Mentions Worth Mentioning, a Bridal Line, And a Sale

It’s been a productive week for us at Coco Irene.  We’ve been hunkered down, not just because it’s cold as a you-know-what outside, but busy with our various “life adventures”.  Veronica’s wedding dress is coming together (and I’ll bet stunning), my husband and I put in an offer on a house (that ordeal is almost worth creating another whole blog on it’s own, and others have), I just got a fantastic haircut courtesy of Sheba at Sparrow,  and we just received some great press.  First, Lucky featured us in their Chicago e-newsletter and city page on their website, which is the new home of the former local pages in the back of the printed mag.  Then Michele at Chocolate Pizza Stiletto Love was dear enough to post about us in her latest blog entry.  We’re feeling the love, and it’s not even Valentine’s Day yet!

Speaking of love, Veronica has been hard at work on a Bridal line of accessories, for the bride and her ladies-in-waiting, which we’re really looking forward to putting out.  Details to come soon, but you can expect the same romantic feel but with more whites, creams, something borrowed, and something blue incorporated into the pieces.    And, we plan on making custom orders available for the bride who knows EXACTLY what she wants!

Finally, our bib necklaces have just been marked down from $95 to $80, buy online here.  Grab one and wear it with your favorite slouchy tee and cardigan – it may help keep your neck warm!

Stay tuned…

2nd Annual Holiday Shopping Jubilee!

My my my, how the time is just ZIPPING by.  Our 2nd Annual Holiday Shopping Jubilee is going down December 1st, which is just over a week away! There will be accessories and clothing offered by Coco Irene, vintage inspired hats and hair accessories by Love, Lulu Mae, jewelry by Chic Gems, all natural bath and body products by Cheesecake Handmade Beauty, housewares and art by PB n Jam, and even pinup photo sessions by Vavoom Pinups will be for sale. All locally made in Chicago. Support local businesses, drink some toasty beverages, and have fun while doing it.

Just added – Sweet Papier stationary, “A Charming Little Paper Bakery”!  www.sweetpapier.com

Happy Holidays, see you there!

New styles added, fall items on sale

We’ve created a couple of new bib necklaces and added them to our Etsy page; I really think these may be our best ones yet!

The Claudette:

And the Darcy -

We’ve also added a couple of pieces from our Fall 2009 clothing collection at 60% off; our lovely Ruffle Coat -

 

And the ever versatile Essential Shift, which comes in Ivory or Gray-

 

Order them now at cocoirene.etsy.com!

Now featuring…Accessories!

We’ve been quiet for a while now, but Veronica and I have been largely preoccupied.  She became engaged (yay!) and has been planning what’s sure to be the wedding to beat all weddings in 2010, making her own dress and most of the decorations.  I made a big decision and decided to accept a full-time job (having freelanced for the past few years), at a lovely company that I have a hard time believing how much I enjoy working at.  And, amongst all of this excitement, we realized that we just weren’t enjoying the process of making clothing as much as we used to.  It was proving very taxing trying to produce substantial collections while holding down a full time job, not to mention market each collection to enough boutiques and afford trade shows, and having some semblance of a personal life.   We are both hard workers, but we need our down time.

We have always joked to each other, “Gee, I wish we could do accessories, like our friend so-and-so, they can just do street events and tons of fun stuff, and sell at a lower price point on Etsy so it’s more accessible, without people having to worry about trying anything on.”  Suddenly, we realized; why can’t we?  Why couldn’t we also create accessories?  Veronica then had a eureka moment and realized that she has spent many years of her life collection various vintage and antique fabrics, baubles and notions from the many antique fairs she frequents – why not incorporate those into sewn necklaces, belts, cuffs?  So then it was decided, in late summer, to make the switch, and have our new collection ready in time for the holidays.  We both felt giddy, it just seemed so right!  It made so much sense.  The pieces still have the same feminine, chic yet unique feel of our clothing.  Not to mention it makes it so much easier for us to sell affordable items, which we’ve always wanted to do, directly to our consumers.

We’re pleased to announce that our debut accessories line is now available on our Etsy page, www.cocoirene.etsy.com.  Veronica is having a blast creating these pieces, and I’m proud as all get out to sell them.  Also, check out our new website!  We love the new design, I think it really compliments our new aesthetic.

Enjoy the new collection!  Hopefully the love will shine through.

p.s. Our Josephine Bib necklace was featured in this week’s Time Out Chicago!  http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/shopping/80284/bib-necklaces

Girls Night Out

We will have a booth at the Shecky’s Girls Night Out event next week (March 19 & 20) – selling our past collections at major discounts – aw yeah.  Clearance!  Come on out and get yourself some Coco Irene.

goodie bags - as far as the eye can see

Not only will our pieces be marked down, but the place will be full of hundreds of items from indie designers and boutiques across the U.S.—all at up to 75 percent off.  AND you can sample new beauty products.  AND there will be free booze all night.  AND they are giving away goodie bags valued at up to $100.  What more could a girl ask for?

