Summer in the City, Stockholm that is!

And now the rest of the first day.  If you recall I ended my last post after our inspirational tour of two of three Gudrun Stores in Stockholm.  Before I go any further , I need to tell all of you that Stockholm has an unbelievable mass transit system!  You haven' t been to Stockholm until you try it.  If you can figure out red, green etc… you can't get lost.    Now I digress...Summertime is the time of SUNLIGHT.  While I was visiting, the sun was rising at 3AM and setting at around 12:04 PM.  Long dark winter makes you crave color, hence flowers are overflowing in every corner of the city.

Next stop on our tour is the Gudrun Sjoden main office!  

Here's your chance to see "behind the scenes"

Gudrun Sjoden Main Office...

Maria the Art director showing a sneak peak of spring 2016.

The fashion business is always 10 months ahead in  design and work.

Here is an inspirational board for Spring 2016!  Shhhh! "you'll be traveling" to Paris, Venice and Istanbul.  But  don't let  anyone know that I let "the cat out of the bag"

Åsa and BZ in the lobby of Gudrun Sjoden Offices
what wonderful color and patterns!

Dominica and Sirle,  two of the beautiful sales associates from London, England.

The fabulous Monica flanked with more clever and colorful Gudrun Associates.

Vibrant colors and patterns decorate the entrance.  How inviting!

Gudrun's design  appears to be etched in glass to give privacy  to an office.

"Line drawings" are mounted on the wall so the  employees know at a glance what they need to work on. 

wonderful natural light illuminates the office,  punctuated with Gudrun designs

This Gudrun Doll from Christmas 2014 makes an employee's desk festive,

Say hello to Mia.  She is one of Gudrun's design assistants and uses the computer to analyze the designs.

Here she is working on a future collection,  making sure color and patterns work in harmony.

Did you Know?  that every color used in a Gudrun outfit is put through the "ringer" to make sure it blends well with  a color from the past. Åsa, our guiding light who took us behind the scenes shared this clever info with all of of us.  Hence when you buy "apple green" leggings in 2015, they will match/coordinate with an "apple green" top or dress from spring of 2016.  Now that's what I call thinking ahead and caring! This is one door of  the "color memory closet".

Monika, showing us the layouts for the future catalogs in progress.  She gets to travel around the world as she coordinates  all the photo shoots!  How exciting !   But, she will remind you that Paris in spring maybe romantic, but not at 5am! 

A surprise visit, from the one and only GUDRUN Sjoden!

"How's my hair ?" she asks us.  "I just had it done for tomorrow's Kick Off (The Fall/Winter/Holiday Fashion Show).

Not only does she know the names of each of us on the tour,  we get a warm welcome hug too!

Maria,  is hard at work on the layout for Basics in the Fall catalog. 

Spoiler Alert!…… Sneak peak at the Fall Bag!

Gudrun's original water colors are found everywhere in the office, how lucky! how fabulous!

BZ had to make "little gift bags" as a Thank You surprise for  the lovely ladies behind the scenes.

Another adorable desk decorated with a homemade "monster" made from Gudrun fabric.
Hey sewers...Did you know that you can buy Fabric by the yard?

Here  is another happy Gudrun Associate!

The Kitchen and Dining Room.

Gudrun's main Office is in an industrial park, therefore she wanted her staff to have a warm, cozy place to drink coffee, eat lunch or have a snack.

Beautiful ladies grace all corners of the office,

Happy Gudrun Ladies

On to the Warehouse…..

Charming display models decorate the warehouse spaces to make the place colorful, warm and inviting.

Home Decorating rugs ready to be shipped

more vintage display to cheer you up

recycled boxes (ever so green)  keep inventory neat and easy to find

Did you know that the "mailer bag" is biodegradable?

The warehouse team finishing for the day. 

What a wonderful surprise! The "mailer bags  are colorful and have little handles for the delivery person to hang your Gudrun package on your doorknob.

In bins marked by country, these packages are ready to be shipped in their Bio-degradable "plastic bags"

Another water color on display.  this one in patriotic colors!

The final stop on this tour…. The Factory Store

Garments not sold get a second chance here.

I love how they display the rugs draped over a chair.

Siri and Keratin are two of the smiling faces that greet you  in the Company Store.

The name of the store is Gudrun's layer upon layer.
Here is where you can find Gudrun Vintage,  gently used clothing, looking for a new life.

Naturally the store has lots of plants.   I  just had to take a window picture with my refection

                                       

Many of the energy efficient Swedes bike to work.

The "visual ladies" did new windows in honor of the Kick Off.  I just love what they did.

Our final stop for the day was back to old town and dinner at Gudrun's Studio, a charming apartment a stones throw from her Glam Stand store.

Dinner is now served...

The creative team.

Hail,Hail the gangs all here (thank you Monika for these two photos).

All colorful women eating in a delightful environment.

Gudrun's exceptional  watercolors  add a festive touch  to this special gathering, a happy and colorful evening.

Sunshine and color, the perfect combination  when the "Gudrun Girls" are  around.

Lucky me to be in a photograph with Martina and Marie, both from the Old Town store.

The charming Roosa.  She is the Visual merchandiser from Helsinki.
I adore how she's jazzed up a black out fit -  Gudrun style= funky leggings.

The sunlight becomes you!   It's 10:30 pm and we are still warmed by the  glow of the sun.

Love and warmth was shown to me through the trip.  "Stop taking pictures and join us" was what the lovely ladies called out! 

Some of the wonderful store manages, all color coordinated in blue!  Sophie, Karin, Marie and Malken,  Ladies,  Did you plan to be in Beautiful Gudrun Blues?

Three beauties from Germany.  Oh how I love their colors!

In any country, in an language, dessert is always a winner!

Color and light, what a  simple delight.

A lovely hand painted vintage chair by Gudrun adorning her studio.

And what do girls do best at the end of a long day?  Why they gather around the hotel lounge and have a "night cap"
" Godnatt "  ladies until tomorrow "The Big Day".