Monday, September 26, 2011



The fall collection will be coming soon! Until then, please check out the Gallery from the amazing photo shoot we did last month! It has taken weeks to get the website updated, and we still have a long way to go until we can add them to the store. Until then, I am taking special order requests on any items featured in the gallery shots, including the adorable ruffle trimmed button dresses and tutus!

http://www.shoprockandroyalty.com/gallery/photo206.htm

This weekend Rock & Royalty will be selling products and taking custom orders on the new collection at Christmas in October at the Hancock County Fairgrounds in Findlay, OH. This is near my hometown, Bluffton, so I hope to see some familiar faces!

The Indie Rock Collection 2 promotion is now available as a gift with purchase. Please check out these amazing bands!

http://www.shoprockandroyalty.com/newmusic.asp

I would like to thank everyone who has volunteered their services to help build this brand. I will provide a full list of credits on the web site as soon as we can update it further!

Thanks - Annie

Sunday, July 10, 2011

A Rock & Royalty Fairytale Romance

Here is the story of how Rock met Royalty and lived happily ever after....
 New web design coming soon...


A ROCK & ROYALTY Fairytale

In a land of beauty and privilege, there once lived a young woman who was heir to the Royal throne. Miss Alexandria Kensington had everything she ever wanted yet felt her life was missing it’s true meaning. She was expected to marry a young man, chosen by her Royal family, and carry on the legacy to one day be queen.

The Grande Masquerade Ball was quickly approaching, as was the night she would be engaged to Sir Jameson. Dozens of couture runway gowns were presented to Miss Kensington and she didn’t spot a single one that sparked her fancy. Alexandria rushed to her wardrobe and pulled out a black Vivienne Westwood gown and began cutting it to shreds. Embellishments of ruffled lace, ribbon and crystals were carefully added with fine detail, making an exquisite piece of her own. The clock struck midnight and Alexandria felt as if Tim Gunn were going to walk through the doorway and announce “Designers, time’s up.” Luckily she made it work, and was ready for her night on the runway, or rather her procession on the Royal Court.

The evening would seem magical to almost any girl, but Alexandria wanted something more. Happiness wasn't about wealth, power or privilege. It was love and freedom to live the life that eluded her. Alexandria found herself fixated on grandiose sounds from across the ballroom. She slipped away for a closer look and felt the music and lyrics resonate in her. The band was playing Coldplay's Viva La Vida, which somehow reminded her that the monarchy was ruling her life. Rock chords and classical strings blended a magical potion of love, romance, and inspiration to live life. Alexandria disappeared into the darkness, hoping to find a way to avoid the inevitable engagement. She found herself in peril among the deep forest until a light shined upon her. Up rode Ashton Kingsdale, the rock star and now her knight in shining armor, to rescue her from a kingdom of high society. He whisked her away on his white motorcycle through the streets of London. Like a rebel without a cause, Alex felt like Cinderella had just tossed her glass slippers into the Thames river, trading in prince charming for rock's own royalty.

The encounter with Ashton swept Alex away on a journey that would forever alter her life. She had to disguise herself when she would sneak way to catch the band's gigs in London. It was time to trade elegance for edge. As she entered the dark and noisy underground music scene, Alex felt out of place but enjoyed the freedom she never had. Ashton was already on stage rocking the night away. It was a romance that would be forbidden. Like the battle between Montague and Capulet, Alexandria knew her Romeo would never be accepted by her Royal family.

The secret rock & royalty romance continued for some time, then one day Ashton proposed to Alexandria. Love was in the air. She finally decided it was time to wear her heart on her sleeve, even if her family banished her from the Royal throne. After she returned home, her mother noticed the key, belonging to her heart, was no longer worn around her neck. At first her mother was astonished by her confession. Then a smile and tear appeared, for she only wished she had been strong enough to follow her own heart a long time ago.

It was then soon announced to all of the land, that a union of Rock & Royalty would one day reign with style and beauty.  It was time to live. A time to love. And a time to rock. Long Live the Rock & Roll Queen.

Rock & Royalty at ComFest 2011!

I hope everyone is having a great summer! ComFest gave me a renewed interest in continuing forward with Rock & Royalty. I took a break from my little side business since last summer, but the excitement around it at ComFest has given me the motivation to get back to business.

I've done a total of 3 large festivals over the last 3 years. I had applied to ComFest the previous 2 years and never had any luck getting in. With over 200 booths each year in the festival, and maybe 1000 applications, the odds  were stacked against new businesses wanting to get in. Then luck would have it that last year at Gahanna's Creekside the director of ComFest visited my booth and was impressed at the set up and product and personally requested my participation at ComFest and other local festivals. It was a pleasure to be a part of the festivities this year. We had a very successful weekend and seeing and hearing everyone's reaction was an amazing thing for me as a designer. It proves that there is a huge interest in the brand and that it is worth investing in again. People were telling me I had the best booth at the festival, posing for pictures with my dress form wearing the Alison Wonderland Couture Tee and Royal Ball TuTu. I also had people telling me that it was the talk around the festival and their friends that they had to come check out the booth. 3 long days of this type of reaction was nothing short of wonderful.

I originally had a larger retail brand in mind when I first started this business. After all, my professional career has been submerged in designing for large retail brands over the past 8 years. But what I've learned that I love most is designing unique product with attention to detail that you just aren't going to get from any mass produced product. This means I spend hours upon hours with a thread and needle, or pliers and jewelry supplies to hand craft each product that I design along the way. I try to buy enough supplies to make multiples between 3 and 6 for each design so if something is successful I can create more. A lot of what I made for the festivals were one-offs, and once I sold it it's gone. I do still have several pieces left that are not on the web. I working on updating the website with the new items and replenishing some items that sold through. I've told people to contact me through email if they remember an item that they would like to custom order. Until then, I'm just posting a few photos of items to give a little newness for the brand.

Long Live Rock.
annie