Tickets are $25 and available here, but we are going to sweeten the deal and give complimentary tickets to the first 10 people to email us with the subject line “Girls Night Out” *.  Please be sure to include your first and last name.  Send your email now!

 * Complimentary ticket holders will not receive the Shecky’s goodie bag.

The details:
Date  Thursday and Friday (March 19 & 20)
Time  5pm – 10pm
Place The Great Hall at Chicago Union Station
210 S. Canal St. (entrance on Jackson Blvd.), Chicago

New Markdowns!

This just in – our Hooded Capelet and Eva Dress are now on sale for 40% off their original price in our Etsy shop!  Buy now while supplies last; these wardrobe workhorses can be worn all through spring, too.  And as always, free shipping within the US!

go here:  www.cocoirene.com/shoponline

or here:  www.cocoirene.etsy.com

Love always,

Coco Irene

Fashion-Forward Trends of ’09 – That’s Us!

This morning we were featured on Good Morning America Now (so exciting!) in a segment called Fashion-Forward Trends for 2009.  Dannielle Kyrillos, Editor-at-Large at Daily Candy, brought our Gibson Blouse and Limited Edition Tunic on the air to represent the “vintage-style tops” trend along with some other really beautiful designs.  We’re super flattered and thrilled to have been a part of the show. 

Dannielle says our Gibson Blouse has a “Depression-Era look, but there’s nothing depressing about [it]” and she loves the 20′s/30s style.  She describes our Limited Edition Tunic as “frisky without being uncomfortable” which is what Coco Irene is all about!

Extra special thanks to Dannielle for showing us off!  Click here to view the segment:  Fashion-Forward Trends of 2009

Tune in to see us on Good Morning America with Daily Candy!

Sorry we haven’t blogged in a while; it’s been fairly quiet over the holidays – until we got a call last week from DailyCandy.com in New York asking for samples to show on the third segment of Good Morning America Now.  Of course, we said yes, and shipped them post-haste!

Danielle Kyrillos, Editor-at-Large at DailyCandy.com, filmed a segment where they talked about trends for 2009, and some of our pieces will be featured.  Needless to say, we’re flattered that she included us, and we’re excited for the exposure!  Also, we are sort of in love with DailyCandy.com.

As of right now, it’s supposed to air at 8am CST this Thursday January 22nd on the ABC News Now cable channel, and online at http://abcnews.go.com/abcnewsnow.  We’ll keep you posted (heh) with the exact link, or if there are any changes.

xoxo,

Taryn

We eerily predict (almost) what Michelle Obama wears for Inauguration!

Last week, amongst the rumors that she hadn’t yet chosen an outfit, our friend and favorite stylist Heather Kenny asked us if we wanted to design a look for Michelle Obama to wear to the Inauguration for her blog.  Veronica jumped at the chance, and I think, nailed it!  The weird thing is, it’s not too far off from what Michelle ended up wearing. Here’s how Veronica describes her sketch:

“The gown is a fitted sheath with detachable train in back – something reminiscent of 60′s Hollywood – with a wide neckline to show off Michelle Obama’s lovely neck and shoulders and detailed seams in the bodice to modernize the look.  The fabric is a goldenrod damask – something royal and elegant.”

Here’s our sketch:

And here’s what Michelle wore today:

Pretty eerily close, as far as color and fabric, right?  

You can see Heather Kenny’s blog post here:

http://heatherkenny.com/blog/2009/01/inaugural-fashion-the-chicago-way/

Happy Obama day!

xoxo,

Taryn

Jubilation

A huge thanks to everyone who braved the ridiculous snow storm last night and shopped at our Holiday Jubilee!  We had a lot of fun and drank a lot of spiked egg nog and mulled wine – mmm.  The snow was a real drag, no doubt – all of the vendors were stuck in traffic on the yet-to-be-plowed roads, but you can’t stop us broads.  Even our friend Heather came out to model our Eva Dress – here she is being fabulous.  Doesn’t she really make you want that dress?

We plan on having another event in the spring – subscribe to this blog using the link in the righthand toolbar to stay in the know!

If you missed this event, don’t forget to visit the vendors’ websites and shop online!

Coco Irene www.cocoirene.com
Love, Lulu Mae www.lovelulumae.com
Abigail Glaum-Lathbury www.abigail-glaum-lathbury.com
Cheesecake Handmade Beauty www.cheesecakehandmadebeauty.com
Veronica Sheaffer Gowns and Accessories www.vsgowns.com