MAGIC 2012 – Las Vegas

Our recent trip to Las Vegas was prompted by the hosting of MAGIC, the premier fashion sourcing trade show in the U.S. We decided to attend to see if we could find some new suppliers of finished goods as well as yard goods and notions for our own production.

The registration process was a bit confusing and we got so many emails it was hard to keep everything straight. Once we arrived, we were directed to three different locations for on-site registration, none of which turned out to be correct. We finally found someone who was able to confirm the badges we were sent were correct even though they were not for the program for which we had registered.

The scale of this event was beyond what we could have imagined. There were two locations, The Las Vegas Convention Center and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, each hosting multiple halls of merchandise (both finished goods and supplies for manufacturing your own).

Fabric options in the Sourcing Hall presented by Fashion Snoops

We hit the Sourcing Hall first since that was the main reason we attended. Rows upon rows of booths holding thousands of samples of fabrics. M was in heaven. Until it became apparent that 95% of what was offered was manufactured in China and most suppliers had 2-3,000 yards/per style minimums. There was lots of lovely, but our desire to stay within certain guidelines with the fabrics and trims we use narrowed our possibilities significantly. Including the fact that we don’t operate on million dollar budgets.

On the first official day of the convention (Sourcing opened a day earlier than the rest of the events) we spent most of the day shuttling back and forth between LVCC and Mandalay Bay to attend several seminars on e-retail, improving web presence, and protecting your IP on the internet with regards to hard goods. We hit one of the women’s fashion supply halls and were immediately overwhelmed. We only saw a bit of it before realizing we were going to be late for our dinner date with K’s college roommate.

Day two saw us trying to get through the remaining massive halls of fashion. We had spent some quality time with their exclusive App on our iPad and had mapped out who we wanted to see specifically to save us some walking time and were able to get through a lot of venues rather quickly. The Platform hall (shoes) was so humongous we had to laugh at the thought of making it through the entire thing. We did, however, make a point to beeline for the Fluevog booth to drool over their lovely wares and rave to the representative about how much we love their product.

The MAGICPlatform (shoe) hall - seriously overwhelming

We tried to get through the WWD halls at LVCC, but found ourselves mostly uninterested in the same fashion over and over again that spoke to the masses and not to our personal tastes or the direction we are taking Frenzy Universe. That is not to say we didn’t find some of it irresistible; but again, our desire to move away from things manufactured in specific countries put us in a bit of a bind.

We didn’t get to see any of the show on day three, as we had to be at the airport early to catch our flight home.

While we were amazed by the sheer volume of merchants, designers, and manufacturers on hand we were rather disappointed with the distribution of these entities across the various elements of fashion design. For instance, there were only two exhibitors that we saw that sold notions – one sold zippers, the other was mostly labels but also did custom rivets. There were no buckle, fastener, button, or strap manufacturers on hand, which is where a significant amount of our design dollars go when creating a unique look. The devil is in the details, but apparently the devil doesn’t go to Vegas for MAGIC.

I would say that overall we were not enamored of this event and will have think carefully over whether to attend similar events in the future. It is difficult to get involved in industry events that make certain presuppositions about you in order to even let you participate. We even laughed in one of the seminars where they encouraged people to work with their IT and legal departments to make sure everything is done cohesively. We laughed because we ARE the IT and legal departments, as well as the finance, sourcing, buying, sales, and product development departments. It was quite apparent to us that we are plankton swimming in a very large ocean surrounded by whales.

What we had confirmed at this event, as we have learned at previous events, is that we are a very small company, we are okay with that, and we don’t like doing things the way they have always been done. We are definitely on our own path. It remains to be seen if we will be joined by others as we blaze forward, and if we will arrive at the same final destination despite our disparate routes.

Display of Vintage Designer Duds in the WWDMAGIC hall

Read our Blog “What Happened in Vegas…” for details on the non-work part of our trip.

What Happened In Vegas…

 … Came home with us and got posted on the internet.

Recently we escaped the dismal, dreary winter days of Ohio for a quick jaunt to Sin City. It was M’s first time, K hadn’t been since college, so it was an interesting experience for us both. The purpose of our trip was to attend MAGIC, a huge fashion sourcing event held semi-annually in Las Vegas. For the first time in a long time we were able to strike a balance between work and play and managed to get in some fun. (To read about the MAGIC show, check out our blog on the subject.)

