” for their clients….Retailers, too, are upping the ante with lifestyle magazines, blogs and e-magazines featuring products alongside entertainment and celebrity features.

In Los Angeles? Attend The Secret To Launching A Successful Fashion Line (via FMM)

• Learn the steps to get that fashion line you’ve been dreaming about out of your head and onto the shelves of your favorite stores! Ralinda Harvey shares her practical advice, resources and first hand stories of how she has helped people from all walks of life turn their fashion dreams into profitable businesses. You walk away with realistic methods for building a successful fashion business from the ground up.

Online Newsroom done right (via PRNewser)

• Members of the media spend a lot of time trying to get information from companies. And, despite all of the talk about social media and digital communications, many online newsrooms set up by corporations lack basic features journalists want: easy to find contact info, top notch search capabilities and a simple, clean content layout.

Interview with the EIC of DEEN Magazine (via Musings of Ondo Lady)

• DEEN magazine has a little bit of something for everyone. The publication was founded by 27 year old Mayah Riaz after she saw a gap in the market for a stylish magazine that both men and women could relate to.

Nicole K. Garner, President & Founder of The Garner Circle PR (via Clutch Magazine) – PS. Check out PR Couture’s interview with Nicole as well!

• Nicole K. Garner is indisputably ambitious. Her firm, The Garner Circle is a full services agency offering public relations, lifestyle marketing and event execution. With added offices in both New York and Los Angeles, The Garner Circle boasts an extensive client list of celebrities, luxury brands and non-profits. Considered one of the most influential and fastest growing PR agencies, The Garner Circle continues to yield results with tactics grounded in principle and integrity.