About Look Books & Line Sheets

What is a look book?
A look book is a catalog designed to show your product, its fit and feel, and to reinforce your brand image. Look books should be straightforward and should show your product on a model so that editors and customers can see the proportion of the product and how it fits.

Here are examples of successful look book images:



What is a line sheet?
A line sheet is a document that details your line for prospective buyers. It should contain the following:

• Sketches or clear photos of the styles included in your collection. Most line sheets use sketches or computer generated graphics. Show both the back and front of the garment, especially if there are important details on the back.
• Style numbers
• Wholesale prices and suggested retail prices
• Color and fabric information. Include color swatches so that there is no confusion about what the color looks like.
• Season in which the collection is being sold (for instance, Fall 2009)
• Delivery dates and order cut off dates. Show the earliest delivery on page one and the latest on the final page.
• Order minimums (i.e. 4 pcs per style; $250 per order)
• Company, PR and sales rep contact information
• Page Numbers

Here's an example of a successful line sheet:




Look books and line sheets are important image building tools for your business and should be distributed to editors as well as potential wholesale customers.

Look books and line sheets must always have page numbers and style numbers. When editors contact you to request a look or style, it is important that they are able to identify them easily. Describing a piece is much more difficult than saying “the look on page 4.”

Send out look books and line sheets seasonally. Remember that magazines work at least 3 months out, so send Fall line sheets in March and Spring line sheets in October whenever possible.

To create a mailing list of editors, stylists and costume designers, visit www.thecontactlistonline.com. Subscribers may build their own lists of updated contact information and print mailing labels directly from the site. So easy!

You Have Press Coverage! What to do with it.

So, you’ve gotten some key product features in the media and some nice sales to accompany them. Now what? Well, you can continue to use your press to help you earn even more money. A few ideas:

• Post press on your website
• When you get new press, email it to your customer list to generate interest and excitement
• Hang press in your booth at trade shows to attract buyers
• Assemble a press book to take with you to sales meetings or to give to your showroom
• Create booklets or post cards showing your press placements and send them to stores so that they can show them to customers and generate sales

Here's an example of a successful press post card from beauty brand, colorescience:

Setting Up Meetings with Editors and Stylists

Meetings are an ideal way to get attention for your product. If you are not based in New York, schedule regular trips to meet with editors and show them new designs. Email or call the editor to set up the meeting.

The Conde Nast building houses titles like Vogue and Lucky.

Try something like:

“Hi Jessica. I will be in New York next week doing deskside* meetings to show my collection of luxury fashion jewelry sold in upscale boutiques like Madison, Fred Segal and Henri Bendel. I’d love to stop in for a quick 15-minute meeting to show you new product and to drop off some line sheets and look books. I have an opening Tuesday at 10am. Would that work for you? I look forward to seeing you soon.”

*Note: a “deskside” meeting or appointment is a meeting conducted at the editor’s office. At some magazines you will meet at the editor’s desk, at others, like most Conde Nast titles, you will meet in the magazine’s lobby area. At some magazines you will sit in a conference room.

Once you have set up the meeting, send a reminder email to the editor the day before your meeting. Make sure to include your cell phone number in case the editor needs to reschedule. Arrive at least 15 minutes early for your meeting so that you have time to check in with security and ride the elevator to the appropriate floor. Be sure to bring your driver's license for security check in, product samples, look books, line sheets, business cards, extra samples in case the editor wants to pull pieces for stories they are working on that day, pen and paper to record borrowed samples, and a gift for the editor if you’d like them to have something from the collection.

After the meeting send a follow up letter or email thanking them for taking the time to meet with you. You might write something like:

“Dear Amy, You were so sweet to take the time to meet with me this morning. Thank you for looking over my collection of jewelry and for pulling some styles for your upcoming story on antiqued gold. I look forward to working with you again soon. I hope you enjoy the bracelet! Best, Jamie”

Find editor names, phone numbers and email addresses at www.thecontactlistonline.com.