When the plane landed the temperature in Vegas was 68 degrees, quite a pleasant change from the 10 degrees we had left behind in Ohio. M was unimpressed with the Vegas strip in the light of day, but that evening (after a lot of walking) she was rewarded with some good old-fashioned Vegas bling.

In the late afternoon/evenings we wandered the Strip, checking out the Bellagio fountains, the gondola canal in The Venetian, the pirate ships of Treasure Island, and the various specialty features for the other themed casinos. The Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower were nice touches, but admittedly no where near as impressive as the originals.

We gambled $3.00 on the penny slots at the Bellagio because K said, “If we are going to win big and get comped, it might as well be a the Bellagio.” Unfortunately, we did not win big. At one point we won $0.40, but it wasn’t enough to keep us going for long. We aren’t big gamblers in that sense, even though we take major risks on a daily basis. But you are supposed to do something different than you normally do when you are on vacation, right?

Our favorite spot, hands down, was the Chandelier Bar at The Cosmopolitan. A three story crystal chandelier surrounds the bar on the upper level of the atrium of this hotel. Bling-a-rific! The furniture was velvet and tufted. All the things we love combined in such a gorgeous way! Of course, it doesn’t hurt that when you take the escalator up to the bar level you are greeted by an All Saints store with their fabulous vintage sewing machine window display.

The Bellagio had an amazing Chinese New Year theme in their decor and we spent a lot of time oohing and ahhing over the dragons and gardens. Of course, we enjoyed the fountain show outside as well, despite the frigid wind that took over the Strip when the sun went down.

No trip to Vegas with the FrenzyGals would be complete without a trip to Circus Circus. We know it is one of the older, less nice casinos on The Strip, but it IS circus themed and we cannot resist anything circusy. We scored the most pressed pennies at this casino and enjoyed a little acrobatics and some popcorn. Oh, and we had our fortunes told by a Zoltar machine! Not a bad way to spend an hour or so, really.

Spending Valentine’s Day traveling for business in a city like Las Vegas has its own unique challenges, such as finding somewhere to dine that doesn’t require an excessive amount of waiting. We were able to order take out from the P.F. Chang’s across the street from our hotel and then eat in the comfort of our pajamas while the evening wasted away.

It was a fun, informative trip and we may make a trip back someday. When we are rich. And can afford to stay at the Bellagio and drink at the Chandelier Bar.

Talk Nerdy To Me

Pickup Lines for the Geek-Hearted

Thomas Dolby – She Blinded Me With Science

They say that one of the most important traits in a mate is a sense of humor. We agree. We love to laugh and if you get our nerdy references you increase your odds drastically. So, we thought we’d help you out this Valentine’s Day and mine some of our favorite nerdy pickup lines to ensure your success in the world of love. Everyone wants to be understood and using these lines could help you sort the wheat from the chaff.

So, go on. Make them laugh. They’ll love you for it! 

1. You’re so hot you denature my proteins.

2.  You’re as sweet as 3.14

3.  I wish I was your derivative so I could lie tangent to your curves….

4.  At absolute zero, you would still move me.

5.  I think my heart just lagged

6.  Roses are #FF0000, violets are #0000FF. All my base are belong to you.

7.  Let’s convert our potential energy to kinetic energy

8.  You must be the √2, because I feel irrational around you.

These last two are specifically for K…. Rock On, Baby!

9.  Honey, you’re so gneiss, I’ll never take you for granite.

10.  You know what they say, baby… subduction leads to orogeny. How about we go back to my place and make the bedrock?

Sources: http://www.nixiepixel.com/nerdy-pick-up-line/; http://www.pickuplines4guys.com/nerdy-pick-up-lines.html

Steampunk Superhero? In a manner of speaking, yes.

Ghosts of Manhattan by George Mann

- Reviewed by M

I admit it. I am one of “those people” who do actually judge books by their covers. And titles. I get sucked in by beautiful cover art more times than not, and a good title always seals the deal. So when I saw the copy of Ghosts of Manhattan by George Mann sitting on the shelf of my neighborhood bookstore, I was drawn in.

I read the back cover for details to see if it would interest me. “The world’s first Steampunk Superhero,” it said. I was confused as the book takes place in the late 1920s – which I have been told repeatedly by purists is NOT Steampunk and more Dieselpunk. Well, this novel blows all that out of the water with a premise that Queen Victoria only recently passed away and the Americans and Brits are on the verge of a Cold War with each other. New York City has fallen victim to intense corruption and a seedy underbelly of speakeasies and organized crime bosses rule supreme (not unlike the actual 1920s). Enter “The Ghost”, whom I would classify as Batman-meets-Rocketeer, a vigilante out for justice of his own making, working outside the law and often in direct opposition to it. He is hell-bent on cleaning up the city. The key to all the recent strange, brutal, and unsettling murders is the mysterious crime lord known only as The Roman, on account of his leaving real Roman coins behind at all the crime scenes.Who is he, where is he, and what is his ultimate goal are all questions The Ghost must answer. And soon!

