Tallulah Love

www.tallulahlove.com

Just before Christmas 2011 I decided to compose a letter to send to Michelle Taylor (owner at Tallulah Love) to show my interest in working for her company.
A few weeks went by and I found out she was going to be in Fenwick show casing her lingerie so I decided to go and personally meet her and hand her the letter.

After meeting her in person and seeing the gorgeous lingerie displayed I was even more determined to complete my work placement there.

Finally! 23^rd February I received a message from Michelle asking me to come for an interview as she said I seemed really keen considering I followed her steps on Facebook leaving comments about Tallulah Love news!

The interview was really relaxed, as I feel really passionate about the company and interested. Michelle was lovely and it would be definitely be a fantastic opportunity to complete my placement here.
 Due to other work commitments – Michelle suggested that I check with my current job that I could work at least a couple of days a week. So we decided Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning.

I start 29^th February 2012!

Company Information 

Tallulah Love that is based in the UK creates well-made luxury lingerie.  The owner of the company Michelle Taylor who was originally ex design director at Playboy Intimates UK has over 13 years experience in the Lingerie Industry and ‘is the creative force behind the new and innovative brand’.

The range was launched in Paris at the Salon International de la lingerie show in January 2010 and is now sold globally including Japan and the USA.

The lingerie created is very contemporary yet has the slight vintage essence. The styling, marketing and branding all display the luxury glamour and the range falls into the high-end of the market level.

Tallulah Love Luxury Lingerie

Work Placement

 Day 1

I had the most amazing day ever working at Tallulah Love. Counting stock for potential buyers, for instance Simon Watts. Who is an ex policemen starting an underwear business in Newcastle this April 2012.
I also had the pleasure of beautifully wrapping lingerie including corsets, briefs and bras. I delivered the goods to the boutique, which is located in Jesmond called Anjelique.

I also suggested a few ideas that we could possibly explore to raise awareness of the business for instance a pop up shop and a possible live window show casing the lingerie.
Another idea was also about creating bright, feminine lingerie for the woman who have had breast cancer and find it difficult in finding nice bras where they can fit their prosthetic breast implant.

Tonight I am going to research the idea of the pop up shop to suggest to Michelle Taylor tomorrow morning.

Day 2

Another busy day continuing with counting stock. Tallulah Love also uploads her lingerie to eBay therefore I wrapped up the bras and briefs which had been sold ready to send off.

I am also going to photograph other lingerie next week to add and sell on eBay.  

Michelle at Tallulah Love also introduced me to her admin email address which I now have access therefore I can check emails to see if anything important comes in.

We also had a phone call from Angenique’s – the boutique in which I dropped off the order for yesterday. There was a slight click in a couple of the bras so we re-delivered new bras which they were very pleased with.

I also contacted Jane Shaw – someone who I have met through Newcastle College who spoke to our class about Pop Up Shops – something that me and Michelle are both keen to do. 
Michelle also gave me a couple of items which I was thrilled with I have added a couple of photos below:

My very own Tallulah Love Eye Mask!

Gorgeous Tallulah Love Packaging !

Tallulah Love Garments 

Below I have included some of lingerie I love created by Michelle at Tallulah Love:

Garden of Delights 

Available at www.tallulahlove.com

This gorgeous eye catching green is what really grabs my attention. Not to mention the detail within the garments for instance the fushia pink rosebud at the centre front. 

Video of Garden of Delights

Vintage Lace Corset

Available at www.tallulahlove.com

This stunning black luxury corset displays  maximum detail for instance lace shoulder straps and pin tuck detailing.
I also love the bow tying in the centre of the corset.
The knickers which match with the corset are made with the finest silk and display a corset detail at the front. 

Friday 9^th March 2012 – Day 3

Another fantastic day in the office! Started the day by sorting lingerie sets for two photographers who want to photograph Tallulah Love garments.

Jade Turnbull – the first photographer was lovely and I have checked out some of her amazing photography shoots on Facebook and they are really amazing.