Tips for Writing the Perfect Press Release

Press releases should be catchy, exciting and relevant. Begin by tailoring your release to your audience. For instance, a release sent to a writer at Vogue should sound luxe and should appeal to a style-savvy, high-end reader. A release sent to a writer at Women’s Wear Daily should include a business or trend angle. A release sent to US Weekly should focus on celebrity.

If you write a great press release, the writer you send it to shouldn’t have to alter it much or at all in order to put it into their publication. You know you’ve done your job well if you see own your words in print!

A few hints and tips:
1) Write the press release on your company letterhead
2) Keep the release to under one page whenever possible
3) Your writing should be quick, lively and to the point
4) The first paragraph should be concise and draw the reader in with catchy text. The subsequent paragraphs can add more detail and explanation.
5) The final paragraph should include company information and the website address

When It’s Time to Change Tactics

If you don’t receive a response from an editor after several follow up calls and emails, it’s time for one of two things to happen:

1) Assess the situation. Is your product really right for this publication? If not, your time will be better spent putting energy into publications that are a better fit for your product.

2) It’s time for a new game plan. Maybe the way you’ve been pitching your product isn’t resonating with an editor. Can you tie it into a timely news story? Can you pitch another editor at the magazine that covers different angles? Can you think of another way to position the pitch that might be a better fit for the magazine? Can you position it to fit into a specific section of the magazine? You could even try asking the editor how they think your product would best fit into the magazine and use his/her advice to position yourself differently.

Following Up

Editors, stylists and producers are busy people. Just think of all of the brands competing for their time and attention. Plus, they still have to do their jobs. If you don’t receive a response right away, simply follow up. We like to make spreadsheets of target publications, names of editors, phone numbers and email addresses and a column for the dates and times we’ve contacted them. That way we can contact them often without overwhelming or overlooking. Sometimes it’s just a case of being the “squeaky wheel.”

Sample Fields for Contact Spreadsheet:

• Publication
• Editor First Name
• Editor Last Name
• Phone
• Email
• Dates Contacted/Notes

Sample Emails to Editors

Emails to editors should always be friendly, conversational and to the point.

For national fashion magazines:

Hi (editor first name),

I design a collection of (describe product) and would love to send over samples for your consideration. You can view my collection at (website) and I’ve also attached a few images of some of our most popular new styles; the price points range from $xx to $xxx. The collection is available at Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and other high-end boutiques throughout the US.

Are you working on any stories this week that my product might fit into? Let me know if there’s anything you’d like to have us send over. I look forward to working with you.

Best,
(your name)

For weekly magazines:

Hi (editor first name),

I design a collection of clothing worn by celebrities like Kate Hudson, Jennifer Lopez and Julia Roberts. I was wondering what you were working on this week and if you thought our product might be a fit for any current stories. We'd be happy to send over samples for your consideration. You can view my collection at (website) and I’ve also attached a few recent images of celebrities in our product; the price points range from $xx to $xxx. The collection is available at Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and other high-end boutiques throughout the US.

Let me know if there’s anything you’d like to have us send over. I look forward to working with you.

Best,
(your name)

*Note: the weekly magazines want celebrity angles. Be sure to include recent information on celebrity wardrobing successes in any correspondence with them!



For regional magazines:

Hi (editor first name),

I am a locally based designer of (describe product) and would love to set up a time to show you my collection. I am available on Thursday of this week at 10 or 12 and on Friday any time in the afternoon.

Here’s a bit of background about my brand. My clothing is inspired by (talk about the idea behind your brand) and appeals to (describe customer). We currently sell locally at (name stores in the city/state) and in other boutiques nationwide like (name other well known stores).

You can view my collection at (website); the price points range from $xx to $xxx. I’ve attached a few images of some of our most popular new styles as well as a press release about the collection (also pasted below). I look forward to meeting you soon and to working with you often.

Best,
(your name)