de Sola with her design Partner, Karla Martinez

Ever wonder what a designer does all day? We asked designer, Cecilia de Sola of Piamita, who’s based in Santiago, Chile, to write it all down—on one particularly busy day.

8:00 AM Coffee and papers. This is the bit of time I take each morning to catch up on news, read my blogs, keep up with friends, and deal with any personal things before moving on to work-related matters.

9:00 AM I am at my desk going through emails and my to-do list for the day. We are changing a few things on our website this month so today I am going over layouts and approving revisions to be uploaded on Piamita.com by the end of the week.

10:00 AM It’s still 8AM in New York, so I have a Skype conference call with my partner Karla [Martinez] about our AW 2012 lookbook shoot options, confirmed market appointments, and the design of a new jacket we are working on for the collection. Noon My little bit of luxury for the day: an hour long private pilates class with my friend Carlota Bouquet.


Photo: Piamita

1:30 PM My trusted seamstress Maria Teresa arrives to do fittings for some of the pieces we are working on for the AW 2012 collection.

3:30 PM I review different cotton options and colors for what will be resort 2012.

4:00 PM I go to our factory to check in on the fall fabrics that have arrived for our samples and to oversee some of the cutting and other details related to our SS 2012 production that is well underway. It’s very busy here as we have to perfect some blouses with the seamstresses and pattern-makers before they can be sent down the production line. All requires a lot of attention to detail, patience, and teamwork.



Fabric bolts at the factory

6:00 PM Still at the factory! I have now moved on to focusing on the details of the AW 2012 collection—we’re in the process of perfecting our samples in time for market week.

8:00 PM Back at my desk, I answer emails and put some calls in before the end of the day in New York. I am constantly working with people in three different time zones so I try to get back to everyone I need to before signing off for the day.

9:30 PM I prepare dinner for me and my husband and then happily escape into the latest episode of Downton Abbey.