Once the shoot is done she is then going to upload the photographs to her blog and send them to us at Tallulah Love!

Michelle, owner of Tallulah Love, has also requested me to write a small biography of the company to send to Jade Turnbull for her website called Di Alta Classe (which will be open in a couple of months) therefore a little task for me to complete tonight!
I have included one of the final photographs of the Jade Turnbull shoot displaying Tallulah Love Luxury Lingerie below:

The tones of the overall photograph are gorgeous and with the amount of models in one shot it really draws the eye in!! Definitely a success!!!!

Jess Wright from T.V show ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ has also been in contact for us to send her an invoice. Jess Wright stocks Tallulah Love Luxury Lingerie in her shop ‘with love from Jess’.

I completed the invoice, which was then ready to send off.

My next job of the day was to then start sorting out lingerie sets for an upcoming fashion show this Monday night (12^th March 2012) at ‘As you like it’. The fashion show is all about raising funds for Northumbria students who are completing their final major projects! Definitely an expensive time for any student!

I will be attending the show myself as I will be backstage helping the models get ready and making sure everything runs smoothly!

So excited!!! Going to be amazing experience!

Monday 12^th March 2012 – Day 4

Tonight Northumbria students were holding a fund raising event at ‘As you like it’, a bar located in town. Tallulah Love was showcasing the gorgeous sets of lingerie – so my role of the night and another current intern Lizzie was to make sure models knew which set was theirs and to do a quick fitting. 

Other events during the night included a catwalk of new and upcoming boutique Anjeniques who also stock Tallulah Love Luxury Lingerie. There were also prizes to be won at the event including an auction where bachelors were there to be won!

After the amazing catwalk showing Tallulah Love it was time to set up a table and start selling some lingerie. Myself and another previous intern Emma Appleton managed to sell a few of our current sale items and made some money!

It was then time to start the raffle! Prizes included spa treatments, free styling day at Anjeniques and a Mulberry bag cake! Unbelievably I managed to win myself the Mulberry bag cake!! Looks too nice to eat!!

Overall an amazing opportunity as I got to meet Sandra Tang again, organizer of Newcastle Fashion Week. It was also an incredible experience and definitely a highlight during my work placement.

I decided to raise even more awareness of the brand by taking the left over lingerie, which we didn’t sell at lasts nights fashion show into college. I also managed to sell some briefs to my college friends making £20 for Tallulah Love! YAY! J    

Wednesday 14^th March – Day 5

After reducing some of the lingerie online we have had mass amounts of orders to sort out, wrap and send off!
Even sending 4 pairs of knickers to Canada!

Due to the sale, we spent the day promoting by updating Facebook as well as Twitter!

Its amazing seeing my friends on Facebook joining the page of Tallulah Love, it displays that word is getting out there!

Even bought my first set of Tallulah Love Lingerie today – Lovebirds!

The set has also been showcased on ‘The Only Way Is Essex!’

I have also gathered more lingerie that is now in the sale to bring into college as well as show my friends which hopefully they’ll invest J!    

Thursday 15^th March Day – Day 6

Taking my MAC in today definitely gave me an advantage as I was able to access emails straight away and answer any questions or problems.

My first job of the day was to sort out a selection of lingerie for a lady coming in at 2.30 to collect. The lingerie is being used for a fashion show at an event called “The Fashion Ration”.

The event includes Fashion, Jazz and Liquor! And promises to be the most decant night of the year so the dress code is vintage and is going to be held at the Stephenson Works.

The Fashion Ration is a celebration of all things vintage!

All ticket proceedings are going to The Cyrenians charity.

This event is going to take place on Tuesday 20^th March and I cant wait as we are also going to be setting up a stall to sell our lingerie!

I also created a poster today to send out to our mailing list from the Tallulah Love website. It involved me adding images and text to Photoshop that I then altered ready to send off. Hopefully this promotion of the sale will increase more and more sales that any business needs these days during the recession!

