Meet Our Newest Fan!

While responding to some customers on our Facebook page we noticed one customer in particular who was super excited about her recent LILL experience. We love getting to know our customers, and we just had to get to know Sidney. We had a little Q & A with Sidney and would like to share it with you...

How were you introduced to 1154 LILL Studio?
My husband knows how much of a purse-aholic I am and saw your site listed in one of his RSS feeds. He sent it to me and said, lovingly, "don't OD". I was on the site building a purse everyday for at least two weeks.

What was it about LILL that got you excited to design your own bag?

Being able to make a bag, with patterns and colors and textures that were all me, was the most exciting part of this process. I like bags with character, hardware and pockets, and while Lill doesn't have many bags with elaborate hardware, the character is one of a kind.

How many LILL bags do you own? Any favorite styles? What makes them your favorite?
I "adopted" two bags- Maya and Sandra. Maya was "conceived" on October 22nd and she came home just before Thanksgiving last year. Sandra was "conceived" during Snowmaggedon 2011 and will arrive by the end of February. These bags are my current favorites due to their many pockets and size. Maya is great when I am on business because I can fit my netbook and accessories inside without the need for another bag; Sandra will be more of an everyday bag.

Have you told any of your friends about LILL?
I have told every purse loving woman I know about 1154 Lill. When the 50% for one day was offered, I made it my Facebook status AND tweeted about it. Some of my friends are thinking of having a party too, but probably in the spring, when all the snow is gone in Chicago.

Are there any other styles on your wish list?

Wendy and Sophie are on my current wish list. I love the Wendy because it's reversible and it's a great summer bag. I have 5 year old twins, so this would be a great bag for them and their things when we're out and about in the city. I am also a student and a small business owner, so the Sophie can be great when Maya is too much. Sophie can double as a purse when I'm off to a meeting, or hanging at the library or Starbucks. On those days, less is more, and Sophie is definitely more!

Anything else you’d like to mention?
I think the main thing I would like people to know about 1154 Lill is the customer service. The website is super easy to use and if you are in the Chicago area, the Lincoln Park location has a great staff. When I went in for the first time they immediately made me feel welcome and were as giddy as I was about building me a new "baby". My husband and twins were with me and they even made the experience fun for them! A true purse lover can also appreciate the workmanship of the bags. I didn't overly mind the three week wait because I knew it would be quality work. I am hoping that one day we will be able to combine some styles for even more customizability, but until then, Maya and Sandra will await the day when Wendy and Sophie come home with us!

Thanks Sidney!

Animal Instincts

While we always do our best to offer a little something for everyone, we must admit that for a while animal prints just really weren't our thing. We searched high and low for tastefully cute patterns that were more Gwen Stefani and less Peggy Bundy, and finally, we've found some that are just right for LILL. Check them out on a few styles...and don't bother trying to tame your urge to get one!

New Beginnings at Lill Studio!

Greetings everyone! My name is Tiffany and I am Lill Studio's new Marketing intern! The past three weeks have been nothing short of a truly amazing experience that included moving to the Windy City, meeting new people, going on all sorts of interviews, and eventually settling into my awesome position here at Lill! Here is a little background information on me and how exactly I landed this great opportunity:

• I am a junior at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I'm currently working toward my major in Business Administration and Marketing.
• Fashion, marketing, and advertising are three of my main career passions.
• I was given the opportunity to intern at Lill Studio through a program called Chicago Semester, where college juniors and seniors are given help finding internships in the big city.
• Although I had three different interviews, I decided on Lill because I greatly admire the story of how Jen started the company, how Lill has evolved so much from its beginning, the amazing sense of community everyone shares, and, let's be real, who wouldn't love working around some the of cutest handbags ever made?!

My first two weeks at Lill have been nothing short of incredible! The first visit here for my interview was quite the adventure (including getting lost for about twenty minutes because I was still new to the whole idea of public transportation). Luckily, I made it to the studio on time and instantly fell in love with the feel of the company. The brightly colored walls and beautiful fabric swatches instantly lifted my mood that was previously dampened by the gray snowstorm outside. After my interview, I instantly knew that this was the place I wanted to intern. And thankfully, I am now doing just that! I've helped out with a lot of different projects in many different areas of the company, and I've loved learning what each person and department does. Seeing how it all comes together to form this amazing company was a truly great way to start off the job! I'll be here for the next three months and look forward to seeing how the company evolves and the new projects with which I will be involved. And, of course, I look forward to designing my own versions of the many Lill bags with which I've already fallen in love! Until the next post, stay warm and stay chic, Lill lovers!

Some Things Never Change...

With "Snowmageddon" behind Chicagoland, we're back in action here at LILL. A power outage shut headquarters down for a couple of days, but everyone's trying to get back to normal as the city cleans up the biggest mess of snow most of us here have seen in our lifetimes. This blizzard was reported as the 3rd largest in Chicago's history, shedding down some 20+ inches of snow! With the sun now shining it's nice to see people out and about, and hopefully the melting will begin. If you weren't lucky enough to see it all go down yourself, here's an image from the havoc it caused on Lake Shore Drive, causing drivers to finally just leave their cars behind. The second image is from the blizzard of 1967...not much has changed. Lets hope it's at least another 40+ years before we have to shovel this much ever again!

Stay warm...and Cute!

With the worst of winter gearing up to hit the Midwest today, we're all preparing in various ways- we got our day started a little earlier so that we can leave work early (snow traffic is the worst), a lot of us stocked up on our groceries for the week and some of us busted out our warmest and most sensible winter accessories. Notice I said "warmest" and "most sensible", and not "chicest" or " most desirable". We're all a little guilty of piling it all on without being too conscious about whether or not it really compliments our outfit. While it may take a little more effort, you can still look totally cute without sacrificing your warmth. Try on some of these accessories from Anthropologie, and of course, pair it with an extra roomy LILL bag. You'll need that extra space to stash all your winter gear.

Add a Donna, Lilli, or Roxy to complete your look!

If we happen to get those 20" of snow they're calling for stay home, grab a mug of hot cocoa, a good book and enjoy some "me" time....and maybe do a little on-line shopping.