Spring in Texas is a project I hold near and dear to my heart.

Following my work on Women Who Make a Difference and A Day in the Life—content series celebrating the lives and achievements of real women—I was tasked with creating a campaign to introduce Maggy London’s Spring 2018 Collection. It felt more important than ever to honor the women who were buying our dresses and reading our blog posts—women I felt I knew personally—so I carefully selected five very important people to model the collection: our customers.

After reviewing our best states and top customers, I packed up my four-person production team and we headed to Texas. The result? Five customer spotlight features, a [surprisingly relaxing] six-hour bus ride from Houston to Dallas, and a few new relationships I’ll cherish forever.

My piece of the puzzle
Before: After solidifying the concept and direction of the shoot, we were off to the races. I booked our photographer, worked closely with our PR Coordinator to secure the availabilities of our five best customers (Elaine, Camille, Maria, Laura, and Emily), scheduled team flights, and remotely scouted photoshoot locations.
During: In four short days, I managed my four-person team, hosted five unique photoshoots, and created content to support our spring product.
After: After returning from the trip, I wrote copy to be used across all presentations of the campaign (blog posts, marketing emails, social amplifications, and paid ads), published five supporting blog posts, managed my team as we retouched 23 sets of editorial images, worked closely with our editor to create five videos (see below), and produced a healthy roll-out of marketing emails.

Wrap-Around Campaign Copy

At Maggy London, we’ve been doing everything we can to make this year the year of the woman. You’ve seen the power of women featured in Women Who Make a Difference, the beauty of women celebrated in Fit For All, and the endurance of women flexed in A Day in the Life…but there was still one very important woman we needed to meet: you.

That’s why this year, we decided to pack our bags and take our Spring extravaganza on the road. Our destination: Texas.

Stay tuned over the next two weeks as five of our best customers become the stars of our Spring 2018 photoshoots. Excited? We are!

Week One

Meet Elaine

Meet Elaine: a tech-savvy mother who loves fashion as much as she loves breaking stereotypes.

Keep scrolling to watch a fun video, read our interview with Elaine + flip through some photos (featuring the most beautiful view of downtown Dallas).

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

I work in Dallas, and I work in technology, I’ve been doing contracting for Southwest Airlines for 8 years. I have a support team and it’s stressful around-the-clock work, so I have to really work hard to find balance.

I have worked in technology since 1995 and was always the only woman in the group. I find technology another creative outlet (from my practical side). I raised three children and was a single mother working during a time when there was no work-life balance, and women had to work even harder to prove they were capable.

I love art, music, and dancing, and enjoy my urban garden.

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL BEAUTIFUL?

It’s very important the way I look and the way I dress in the morning. Since I work in technology and I work with all men, I really need to feel powerful because I do not want them to diminish anything that they think that I am...When I get up in the morning, I make sure my hair is perfect, my makeup is perfect, and most definitely what I’m wearing is going to look great. When I walk out on the street, I feel 100% powerful.

WHAT IS YOUR MAGGY LONDON STORY?

I had seen something that I had to have. I just thought it was beautiful and breathtaking but they did not have my size, so I decided, well I’m going to go to the website of the brand. So, I went to the website and I found it in my size and I was hooked. When I started buying Maggy London I found the quality was so beautiful. The details, pockets, zippers, lining, and I said to myself, I’ve been buying these other designer brands for all these years and they don’t have that quality. And that’s something that I really love about Maggy London

TELL US ABOUT SPRING IN DALLAS

Spring in Dallas is so awesome...you can take walks down to the farmers' markets, you can walk to the museums, there’s so much going on on the weekends that makes it so beautiful and then, of course, we already have the trees starting to bloom and it’s fabulous. I love Spring in Dallas.

Week Two

Meet Camille

Meet Camille: a Deputy Chief of Staff passionate about public engagement, service, and affecting change in her community.

Keep scrolling to watch a fun video, read our interview with Camille + flip through some photos (shot in Houston's famous Hermann Park).

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

I am Chief of Staff for Senator Borris Miles. I’ve been doing that for a decade. Public engagement and service are my passion. I decided that I wanted to work in politics so that I could affect change and help the community. I will be receiving my Juris Doctor from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in May.

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL BEAUTIFUL?

An outfit that accentuates my curves…the best parts of me! I’m a really curvy girl. I have a smaller waist and a bigger bottom. Maggy London dresses actually fit well because they fit that proportion of my body.

WHAT IS YOUR MAGGY LONDON STORY?

Well, I actually came across Maggy London just at the store shopping. It’s kind of hard for me to find clothes that fit me (because I’m a really curvy girl) and so I bought one, and literally ever since then I've been a fan. Everything really fits me well and it makes me feel good when I put it on!

TELL US ABOUT SPRING IN HOUSTON

I’ve lived here in Houston for about 15 years. Spring in Houston is really beautiful! The weather’s really nice, flowers blossoming…it’s just springtime!

Week Three

Meet Emily

Meet Emily: a new mom balancing motherhood with her mission to empower young professionals to take charge of their money.

Keep scrolling to watch a fun video, read our interview with Emily + flip through some photos.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

Right now, I am juggling/balancing being a new mom with two careers.

