Word of Mouth Marketing in Action

Our gowns are perfect for any hospitalization, but we always get rave reviews from customers who wore them after orthopedic surgery. When you have back, hip, sholder, arm, or knee surgery....it is so nice and convienient to have your own designer hospital gown to wear in the hospital, at home, and even in rehab facilities. Getting back into your clothes is challenging wtih bulky dressings and orthopedic braces. 

We wanted to share with you a story about one of our favorite women, who happens to be our mother Susan's best friend, Joyce. Joyce has been one of the biggest supporters of Annie & Isabel hospital gowns from day one. She has kept all of her friends wrapped in Annie & Isabel love when in they are in the hospital and now her turn came with a total knee replacement.  

Joyce is wearing the "Annie" hospital gown and our original "Susan" zebra print, which is now sadly retired. We replaced our Susan gown with a just-as-fun leopard print Susan. 

Joyce looks pretty amazing for just having surgery hours before her first stroll down the hall! We were so happy to see these pictures pop up on Facebook. We have to share what Joyce said said when we commented on how fabulous she looks, 

"Everyone loves the gowns. I brought info and cannot find the brochure. Darn. I'm yelling through the halls....Annie and Isabel dot com!!!!"

Now, THAT is word of mouth marketing....Love you Joyce!!!

Sara Delivers In Style with Annie & Isabel Designer Hospital Gowns

Sara and I have been friends since the very first day of nursing school when we were immediately drawn to one another over identical outfits - corduroy overalls and Doc Martens. Not sure what we were thinking, but maybe we were in style in 1995? We both were alone in a new city and together we made San Francisco home. 

We laughed and definitely cried a few tears during our 4 years together at the University of San Francisco. We are convinced we would not have survived anatomy, physiology, micro, organic chem {that was a close one}, and countless clinical hours in the hospital without each other. We still crack up at our 19 year old selves so shyly knocking on our first patients door at clinical...{knock knock}..."Mr. Smith.....oh, Mr. Smith.... {knock knock} are you awake? can we come in?" Poor Mr. Smith... I can't imagine how long it took for us both to fumble through his vital signs. 

Sara will forever be my soul sister. Now that she lives over 2,500 miles away on Kauai, Hawaii and I miss her every single day. When my first son George was born, Sara was living in LA and working as a neonatal ICU nurse. The first real contraction I felt, I called her...my on call RN. I never thought she would make it, but a security escort through LAX and the last flight of the night later...she was there for me. Shortly after George's birth, Sara moved to Hawaii and we don't get to see each other nearly enough. 

Sara is now the mother of three beautiful boys. I was so sad to not be able to hop on a quick flight and be there for her when her turn came around. It was really special to have Sara sporting Annie & Isabel designer hospital gowns for the birth of her sons Keoni and Duke. In a strange way, I felt as if I was a small part of her big day. We are honored that she chose to wear the Anita and Susan gowns. She labored and delivered in our Anita designer hospital gown. She then recovered in our Susan designer hospital gown. 

"I absolutely LOVED wearing my Susan and Anita gowns when my second son was born. It's typically not a time when you feel like you're looking your best, but the gowns made all the difference. They were comfortable AND cute. Annie & Isabel designer hospital gowns are a must for every expectant mother's hospital bag or anyone headed to the hospital. I also really loved the stories behind the gown's name and they definitely touched my heart when I read them. It made wearing my gowns all the more special. Thank you A&I!"

Here is a really great picture of how much coverage you have in an Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown! Because we are nurses, we know that your gown has tie on the side. No need to fuss with ties or snaps that you can't reach that leave exposing gaps. We always hear from customers that they felt covered and dignified in our hospital gowns. You don't even need a robe or the typical second hospital gown for you backside!

*The zebra print "Susan" gown is no longer available. We have replaced it with our NEW SUSAN! 

What Makes Annie & Isabel Designer Hospital Gowns Special?

A funny card we came across...so true!