A police detective struggling to maintain his integrity, our mysterious dark hero, a lovely songstress with a hidden past, and a broken soldier turned rich playboy all find themselves intertwined and interdependent in their fight to hold onto what little they have left in a world gone to the dogs.

The setting of the book is distinctly Decopunk, to my mind. Mann does a brilliant job of bridging the Steampunk and Dieselpunk genres and pulling them together in a smooth way that blurs the lines between the two, quite to my satisfaction. His attempts at hiding The Ghost’s true identity are noble, yet faulty and you see it coming long before it is confirmed in text. The characters are believable in the world he creates.

The Ghost is just the way I like my superheros – flawed and vengeful. I am not a fan of the supernaturally endowed and naively pure superheros that see the world in black and white, and The Ghost lives in the grey shadows that we all know exist in our hearts.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book as it kept me guessing and trying to speculate as to The Roman’s ultimate plan. I like books that keep me engaged and entertained. Admittedly, I was disappointed when the climax of the book seemed to come out of nowhere with barely any touchstone to the rest of the book. I like magic and mythology as much as the next person, but I felt the last few chapters of the book asked a bit too much from the reader by way of poetic license. The Roman had been shaped up to be a true villain of good old-fashioned Dick Tracy proportions, but then went off the deep end in a fantastical farce before I could truly respect his criminal genius.

I will most likely read the sequel, Ghosts of War, because my weakness for anything Batman-esque was thoroughly exploited in the first novel and I don’t mind being used in that fashion. Plus, the description includes a “plague of brass raptors”! Come on, who can resist that?!? Besides, George Mann’s story-telling brilliance is a hypnotic enticement I am loath to give up based on a bad ending to an otherwise entertaining escapist caper. I give it a solid 8 out of 10.

Let us know what you thought of the book or make suggestions for other Steampunk/Decopunk/Dieselpunk fictions out there.

Zombie Jerky Review

Our good friends from Fireside Games sent us some Zombie Jerky by Harcos Laboratories back in August 2011 and we just today got around to opening it up and trying it. Here are our brief individual reviews:

Kara (our assistant): “I think ‘Delicious’ is a little over the top for a description.” This was in response to the main 3 point description of the package contents.

M: “It’s not great, but it’s not terrible.”

K: “It’s beef jerky. What more did you expect?”

It tasted like beef jerky, with some weird green powder on it. Pure and simple. The best part of it was the packaging. We love that the front of the package indicates that the contents are “Dead Meat Chunks” that are “For Eating”, and “May not mean you’re a cannibal.” K’s favorite part was the “Refrigerate after opening. Discard after 28 days.”

The eating of this jerky led to the discussion of whether or not you would contract Zombieism if you ate actual zombie jerky. Which then led to a discussion of other forms of zombie food, such as Zombie Bacon. Our assistant summed it up pretty well with this brilliant declaration: “Mmmm, Zombie Bacon, now THAT I might eat.”

M’s Dream Geek Home 

The Tardis Fridge

I stumbled across the SMEG retro fridge in a random Google search for kitchen coolness and when I saw the Blue one I couldn’t help but imagine a kitchen in which I redecorated the outside of my beautiful blue box refrigerator to look like another beautiful blue box…. The Doctor’s Tardis! It probably wouldn’t thrill most people, I’m sure. But sod it! I want it!

- M of the frenzygals

M’s Birthday Disasters 

It’s common to look back over one’s life on a birthday to remember past years and reflect on how far we’ve come. I (M) did this and came to the somewhat sad realization that the most memorable birthdays I have had were near disasters, as far as birthdays go.

When I turned 7, I was allowed to throw a party and invite all my school friends. I was super excited because we actually lived close enough to town at the time for people to actually consider it convenient to drive their kids to our house for the party. However, the night before the party we had such a bad snow that all the roads were pretty much undriveable and nobody came. The really sad part was the parents apparently assumed we would know and no one even called to say they weren’t coming. My mom still did all the party prep hoping to stave off my disappointment. At least I got a pink corduroy skirt that my mom made for me and all my siblings were there to sing to me.