Tuesday 20^th March 2012 – Day 7

Last night was a fantastic night! Tallulah Love was once again in the limelight as we put on a lingerie fashion show at the charity event. Our teamed turned up nice and early to set up our stall as we were going to be selling our lingerie that has recently been reduced. Myself an another intern also got the job of helping the models get ready for the show which was difficult as models were literally straight off the catwalk and straight back out in a different set of lingerie. After the show had finished we went back to help out at our stall which we made an amazing amount of money! The night was very inspirational at it was focused on everything vintage – something which I have never experienced before. 

Wednesday 21^st March 2012 – Day 8

A day in the office where me and another intern were both assigned different tasks that need to be completed! As one of my strengths is researching, my task was to investigate vintage boutiques that could then lead to possibly stocking Tallulah Love. So I have started to collate a database with contact details etc. of different boutiques and stores. As I do like working in new environments and with new people I have also been assigned the task of organizing and running next weeks photoshoot for Tallulah Loves new stock! It is a fantastic opportunity for myself and is something I am really looking forward too! 
I feel as though this work placement has totally opened my eyes within the fashion world specifically in the lingerie department. I have to come to realize that gorgeous lingerie is a really important aspect in my life and something I probably quite literally could not live without! Anyways this has inspired me to go home and photograph my whole lingerie collection – as it is quite impressive!     

Current Amounts:
Bras- 67
Knickers - 85
and the little ones... - 99

 Thursday 22^nd March 2012 – Day 9

I spent today adding more and more possible boutiques that could possibly stock Tallulah Love Luxury Lingerie.  

I also got in touch with the model for next weeks shoot making sure she could attend the location and time that she was needed. It has been good experience having the opportunity to organize a professional shoot, I know it is very difficult to organize everyone making sure they can all make it.

A stylist down London called Jeff Mehmet also emailed Tallulah Love about using our lingerie for a photoshoot.

The model is for a shoot with Immodesty Blaize and photographer Luc Coiffait.
The theme is ‘relaxed couture’ and old Hollywood glamour.

I replied to this opportunity suggesting the vintage corset which Tallulah Love sells as it is modern with a vintage twist which would be perfect for the shoot.

It is also a very exciting time completing my work placement at Tallulah Love as tonight the NE business awards will take place and best newcomer of the year will be announced!!!

Friday 23^rd March 2012 – Day 10

WE WONNNN!!!!!!!! Amazing!!! Tallulah Love strikes again and came away last night with a fantastic award! This is the fourth award Michelle has accepted and we are thrilled to add this to our proud collection. The buzz from the awards definitely resulted in an influx of emails to congratulate Michelle on her latest achievement.

It was time to start trying to organize next weeks shoot for Tallulah Love J organizing the hair stylist and model as well as asking permission to use a house which is really vintage for the shoot.

Due to nature of my work placement I have met so far some really inspirational fantastic people – one of them being burlesque dancer Constance Peach.  As it is her birthday this week – us cheeky Tallulah’s will be showcasing lingerie ourselves as well as serving some cute cupcakes! Cant wait!!

A couple of Tallulah's and the birthday girl! 

Wednesday 28^th March 2012 – Day 11

Today we spent organizing the lingerie for tomorrows shoot as well making sure everyone was still able to come. The original location was going to be at a vintage house in Whitley Bay however it has been changed now to Nancy’s Bordello in Newcastle, as we had no confirmation for the previous location. This shoot will definitely be an amazing experience for me as ill be able to have a taster of what it is really like in the lingerie industry.
I also started to create an email ready to send to boutiques that could possibly lead to stocking Tallulah Love Luxury Lingerie therefore generating profit for the business.
I also spent some time helping Michelle answer an interview from another student who was completing her dissertation, which I have included a couple of questions below:
1.    Do you think the ‘Glass Ceiling’ is something that only the female gender face? Or is it just an excuse used when they lack the knowledge/skills needed for corporate positions?
I don’t believe there should be any limitations on the glass ceiling, as I don’t think it matters what gender you are. Individuals are responsible their own growth whether that is in career or their intellectual or spiritual growth.
2.   Did you know that according to the Guardian.co.uk 73% of female managers believe they still face a 'Glass Ceiling' and that barriers to advancement still exist, compared with only 38% of men. What are your thoughts on this?
I find this disheartening to believe that such a large percentage of our female managers feel this way, as personally I have not experienced this.
Obviously this fashion industry is largely female and success is based on tenacity, talent and drive regardless of gender.

