Meet the J. LaMore Staff!

As previously mentioned, all of the people who work at J. LaMore and jlamore.com have to have a certain skill set. Which now brings us to "Mandy Mandy" as I having fun calling her. She has brought J. LaMore and jlamore.com to new heights of creativity in promotions and marketing we so desperately needed. Her designs for the homepage, lookbook, flyer's, posters, and fashion shows have caused Jennifer and I to rethink how we do a lot of things. We feel Mandy is responsible for jlamore.com to be voted a top 100 website by thefind.com this year.

Each person Jennifer and I work with was given a list of question to answer so you could get to know them a little. So, here's -

Five minutes with Mandy Braatz

What’s your job at J. LaMore?

MB - My job at J. LaMore has to do with all things creative. I am the resident graphic designer and creative director. On lookbook photo shoots I help to style and direct the models and I have also started to do some of the photography. Most of the time, however, I am in the “cave” with Jim looking over my shoulder, telling me to make my fonts bigger. He’s my special helper ;)

How did you get the job?

MB - I studied abroad with Julie’s older sister, Marianne, who knew that I was into fashion and suggested that I become a J. LaMore shopping “friend”. Once I got back to Madison, I stopped in to talk to Jennifer and Jim about helping out on lookbook photo shoots and getting some experience and they took me on as a fashion intern for the summer. Luckily, they liked me enough to keep me here permanently!

How has jlamore.com changed since you’ve been here?

MB - It has become the epitome of awesomeness! Over the past year we have been striving to create a new, more fashion-driven website through more frequent lookbook updates, more images and shopping features on the homepage, and more interesting pages to visit. Overall, I think it’s prettier to look at now.

What life experiences have you had that have changed you?

MB - Studying abroad in Greece for a semester has definitely had the biggest impact on my life thus far. It’s a very eye-opening experience to live in a different country because it humbles and matures you in a way that you could not at home. The people I met there and the things I did are some of the best memories I have in my life.

What have you learned while working at J. LaMore?

MB - Not to piss Jim off. Julie will never stop talking. Jessica tells the best “stories” about nothing. And Jennifer hates walking in anything but heels.

Tell us a funny story about something that happened to you?

MB - Senior year of high school I went to Mexico for Spring Break with my family and some friends. One night we were walking around in downtown Playa del Carmen where they were putting up a new shopping centers and restaurants and whatnot. Because of this, there was a lot of construction. I was chatting with my friend and not really looking where I was going and as we rounded a corner I fell straight into a pothole. My friends and family all turned around to see me, just a head and shoulders, peeking out above the ground. My brother and sister immediately erupted in laughter as my parents helped me out. It hurt a little, but I was mostly just in shock after falling into a pothole in the ground. To this day, they all say they wish they had taken a picture.