For my 15^th birthday we had been hammered with so much snow for the two weeks prior we had not had school for 9 days and the gas line to our house cracked and got water inside it so the pipe froze and we were without heat. Thankfully my mom had her wood cookstove hooked up in the kitchen so we all moved into the kitchen, closed off the rest of the house and slept on chairs and sleeping bags on the floor for the duration. We heated water up on the stove to take sponge baths and ate a lot of canned goods. The best birthday present I have ever gotten was when the gas company man knocked on the door that day and told us they had fixed the line and we should be back in the heat by dinner time. I was able to take a long, hot shower and my mom made us waffles for dinner.

When I turned 30, I nearly missed my own surprise party because the furnace in my house decided to break and it was 5 degrees outside so I was loathe to leave the house to drive the 1.5 hours to my mom’s to have cake with my nieces before getting it fixed. It turns out it was my entire family who had traveled from 3 different states, including Hawaii, and several of my friends who made the long drive as well, who were waiting for me. Thankfully a good friend of mine had stayed with me at my house the night before – apparently she had been charged with the task of getting me to the party without letting the cat out of the bag, which was really hard for her – and she offered to stay and wait for the repair man so I could go on ahead and not be too late for my own party.

Looking back, it seems as though every time I double my age from the last birthday disaster I have another disastrous year. Here’s hoping that for my 60^th birthday I am lying on a beach somewhere not worrying about snow or broken heaters!

Here’s where the fun begins! Tell me your best birthday disaster story. I will choose my favorite and whoever tells the best story will get some FREE stuff from Frenzy Universe! You can post here in the Comments, or on our Facebook Page, or send us an email through the Contact Us page form.  You have until noon (EST) tomorrow, January 19^th, 2012, to post.

So, ever wonder why K is always wearing the same outfit in every picture? Aside from convention photos, that is. Well, here’s how the conversation went today when she had that realization.

K: Why am I always wearing the same pair of jeans and NIKE sweatshirt in every picture? People probably think I am homeless or something and only own one pair of pants and that one sweatshirt!

M: No, we’ll just tell them that is your Wednesday outfit and I’m only around on Wednesdays to take pictures of you! (very pleased with herself for this super clever explanation.)

Why, yes, yes we do worry about stupid mundane things like what we are wearing in photos posted on the internet. Thankfully we always seem to be wearing pants or other appropriate full-coverage coverings on our lower halves in shared photos.

So maybe we should worry a little less, but we are still human.

At least, that’s what our momma told us.

When Zombies & Elevators Attack

We’ll be ready

We may not believe the world is going to end in 2012, but we are getting prepared anyway. A family friend bought M some ammo for her handgun… Hornady Zombie rounds to be exact. We aren’t sure if it was supposed to be a joke or a serious concern for her well-being.

AND….The building in which our workshop is located was built in the 1880s. Cool, right? Sometimes.

There is an old pulley style elevator in the back of the building that allows you to take stuff from the second floor (which is street level at the back of the building) to the ballroom on the third floor. It is old and rickety but still works and is extremely useful. Until it breaks while you are in it – then it is just the most terrifying Murdervator on the planet!

As a result of this terrifying experience and in concern for the safety of all other individuals who move about the building, K made a sign and blocked off the elevator.

We didn’t have any actual boring Caution tape. All we had was Zombie Outbreak tape we purchased at Origins last year, so we used it. Then K felt compelled to tell the dance studio on the third floor that it was just what we had and there had not actually been a Zombie Outbreak in the building… yet. But if there was, not to worry because we have containment tape to stop it from spreading!

Yeah, we are kind of like that.

Adventures With Power Tools

M posted photos on her Facebook page of her boyfriend doing household chores such as scrubbing the tub and doing dishes and our friend Matt asked “Where are the photos of girls with power tools?”

In building our circus we had cause to use lots of different power tools – jigsaws, circular saws, miter saws, power drills (with multiple different bits and drivers) – and hand tools.

When all was said and done, K had made no less than (and most likely significantly more than) a dozen trips to the hardware store for pieces/parts and one very important trip to purchase our new power drill after three other drills failed to be up to the challenge of drilling the bolt holes in the wheel of death and the Candy Apples sign. Needless to say, she is in love with our new drill as it makes it so much easier and faster to complete her projects.

We put our tools through the ringer when we work and demand that they rise to the challenge. No pink handled tools with half the power of the “men’s” version for us! Refurbishing the vintage ferris wheel seat alone broke two drill bits and bent a third!