I work at a financial services company, where I am the director of operations. My job is 1) making sure that everyone else is doing their job, and 2) making sure that nothing falls through the cracks.

On the side, I spend my time empowering young professionals to take charge of their money through my financial planning firm, Narrative Financial.

I love corgis, pasta, and cooking for friends!

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL BEAUTIFUL?

I’m a new mom of a four-month-old, and these dresses have really made me feel super pretty after pregnancy...I think a lot of times it comes down to fit (and obviously if the style reflects me) and I think these dresses fit very well. I love how the dresses make me feel.

WHAT IS YOUR MAGGY LONDON STORY?

So my first order, I was looking for a dress for a wedding and I had a very specific look in mind. I must have searched hours all over the internet, and I actually found what I was looking for in Maggy London! It was a blue dress with these cherry blossomy white and pink flowers on it and I loved it. So then (of course) I was looking through the rest of the site and ended up buying 3 or 4 dresses, and then they fit really well. and then I ended up buying more and more...

TELL US ABOUT SPRING IN DALLAS

The weather is just wonderful. Everybody is outside, the flowers come...I already know which dress I’m going to wear for Easter and I have a couple weddings coming up, so these will just be perfect. Spring in Dallas is really great!

Week Four

Meet Laura

Meet Laura: a portrait photographer who loves taking care of her family and exploring Houston’s best hiking with her husband.

Keep scrolling to watch a fun video, read our interview with Laura + flip through some photos (shot in Houston's famous Hermann Park).

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

I’m a mom, a wife, and a portrait photographer. My husband and I love practicing yoga and hiking. When I’m not in my photography studio, you can find me traveling to a new hiking destination!

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL BEAUTIFUL?

I feel beautiful when I love the color and style of the dress I'm wearing. If I have both of those at the same time, I know I’m at the top of my game!

WHAT IS YOUR MAGGY LONDON STORY?

I love the Maggy London dresses because they really make me feel elegant! I like the variety of the styles and colors. Sometimes I need something dressy, so the midi length is good. Sometimes, I want just a fun little sundress to wear in the middle of the day...there’s always a lot of variety to choose from!

TELL US ABOUT SPRING IN HOUSTON

I love living in Houston in the Spring because it hasn’t gotten too hot yet. Our spring is so gorgeous right now. Everything is so green and the azaleas are blooming, the magnolias are blooming...it’s just that perfect 65° kind of weather, sunny...gorgeous.

Week Five

Meet Maria

Meet Maria: a wife, mother, and lawyer fueled by her family, her faith, and always dressing to impress.

Keep scrolling to watch a fun video, read our interview with Maria + flip through some photos.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

I’m a wife, mother, and the Vice President and General Counsel of WorldLink in Frisco, Texas. I was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in Canada, and moved to Dallas, Texas in 1982. My husband and children are Texans, so my heart belongs to the Lone Star State! I believe that "The stars at night, are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas!"

What is important to me? Faith, family, friends, and commitments.

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL BEAUTIFUL?

I think every woman wants to feel like she looks really good...feeling good makes you feel beautiful. If you feel good about the way you look, then you're good at what you need to do. You're confident, and that comes across in those clothes.

I think it's about the whole person. All of you. Your mind and your body and your soul have to come together. When all three come together, then you feel beautiful and other people feel it too. When people like being around you and they're at ease, that's the best thing.

WHAT IS YOUR MAGGY LONDON STORY?

So I had never really heard of Maggy London. And I started looking for a particular type of dress. I needed dresses that were modest (because for church and work you definitely want people to focus on you and what you’re saying and not just on what you’re wearing) but I still wanted them still to be feminine and flattering…Part of a woman’s power is just being a woman, so I really wanted to retain that. I was doing searches on the internet and I came across Maggy London and I thought, Wow these dresses look really good but what are they really going to look like when I get them?

So I thought, well I’ll get two, let’s just see. So I got two dresses. When they came, I was really pleased with the packaging. The presentation, when you get it, it’s like opening a Christmas present (which is always a good feeling). And then I opened it and I was very happy because the fabric, the lining…everything was just really good. And I thought this could work! I put them on and they looked good and I was so happy…so I thought I’m going to order more. I ordered a couple more and they always…I mean, I don’t think I’ve returned a single dress.

My experience with Maggy London has been nothing but wonderful...I love the way they’re shipped to me, I love the way they’re packaged, I love the return policy. I mean it’s the absolute best customer service. Not to mention Jon (the COO of Maggy London), in the sense that he is always so involved and ready to answer questions and help you find things that you need. I can’t imagine anything better than that. And so willing to take suggestions, too. Always looking for ways to improve the company, always concerned about meeting the customers’ needs. He really takes care of his customers. He listens to them and he makes sure that the styles are what they're looking for.

TELL US ABOUT SPRING IN DALLAS

Spring in Dallas is beautiful because everything comes to bloom. It’s absolutely beautiful here. The tulips are out, the azaleas are out…there’s color everywhere. The grass becomes really green again and all the buds are out on the trees. It’s just the most phenomenal thing. I mean, Texas is a beautiful place.

Texas has the most beautiful sunsets too. If you’ve ever seen a Texas sunset, it has these reds and oranges and it’s this vast expanse of that beautiful color in the sky. It’s gorgeous. Texas is the place to be.