Thursday 29^th March 2012 – Day 12

An early start today as us at Tallulah Love was shooting our new S/S Collection 2012. The location of the shoot was at Nancy Bordello’s on the quayside. We collaborated with all North East Company’s including the photographer Laura Jayne Vest, Phillipa & Toria who work at Evil Twin Hair & Make Up. Even our models were from the North East including Rebecca Edwards who is an up and coming model as well as our good friend Constance Peach.

The whole day went smoothly and I got the experience of choosing locations to shoot, making sure the lingerie was the focus of the shoot for instance that all Tallulah Love branding was visible. I also brought in accessories to help style the shoot for instance pearl bracelets and necklaces.

I really love getting involved with photoshoots as there is a real energy and vibe throughout the whole experience. The whole Tallulah Love team cant wait to see the final photographs!

After a long day for me it was time to head off to my second job!

Below are a few back stage photographs which I took throughout the shoot.

Friday 30^th March 2012 – Day 13

An early start today as we have a bride coming in to discuss a theme for her bespoke garter which she has asked Tallulah Love to design and create.

The bride stumbled across us while reading the North East magazine called ‘etc’ as there was an article about Tallulah Love and the new addition of bespoke garters to the company.

I have included the magazine displaying the article below:

Wednesday 4^th April 2012 – Day 14

Today we started to prepare for our first sale that is going to be tomorrow at the Tallulah Love offices!

I made posters to advertise the sale that will also be going up tomorrow. I have displayed the posters below:

After making the posters it was time to start advertising making sure everyone knows about! I posted the images Facebook, twitter and emailed people. 

We then set up the room which we are going to be selling the stock in – making it look gorgeous with all the lingerie! Cant wait for tomorrow – going to be great selling the fabulous knickers to the general public!!

Wednesday 11^th April 2012

A day of sorting out orders and promoting the lingerie on Facebook. We are also in the stages of finalizing the images for the new brochure that will display the Tallulah Love new collection 2012. I also created an email that was sent out to our whole mailing list mentioning that the new collection will be revealed soon as it has all been edited. 

Thursday 12^th April 2012

A day of sorting out lingerie for another upcoming Tallulah Love fashion show next week! We chose what sets are going to be displayed on the catwalk as well as music choice. We are going to be collaborating with Rosie Willett who designs and creates a collection of hand crafted headpieces and jewellery.

We also spent the day collecting more and more possible stockists from all over the world and added them to my database which I have created for Tallulah Love.

Website - Rosie Willett Designs

Friday 13^th April 2012

Sorting out recent orders for customers and wrapping the lingerie up ready to send off! I have also been in contact with manufactures abroad chasing up when we will expect our next stock delivery. 

Today was also the day that we released the new Tallulah Love Luxury Lingerie brochure showcasing a new Capsule Collection 2012. This range includes the stunning collection of “Goddess of the Unicorns” which features a hand drawn Unicorn print digitally printed onto silk satin (kimono) and silk georgette (for the soft bra and knicker).

Tallulah Love has also launched this season its best selling style (Lovebirds) in Ivory and Black and have renamed this collection Simply Tallulah. The bra gives a fantastic shape under clothing and the knickers fit like a dream creating a stunning figure flattering silhouette.

I also created a new order form, which we attached to the new brochure once sent out. This will allow new and existing stockists to send their order easily with a minimum spend of £500. 

