Thursday, October 28, 2010

Step Out in Cozy Layers


Don't put away your light pieces just yet! All you have to do is a bit of layering to keep you warm. Check out over 15 cozy layered looks to keep you warm through fall and winter! What's your favorite layered look??



Photos by Mai Olivo.

Monday, October 25, 2010

About Ruche and the Creators

I was finally able to update our "About Us" page. Check out how Josh and I started Ruche!





Ruche was created and designed in 2008 by Mai Olivo and Josh Olivo, with our furry companion Roji.


Ruche was not something that grew overnight. In 2005, as a hobby, we sold vintage inspired beaded sandals on ebay.
Like all fashion crazes, the demand for these quickly faded, but Mai continued to search for new items she liked.


As recent graduates and newlyweds, budget was always a big issue. Mai always had a difficult time finding affordable and unique clothing that was "her" style!
That was when she started to sell clothing and jewelry that she loved.
What was a hobby back in 2005 turned into a dream come true in 2008. With a degree in Computer Science and Web Development, Mai created and designed ShopRuche.com.
Ruche was a hobby that we worked on after our regular 8-5 jobs, and like most businesses, started right out of our home.
We would ship during lunch and answer emails during break time. Everyday after work, we came home and played with Ruche until the wee hours of night,
slept a few hours and went back to our day jobs dead tired hehe. Ruche took over our living room, bedroom, garage, and eventually the kitchen counter.
We sacrificed much and finally took a risk, Mai left her job as a web developer and Josh left his engineering management position to run Ruche full time. Leaving our budding careers in the corporate world was nerve racking, but it was the best decision we've made together, plus we could finally get some sleep!




Through trial and error along with inspirations we have collected through the years, we molded Ruche into what it is today - "a vintage inspired boutique with a modern touch".
Ruche is a collaboration of everything that has inspired us - fashion, photography, design, and lifestyle.


We pride ourselves in excellent customer service because we treat every visitor as our friend. Please know that there are real people behind the website and
we always put ourselves in the position of our customers, as we too, are customers elsewhere. We understand how it feels like to anxiously wait for a package,
how happy we are when something is better than pictured online, or how upset we would be when that item came damaged or in the wrong size. Josh and I still
answer emails from time to time, we love what we do! We live and breath Ruche (although it is nice to take a vacation from time to time hehe).
As an independent boutique, we cherish the opportunity to support small boutique brands and indie designers. Nothing feels better than the ability to support
working people to do what they love. Josh and I are blessed to do what we love and we owe it to all those who have loved and supported Ruche thus far.



As Ruche grows we will always keep our prices reasonable and strive for fun and friendly service. We wish for you to always feel at home when you visit Ruche.
We hope you stay a while and grow with us! Thank you for your love and support.
We love comments, feedbacks, and suggestions.
Please feel free to contact us!







--A Special Thanks to all the talented people that we have worked with, our amazing Ruche team, Stephanie Williams and Issac -your friendship and breathtaking photos.






Photos by Stephanie Williams

Friday, October 15, 2010

Meet "Autumn Belle" & Enter the Lookbook Giveaway!

Have you met "Autumn Belle"? If you haven't, please view our latest Autumn lookbook!

Tiffany and I flew across the country to Plymouth, Massachusetts to meet up with Stephanie and the rest of the crew. Once again, the lookbook was shot and directed by talented Stephanie Williams, stunning makeup/hair by KC Witkamp, and beautiful model, Rose. The East coast was simply amazing and the scenery -- breathless. Tiff and I were lucky enough to stay in Boston one of the nights. Wished it was longer, but we loved every minute of it. Although, driving around with all the one way streets was pretty confusing =/. I made more U-Turns in a week in Boston, then a year at home in California!

OKAY, so here's to "Autumn Belle". Enjoy!!!



Once again, along with every lookbook launch so far, comes a giveaway! This one was a bit delayed, but better late than never. We will be giving away the Sherwood Vines Knit Dress. All you have to do is tell us your favorite scene AND outfit AND/OR share the lookbook with your friends and family for extra entries!



Sherwood Vines Knit Dress


Three Ways to Enter:

(You don't need to leave your email in the comments, first name and last initial is fine, but please check back by Nov 2nd to see if you've won!)

Required:
1. Leave a comment on this blog post letting us know which outfit is your favorite AND which is your favorite scene from the lookbook


Extra entries:

2. Embed the lookbook into your Blog or Site and you MUST give us the link(s) in the comments of this post. You can get one Entry for each link! =) Please put each link in a separate comment.
  • a. How to Embed? Hover over the lookbook above and at the bottom right corner, there is a Menu link. Click "copy embed code" and paste it into your blog/site.
  • OR go to this link: http://issuu.com/shopruche/docs/autumn_belle and there is an embed link at the top.
  • If you can't embed, you can pull pictures from our lookbook. Files are uploaded on facebook http://www.facebook.com/ShopRuche.com.

3. If you cannot embed the lookbook, you can share the lookbook link (use this link: http://www.shopruche.com/lookbook_fall10_2.html) on you facebook, twitter, myspace, etc., and you MUST give us the link(s) in the comments of this post. You can also pull pictures uploaded on our Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/ShopRuche
You can get one Entry for each link! =)

Feel free to use pictures from the lookbook as long as you credit to ShopRuche.com.

The Giveaway will run through Oct 29, 2010 pst. Winner will be announced by November 2nd.

Contest Disclaimer:
Comments will be numbered (in the following order: blog comments then facebook comments) and we will use randomizer.org to find the winner.

No purchase necessary. We reserve the right to close the contests early or late without warning. We will post the name of the winner by November 2, 2010. Upon winning, you agree that your name can be published on this blog at the close of the contest. You must contact us within 7 days after the winner has been announced to claim your prize.

Ruche Giveaway Winner Announced!

Thank you all for entering our giveaway for the outfit below!



We have randomly picked a winner!

Congrats to.... Amanda Lapham-Verhagen!!!

Amanda, please contact us to claim your prize: info@shopruche.com