Behind the Brand
Talbots x Copenhagen 2024
Go behind the scenes of our
Fall Fashion Escape to Denmark.
Fall Fashion Escape to Denmark.
Photo Inspiration & Location Scouting
Get an inside look at how our team researches, scouts and books photoshoot locations.
Copenhagen Hot Spots
It’s not all work and no play! During their downtime, the team took in the sights and hit a few hot spots, too.
Ready On the Set
From makeup and hair to prop styling and shot lists, it’s all about the details for a big location shoot.
Creating the September Catalog
Thousands of images, dozens of design rounds, choosing the final cover image—our creative director Leigh shares how our new fall collection came to life.
Watch the video then read the Q&A with Leigh below!
Watch the video then read the Q&A with Leigh below!
Behind the Brand:
Creating the September Catalog
Creating the September Catalog
From concept inspiration and location scouting to selecting final imagery to dozens of design edit rounds, producing our monthly catalog is a team effort. At the helm of the design team is our creative director, Leigh Tsai Robertson.
In addition to our Behind the Brand: Creating the September Catalog reel, we sat down with Leigh to get her insights about the creative process and about how the September 2024 collection, shot on location in Copenhagen, Denmark, came to life.
Can you share the process of bringing the catalog to life from a creative perspective?
I help out with many parts of this project, but where my team steps in the most is once all the images from the photoshoot are in. At this point, we go through all the edits that the photo team has provided, and—page by page, image by image—we update all the layouts with the on—figure and still photography.
During this stage we’re also placing editorial copy in the layouts—headlines that the copy team has written. Designing the headline copy and giving the brand voice a look that is unique to each chapter of the catalog is also a big part of bringing the layouts to life.
During this stage we’re also placing editorial copy in the layouts—headlines that the copy team has written. Designing the headline copy and giving the brand voice a look that is unique to each chapter of the catalog is also a big part of bringing the layouts to life.
How does the review phase work?
We go through the whole catalog and review spread by spread with the executive team. Some things may change, like a different shot or re-ordering some of the pages for a better flow.
Then we’re into the final stages of the catalog process, which entails several rounds of proofreading all the copy and content and reviewing proofs of the catalog pages, making sure the photography and the colors of every piece of clothing looks good. Once we have the catalog as perfect as can be, it’s time to send the files off to get printed. It is a huge team effort from beginning to end.
Then we’re into the final stages of the catalog process, which entails several rounds of proofreading all the copy and content and reviewing proofs of the catalog pages, making sure the photography and the colors of every piece of clothing looks good. Once we have the catalog as perfect as can be, it’s time to send the files off to get printed. It is a huge team effort from beginning to end.
What is your favorite part of the process?
Updating all the layouts with the final photography! In the beginning of the process, we have camera phone images of the outfit laydowns and featured products as placeholders. I love watching the pages come to life with all the beautiful photography.
How do you choose from so many beautiful images?
There are so many to choose from! We play with different options of images and layouts—model seated, model standing, jacket on, cropped in closer. If there are several model shots in a spread, we want to make sure their poses and expressions are different, that they’re not all looking off camera in the same direction. Things like that.
How is the product information added to the catalog?
While the catalog is being reviewed, our production team is placing all the informational product copy and what we call “color chips,” the mini color swatches that represent the additional colors an item comes in.
And then there’s the cover shot. It’s the first thing our customers see! How do you go about choosing the final image?
The catalog cover is always a big deal. We present several options and talk through with the executive team to make sure we have the right image in place. We want the cover to be captivating and aspirational. The image needs to instantly convey the essence of the collection’s story and the feel of season. And, of course, it has to feature a great outfit that represents the collection.
The September 2024 catalog came out beautifully—our team works tirelessly for months to produce the catalog and online offering. Arlenis, the model on the cover, looks absolutely gorgeous standing on the canal in Nyhavn. We hope everyone enjoys our Fall Fashion Escape as much as we enjoyed creating it.
The September 2024 catalog came out beautifully—our team works tirelessly for months to produce the catalog and online offering. Arlenis, the model on the cover, looks absolutely gorgeous standing on the canal in Nyhavn. We hope everyone enjoys our Fall Fashion Escape as much as we enjoyed creating it.