Wednesday 18^th April 2012

A short day in the office today as Michelle the designer has another business meeting.
As I got into the office it was the case organizing and sorting out the lingerie for tonight’s fashion show at Bowburn Hall in Durham. I allocated different sets to 5 different models in total showcasing 10 sets of lingerie and our beautiful kimono ‘Goddess of the Unicorns.’ I also responded to orders that we had from people who had bought our lingerie online – I wrapped and packaged these up ready to send off.  Over the weekend we had also spotted our lovely set the Bluebirds on Billie Faiers from TOWIE creating even more awareness of the brand. 

SWOT Analysis.... 23rd April 2012
Strengths
My strengths so far in this project include dedication, motivation and the ability to suggest new ideas.


Weaknesses 
Weaknesses include the fact I can only work here part time due to work commitments as well as college therefore its hard to keep up with whats going on!


Opportunities 
The experience I have gained so far has been unreal - working at Tallulah Love motivated to make a firm decision and accepting a Contour Fashion course at De Montfort.
The amount of networking that I have also done since being at Tallulah Love will also be beneficial for me in the future.


Threats 
Finding the time to design some lingerie even garters to go in my portfolio - something ill have to complete in my spare time.

Wednesday 25^th April 2012

A few orders we had to get ready and send out to customers including Lauren Laverne who recently mentioned Tallulah Love in the guardian ‘best of British fashion’ article.

The Guardian - ' Lauren Laverne '

We have also received new images of models showcasing our lingerie from Di Alta Classe. The images show the sexy side of Tallulah Love Luxury Lingerie and the essence of the shoot is a lot different to the vintage look that Tallulah Love usually takes. 

We also received our gorgeous new set today called ‘Royal Welcome’; the complete collection combines delicate signature detailing and sleek elegance, keeping the perfect balance between comfort and style. The Royal Welcome set designed by Michelle was before the royal announcement was designed with Kate in mind…she has such classic beauty and her conduct and manor are most definitely befitting of a princess.

The set comprises intricately printed regal Tallulah Love drawn crest on luxurious ivory silk teamed with the finest black Leavers Chantilly lace and crowned trim detail. The bra and knickers are embellished with black and stripy bows, which are beautifully hand sewn on to give the pieces that extra luxury.

The images for the Royal Welcome lingerie set were shot within the beautiful setting on Pension des Marronniers, a rustic family mansion surrounded by chestnut trees of the Luxembourg Gardens in the city of love itself Paris by the renowned Swiss born photographer Raphael Yoshitimo.

It was my job to unpack the newly arrived stock and add it to our online website www.tallulahlove.com so people could start ordering this gorgeous set today!  

Thursday 26^th April 2012

Michelle Taylor – designer at Tallulah Love has been approached by a charity called Bra aid that have asked if she will go over to Tanzania and help groups of women set up their own businesses helping them out of the poverty trap.

Michelle has also mentioned to me and another intern Lizzie about going over as well and helping out next year during the Easter holidays! Watch this space!
We will be collecting second hand bras that we can sell to raise money for this important issue.

The opportunity for me to go over to Tanzania next year is fantastic as I will be able to have even more experience in the lingerie industry and also helping out charities. Just need to save up and raise the money for me to be able to go! 

Wednesday 2^nd May 2012

Michelle has had a busy day today as she has been giving presentations all day. Me and another intern Lizzie went into the office in the morning to sort out lingerie samples etc. to then meet Michelle with them in town.

We had a nice little drink in the trendy, quirky bar9 located next to the theatre royal getting ready for the next presentation.
While in the bar there were many magazines and leaflets on the bench so I decided to have a look through them and came across ETC magazine were Tallulah Love was featured in!

Lizzie and me also had a wonder around the art installation on the Quayside and then decided to wait at the Pitcher and Piano for Michelle to come out after her meeting.

We then went back to the office to sort out a couple of orders which had came in from the website. 

As I am currently completing a file for my work placement module at college I have decided to add some of the press where Tallulah Love has been showcased:

Intima Magazine 

Intima Magazine

 Tallulah Love Luxury Lingerie featured in Vogue magazine.