Annie & Isabel hospital gowns are far superior to the standard issues hospital gown. We have always believed this, but after 4 years, this is something we know for a fact. We stand behind this statement because we are constantly reminded of this by the amazing women who write to us and tell us what a difference an Annie & Isabel gown made in their hospital stay. We are both registered nurses and started our company after listening to years of our patients complain about the thin thread-bare, skimpy, huge, small, one-size-does-NOT-fit all hospital gowns. It is just astounding how a beautiful hospital gown of your own can make such a big impact on how you feel. 

Here is why our gowns are so special...

• Our designer hospital gowns are made of high quality 100% cotton and have a beautiful ribbon trim. 
• We have added an inside side pocket to keep essentials {kleenex, chapstick, phone...}
• Our gowns wrap around and tie on the side... a simple detail with a HUGE difference {no flashing in the hallways!!}
• All of our gowns meet hospital standards with snaps on the shoulders to provide easy IV access for medical personnel and makes nursing easy for new mothers.  
• Gowns fall mid-calf length for most women, providing extra security and comfort
• Sizes available in XS.S,M,L,XL,2XL ~ our sizing guideline for pregnancy and non-pregnancy
• Made in San Francisco, CA in the USA!!

Here is what some women had to say about Annie & Isabel,

"I felt "dressed" in the gown, which made me feel less like a patient and more like a person. I love my hospital gown!" ~Katie

"It was usually cold walking the halls with a regular hospital gown, but not with my Annie & Isabel gowns that wrap all the way around." ~Ruth

"Your gowns are wonderful! I wore a different one each day and the doctors and nurses would come in just to see what I was wearing! Wearing such pretty gowns gave me a brighter outlook" ~Anna

"The days I wore my Annie & Isabel gown, I actually felt like the staff treated me different. I felt more like a person and was treated as such! I've let so many friends borrow my gown...it's a good luck charm!" ~Stephanie

Thank you to all of our faithful customers who turn to us when a loved one is dealing with a difficult diagnosis. The gift of a gown is much more meaningful than flowers that do not last. Many of our customers wear their gowns to all of their doctor appointments, MRI's and tests, and subsequent hospital stays.

Thank you to all of our customers that think of Annie & Isabel as their go-to baby shower gift and keep their loved ones wrapped up in love and style as they welcome a new life!

We are so blessed to have each and every one of our A&I "ambassadors" who tell people about our company any chance they get! So many of our orders are from word-of-mouth marketing or from women who were gifted a gown and now want to spoil someone with one in return.

When you look great, you feel better!  

New Mother Amy in "The Annie" Annie & Isabel Designer Hospital Gown

A beautiful testimonial from Amy about wearing her Annie designer hospital gown for the birth of her first child.

"I have given Annie & Isabel gowns to a bunch of my friends as gifts, and was thrilled when it was my turn to receive and wear one!  It was comfortable, cute and functional. I gave birth to Charlotte in Switzerland and I was definitely the most stylish new mom during my 5-day hospital stay.  (Yes, 5 days....that's Europe for you!)"

 
 
Amy & Charlotte, born May 29, 2012

To read more testimonials from the women who have worn our gowns, click HERE. 

A New Twig on Grandma "Annie's" Family Tree - Welcome Baby Sawyer

Sometimes our gowns are worn by people who have a special connection to the people for whom our gowns are named. This is Heather who is married to one of our second cousins, Adam. Heather wore our Annie gown, named for Adam's and our great-grandma Annie.

Here is a picture of three generations.....Our Grandma Annie's great-grandson, Adam, her granddaughter, Linda, holding Annie's newest great-great-grandchild.....and of course, Heather.  We know that Linda has all the makings of being a wonderful grandmother as she learned how to do that from the BEST...our great-grandma Annie.

Welcome to the Family Tree Sawyer James!

