Designing the New Collection & Some Advice Needed

I've never really had a design process, it's a question I'm always asked in interviews and I never have an answer, "umm I just have an idea and I umm make it?"

Well, for the first two initial collections Bird on Wire and Cocktail Collection this process worked. The collections are almost two years old and people still love them and still buy them. However the subsequent collections, 'Royal Anarchy' and 'RGB' not so much (the Sparkle Hats not included - people love em!)

So with this in mind I'm tired of throwing money at a collection and then having to sell it all at clearance because nobody loves it but me. I've actually decided to implement a design process for the new collection which will be Stylesmith's first seasonal collection. An actual Spring/Summer 2010 Collection based off some of my early jewelry designs, entitled, 'Holiday Romance'

I started with a story, a feeling. This is how all my collections start, I tend to treat them as a character in a film, this film is starring Audrey Hepburn, and is my personal version of Roman Holiday, but in full technicolour.

Then I began sketching (which I'll post at a later date) Heavy on the whimsy, but retaining a certain amount of simplicity, which I believe is what makes my hats wearable. I knew I wanted bows, polkadots and pom poms, so I worked them into some designs, thinking all the while about fabrics - wool felt, veiling, silk dupioni. Then I start to think about colours. This is where it's get's hard for me, an avid fan of colour I want to do each design in a thousand colours. Financially and practically it's just not possible so I begin to limit them. I've ended up with eight new designs in several colours.

I'm now at the production stage. Because I'm not usually into a process, I don't normally have to deal with the reality of making what I have concocted in my head work in practice. Usually I just play and if it works it works.

So it's at this point where I'm struggling especially when it comes to colour. I spent yesterday making a ton of pom poms only to realise that once the wool was pom pom-ified the colours were lost and looked pretty awful together. I wanted to have colours reminiscent of gelato, instead I got an 80's melange of mismatched colours (partly due to not being able to find exactly what I wanted in my local Michaels)

So back to the drawing board. Above are the colours I want and will hopefully get (it's the internet you have to prepare for some misnomers) and I would love some feedback before I order and end up with even more wronged poms!

I'd like to know a) what you think of the colours themselves b) of the combos?

Sorry I've rambled. Hopefully you'll find it interesting and even useful.

Love,

Kelsi xoxo