Thursday 3^rd May 2012

As we were out of the office most of the day yesterday we had loads to catch up on. We started the day organizing our magazine, which is going to be called the Tallulah Times. 

The magazine idea came from John Rowell who approached us about creating a Tallulah Love magazine; straight away we knew it was going to be brilliant. We aim to have the full magazine created, designed and printed by Friday 18^th May, which is just in time for Newcastle Fashion Week!

Both Lizzie and me are going to create pages for the magazine therefore we have been collating ideas of what exactly is going into the magazine. I wont say exactly what is going into the magazine at this point, as we all want it to be exclusive when it comes out!
However, I can mention that I have been given the job of contacting celebrities who we know own Tallulah Love Luxury Lingerie requesting quotes from them on how they feel in the lingerie and what they love about it! 

I have also been asked to create a page my recent step in life of accepting a place at De Montfort University to complete a Contour Fashion course! 

Newcastle Fashion Week 

28th May 2012 

I had the fantastic opportunity to help showcase Tallulah Love Luxury Lingerie for Newcastle Fashion Week at As You Like It (bar in Jesmond).
The night went fantastic - we always planned more of 'burlesque show' to keep the catwalk interesting and show the 'cheeky' side of Tallulah Love. 
The Di Alta Classe ladies modelled Tallulah Love and they were fantastic!

Paris 2012 
All of the Tallulah family have been so busy these past few weeks preparing to exhibit in Paris on the 6th-9th July. 
Designing, sourcing fabric and trims has been very stressful and difficult however TALLULAH LOVE WILL PULL THROUGH! 
We cannot wait to showcase our new collection in Paris this year - everyone will be WOWED! 

We have also been finalising our Tallulah Times magazine specially for Paris so buyers are able to take it away and most importantly remember the Tallulah Love Luxury Lingerie brand :)
I have uploaded a couple of more taster pages below :) ENJOY!

Salon International De La Lingerie 
6-9th July 2012
A lot of preparation was made before we attended the lingerie trade show.
We created a brochure with our new collections as well as images to show off the amazing designs.
We also got large posters printed off to add to our stand to try create the essence of the Tallulah Love brand.
We were also very pleased with our Tallulah Times magazine (secret weapon) which had just been printed and ready to take to Paris!

We stayed in the gorgeous Chantal Thomass designed hotel called Vice Versa.
The hotel was just dream like...one of the best places I have ever stayed or even seen!
The rooms were just as impressive...

The room was practically made for me!
Totally having a house like this one day!!


Anyways, the next day was the start of the lingerie trade show. We were up very earlier to go and set up our stand where buyers etc. would be coming to see our brand as well as the gorgeous lingerie.
It was really exciting setting up as I had never been to a lingerie trade show before..and to be part of it was an absolute honour. (cant wait for the next!)

 The stand looked gorgeous and we were all very proud of the whole collection!
It was nerve at first talking to buyers simply because I had never been in that situation before..however after about an hour I started to get the hang of it !
The experience I gained from this is just out of this world.
Im also hoping to attend MODA this year in Birmingham with Michelle.


I also got the chance to talk to fabric suppliers, other lingerie designers not forgetting the buyers.
It was a real insight to my future career after I have finished the Contour Fashion course at De Montfort which I start in september this year (2012).


The lingerie trade show also held a 'White & Gold' party at a venue where just the night before Valentino had hosted a party!! VERY LUCKY!

We all had an amazing night and it was nice to network with other people who worked with lingerie everyday.


More fun in our hotel....

Back in the office...
We also received a letter from Buckingham Palace! 
We could not believe it!! 
Last month, I wrote a letter to the Duchess of Cambridge requesting her lingerie size so we could send her some Tallulah Love Delights which were actually inspired by her. 
Royal Welcome. 
The letter thanked us for sending them a lovely letter however they could not give away Kate's 'dress size'. 
Tallulah's Receiving the Royal Letter