YouTube Beauty Guru, Tiffany Darlyn, Delivers 2nd Son and Recovers in Style

We recently had the pleasure of working for the second time with YouTube beauty guru, Tiffany Darlyn. Tiffany produces videos on her YouTube channel that range in topics from hair tutorials, health and fitness, fashion, makeup tutorials, and so much more. She has quite a following on her YouTube channel, receiving thousands of views on all her videos. She also has thousands of fans via Twitter and Instagram.

One of the things we love most about Tiffany is the fact that she is down to earth and very approachable. She hasn't let her popularity get to her and always makes an effort to respond to her fans. You can tell she loves what she is doing and appreciates every fan that takes the time to watch her videos!!

When Tiffany had her first son two years ago, she wore our Susan gown and looked absolutely beautiful.

Since that time we have continued to keep in touch with Tiffany via Twitter and Instagram so we were excited when she announced that she was expecting another baby!! She chose to recover in the "Annie" designer hospital gown this time and, once again, looked fabulous:-)

Here is what Tiffany had to say about her Annie & Isabel hospital gowns:

"I am a mom of two boys, an almost 2 year old and a 2 month old, so I got the opportunity to wear an Annie and Isabel gown twice! With my first son I wore the Susan and with my second son I wore the Annie. Both gowns are beautiful and I'm so glad I was able to wear them. After hours of labor and giving birth, the last thing you want to do is take pictures, but wearing these gowns gave me confidence and I wanted to show it off and take as many pictures as possible! Not only that, but I was more comfortable in a gown that was actually mine, versus the standard blue hospital gown that is normally provided for you. I love everything about the gowns, the pockets, the easy access buttons, and the tie on the back, they are just perfect. I got soooo many compliments from my doctor and nurses. They all loved my gowns as well. To anyone thinking about purchasing one, I would say don't think twice about it. I DEFINITELY recommend these gowns and guarantee you'll love them!"

Thank you so much Tiffany!! We have enjoyed watching your little family grow!!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN ONE OF OUR DESIGNER HOSPITAL GOWNS??!! If you haven't already, please go "LIKE" our Facebook page because tomorrow we will be doing a giveaway with one of our all time favorite companies. We will be giving away their product and they will be giving away one of our designer hospital gowns on their Facebook page. We will post the giveaway on our page.  Good Luck!!

Prayers Needed as Britney Receives Life Saving Stem Cell Transplant Tomorrow!!

Once again we are asking for everyone to send some good thoughts, prayers, and love to Britney (pictured below). She will be undergoing a stem cell transplant tomorrow morning to hopefully save her life! All hopes are that this transplant will provide a re-birth for Britney and we would love it if you would all leave messages of strength and encouragement on our Facebook post and/or on this blog post to help get her through this difficult journey!

Britney is 32 years old and has a rare condition called, Systemic Sclerosis or Diffuse Scleroderma. She has a very aggressive form of this disease which has caused her a lot of pain and suffering along with stealing over 50% of her lung function. In Britney's case, this disease is basically turning her skin and internal organs into stone. Diffuse Scleroderma is a progressive auto-immune disease which can sometimes have a prognosis of only 5-7 years from diagnosis. Britney has taken medications to fight off many symptoms and to help slow down the disease, but now she is in need of this stem-cell transplant to save her life.

We found out about Britney because some of Britney's great friends purchased the Annie gown to brighten her long hospital stay.  They picked the perfect gown for Britney! As the card that comes with this gown states, our great-grandmother, Annie, lived to be 98 years old, and was spunky, selfless, and fun…..qualities it seems that Britney shares.  We wish for you a long life, like that of our great-grandma Annie :-)

PLEASE watch this beautiful video of Britney explaining her diagnosis and her journey towards transplant. You will see what an amazingly strong person Britney is and why she needs the help of family, friends, and strangers to lift her up and encourage her through this difficult journey. 

Britney….you have a lot of loving people behind you and we know you are going to win this battle. Tomorrow, think of all of us singing "Happy Birthday To You" as you receive those cells that will restore you to better health!!. STAY STRONG AND FIGHT HARD BRITNEY!!