Fall is in Full Swing!

Happy Friday, friends of Lill!

This week has been nothing short of exciting, both as an intern for Lill and a new Chicago city-dweller! While I had the opportunity to explore Navy Pier, spend time with old and new friends, try new forms of exercise and cuisine i also ran into a minor glitch...

This week I came down with a slight case of the flu...so I thought in the spirit of fighting off this disasterous bug I would share a few tips (some tried and true and others I had yet to come across) on how to stay healthy this time of year:

1. Don't eat too many sweets- sugar will not help your immune system one bit!


2. If you need to sneeze or cough, do so you into your elbow just so that you don't share the "joy" with everyone on the train. However, I do understand when the hand-shield is the only way and in that case please just wash your hands...


3. Sleep more (because i'm guessing you don't do this enough now) and drink water like it's your job.


4. Find a little alone-time to destress.Giving your body a little break can do nothing but help
   

Missing a day of work this week was a definite dissapointment because Lill is in constant forward motion; I don't want to miss a beat! Some of the themes being focused on this week include:

• What's NEW for the holiday season


• Possible new themes for online


• New DEALS (keep your eyes peeled for those both on our website and Facebook!!!)


• Brainstorming spring merchandise ideas
  

As this next week comes around remember to keep an eye out for great styles and deals and please stay healthy so you can enjoy this wonderful autumn season!!

All the best,

Anne

-Lill's College Marketing Intern

Our Turn to Be the Customer!

For forever at LILL HQ we've had a monthly potluck lunch tradition where those with birthdays in the month choose a food theme and everyone contributes something to a potluck meal. It is something everyone looks forward to each month. In fact we like potlucks so much it was a major factor in the design of the office lunchroom layout - including the massive 6' x 20' island. We just had to make sure we had enough room for everyone's treats each month...

About a month ago we added to this tradition by including a handbag design party for staff as part of the potluck. Now, each month during the potluck we draw names of a few styles staff can choose from to design. Then everyone pairs up to take turns being the stylist and the customer to help each other design and place an order. My hope in adding this was that the staff who primarily works at headquarters vs. in the field directly with customers would get a sense of what it was like to be at a party or to work as a Store Stylist or as a LILL on Location Rep. My goal is to use the staff bag parties to help us make better decisions about fabrics, styles, selling processes etc to improve our overall customer experience - and the big bonus - each staff member would be treated to a new LILL product each month.

What I didn't fully count on was how much fun it would be to change hats and just be the customer for a change. I'd forgotten how much fun it is to mix and match fabrics for myself - I'd become accustomed to the instant gratification of the ready-made and hadn't actually designed one for myself in a while, and especially not a party setting. By the time I was done selecting the combination for my Hadley bag, I was giddy with excitement and couldn't wait to see how my bag and those of other staff I helped design would turn out. I could see the same excitement on the faces of the rest of the staff. The wait was over last Friday when we got everyone back together to ohh and ahh over the finished products. I must say we created some really beautiful bags that fit each person to a tee. It was the quintessential LILL experience. It gave everyone who participated a renewed appreciation for the LILL products and experience as the customer sees it. I definitely think it accomplished the goal and more. Check out the photo of some of our staff with the bags they designed...

We had our second potluck bag party yesterday - this month's bag choices were special occasion bags. Erinn was the big winner as almost everyone designed that style. In a few weeks we'll present everyone's finished products. There were so many fun combinations, I can't wait to see them completed! I just love being the customer!

Happy Designing!
Jen Velarde

What I'm Loving (this) Wednesday

Hey all you LILL fans,

I hope everyone is having an amazing week. Here are a few things that I am loving (and so should you) this week:

1) The rest of our Fall fabrics are finally here, check out Adrienne's blog from earlier this week for more details, but I'm a HUGE fan of Raspberry Fizz (amazing texture), Grass Green, and I never thought I would say this, but our new Meow fabric is awesome, if you're looking to go a little bold with your Fall bag.


2) I'm not as obsessed as some of my friends (Jamie), but OPI just launched their new Winter line - "The Burlesque Collection." From first sight my top two favorites are Bring on the Bling and Let Me Entertain You - the collection hits shelves in October. These will be perfect to pair with your adorable ERINN or GRACE in one of our sassy fabrics for all your holiday parties (think Glamorous, Silver Sheen, Ivory Sheen, Onyx Rays, and Raspberry Fizz among others).

3) Our Online Pick of the week - make sure any pick up a LILLI this week for only $126. LILLI is the perfect bag to take to work, on a plane, to the gym, around town, or on an over-nighter. Pick one for yourself, or start marking people off your holiday shopping list. After all, who doesn't want to be styling while stuck in the airport (all of the compliments are sure to cheer you up a bit). Go ahead design one...you won't regret it, especially at this price. http://www.1154lill.com/shop.axd/CustomBagProduct?bagnbr=193

4)I'm also loving all of the new shows on TV right now (that God for DVR). I'm still trying to understand The Event (I hope I'm not alone on this one), but you can't go wrong with Glee, Modern Family, House, Top Chef Just Desserts, and for a little guilty pleasure, yes, I still watch Gossip Girl. Gosh this makes me sound like all I do is watch TV, I'm also reading an amazing book right now called The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, a very compelling fictional story told based out of the life of a woman in the Book of Genesis.

5) Loving these Style Tips on ELLE.com check them out, what girl couldn't use some advice (or a refresher every now and again). My favorite tip: Create a Signature Look...could this SCREAM 1154 Lill Studio any more??? Enjoy: http://www.instyle.com/instyle/package/general/photos/0,,20368643_20385732_20784931,00.html

That's it from me this week, back soon with more of my fav's. Have a great rest of your week, and feel free to email me with what you are loving this week and I may just include it in my next blog entry.

Morgan
morgan@1154lill.com

Are you ready for Spring?

Can you believe we are already looking at fabrics for Spring? We have done a rough pick of what we might buy for Spring 2011. Nothing is final yet, these are just a sneak peek. The last image below is the Spring/Summer 2011 Pantone colors.