It happens every January. The Fashion Team scrambles to get ready to make the 8,500 miles to China from our headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri. With just over two weeks until we leave, the countdown to our China Design Trip Jan 2015 is official on! Last year the Team fell behind with preparation when the Polar Plunge forced us inside. But this year we can't blame life-threatening below-zero temperatures. The weather is wintry but certainly nothing to keep us home like last year. Still, it seems like we will never get it all done in time to make the 16,000 mile round trip to design the Spring 2016 Collection of plus size Special Occasion Dresses.
Countdown China Design Trip Jan 2015 Be sure to check our Facebook page for updates and photos from our China trip. You never need a visa or a passport to join us on our travels as we design the Spring 2016 Dress Collections and wrap up the Fall 2015 Collections including 2015 plus size Homecoming dresses.

Hong Kong harbor & skyline
But somehow - each and every year - we manage to do. Doing it Differently This year we're making some changes that we hope will save time and leave us in much less in a last-minute frenzy. The biggest one is weaning ourselves of the massive three-ring binders we traditionally lug to China stuffed with pages of sketches, notes and swatches. This year we've moved all that must-have material onto a Microsoft RT Tablet that we still need to get up to speed on using. (Check back later to see how we do!) To-Do List: Of course, leveraging the power of technology doesn't mean we still don't have a lengthy "to-do" list:- order more space-saving storage bags to squeeze samples in our luggage photograph samples we don't have room to pack organize the lace appliques for the wedding dresses
- buy an extension chord for hotel room and an extra converter print out passes for entry to fashion shows buy a travel-size stapler sort beading samples by dress collections: Prom, Bridal and Social stock up on batteries for everything from cameras to flashlights charge international cell phone
- pack clothes after check of weather in China double and triple check passports and visas try to remember what we forgot to do!
