Stacia Baby Returns - Fall '08 Preview

My fit model is a little older now (about 15 months) so my sample size has increased to 12-18 months, and she's a little harder to peg down for a photo unless you have a high speed shutter, which I don't (take all my pictures with a digital elf.) Kaiulani even pulled a little diva Kate Moss attitude and slumped to the floor refusing to look at the camera when I did the first photoshoot too close to nap time. But all in all, she came through for me once again and I got some decent shots of my new Fall '08 Stacia Baby collection.

Using the same fabrics, colors, and overall inspiration as my women's Fall collection, there's some great updated hoodies, leggings, and of course cutey cute dresses for babies and toddlers. In the super-soft bamboo/cotton fabric I did my signature unisex hoodie, slightly updated, paired with some great "grow-into" cuffed leggings (let the cuff down as junior sprouts.) And there's the cutest little sailor dress with faux-drawstring drop-waist and v-neck ruching. In the 100% eco-spacedye Bamboo, I brought back the best-selling pointelle hoodie, along with a new pullover top with large crochet buttons and a unique ribbed tuck stitch detail (looks especially cute in Mesa on Kai!) My favorite dress of the season is the pointelle swing dress with just enough ruffle to make your girl want to swirl.

The final group in 100% merino spacedye was actually inspired by my own baby clothes that my Mom had saved for me when I was a baby. I have a great little collection of acrylic and wool handknit baby cardigans and dresses that I wore as a baby and that my daughter wore when she was about 3 months old. These little keepsakes were the inspiration behind this group of intricately detailed sweaters with unique stitches, crocheted and pointelle accents, and old-fashioned matching bonnets. The pom pom dress is another favorite of mine and especially charming in Laurel on Kai (loving it with the pink baby Uggs!)

We won't really debut these goodies until the March Children's Show in NYC (although you can catch a glimpse of some of the samples at the women's Coterie show right now.) I'll be shipping my first Stacia Baby merchandise to stores the end of this month for Spring so let's hope it's received well and the buyers come back for more Stacia Baby for Fall!

Stacia Baby Returns - Fall '08 Preview

My fit model is a little older now (about 15 months) so my sample size has increased to 12-18 months, and she's a little harder to peg down for a photo unless you have a high speed shutter, which I don't (take all my pictures with a digital elf.) Kaiulani even pulled a little diva Kate Moss attitude and slumped to the floor refusing to look at the camera when I did the first photoshoot too close to nap time. But all in all, she came through for me once again and I got some decent shots of my new Fall '08 Stacia Baby collection.

Using the same fabrics, colors, and overall inspiration as my women's Fall collection, there's some great updated hoodies, leggings, and of course cutey cute dresses for babies and toddlers. In the super-soft bamboo/cotton fabric I did my signature unisex hoodie, slightly updated, paired with some great "grow-into" cuffed leggings (let the cuff down as junior sprouts.) And there's the cutest little sailor dress with faux-drawstring drop-waist and v-neck ruching. In the 100% eco-spacedye Bamboo, I brought back the best-selling pointelle hoodie, along with a new pullover top with large crochet buttons and a unique ribbed tuck stitch detail (looks especially cute in Mesa on Kai!) My favorite dress of the season is the pointelle swing dress with just enough ruffle to make your girl want to swirl.

The final group in 100% merino spacedye was actually inspired by my own baby clothes that my Mom had saved for me when I was a baby. I have a great little collection of acrylic and wool handknit baby cardigans and dresses that I wore as a baby and that my daughter wore when she was about 3 months old. These little keepsakes were the inspiration behind this group of intricately detailed sweaters with unique stitches, crocheted and pointelle accents, and old-fashioned matching bonnets. The pom pom dress is another favorite of mine and especially charming in Laurel on Kai (loving it with the pink baby Uggs!)

We won't really debut these goodies until the March Children's Show in NYC (although you can catch a glimpse of some of the samples at the women's Coterie show right now.) I'll be shipping my first Stacia Baby merchandise to stores the end of this month for Spring so let's hope it's received well and the buyers come back for more Stacia Baby for Fall!

Behind the Scenes - Fall '08 Photoshoot

It's been a crazy month or two with preparing for the upcoming Fall shows, getting all my Fall samples done, putting Summer "into work" for production, and shipping Spring to stores - yikes! I don't think I can go a month without working on all four seasons at the same time, all at different stages that is. The fun part is getting all the samples in and finally getting to see the results of what's been in my head for 4 months! Once again, my friend Judy has come to the rescue and volunteered to model my samples so I can get some images of the looks that you'll see come this Fall.

My first group, Town & Country is for a June delivery and is actually Fall Transition. Inspired by what they call in Hawaii as "town," which is Honolulu city proper and "country," which is the rural parts of the Northshore. I've taken the bamboo one step further and developed a bamboo/cotton version which is scrumptious against the skin and a perfect transitional weight. The styling is both city and country - wear to work or to the beach literally. My favorite new silhouette is the cocoon cardigan which is a variation on the shrug, but a lot more fabric to wrap yourself into. It's the perfect 'throw-over-anything' kind of cardigan, buttonless and chic all at the same time. I've also always wanted to do a hoodie dress (as you all know, I'm a firm believer in the iconic hoodie). It's both sexy with it's plunging neckline, but sporty with it's drawstring and hood. Wear as a coverup at the beach this June or sport with some high boots when Fall actually arrives. The colors - Haiku, Seagrass, Banyan, and Lantern - are both vibrant and transitional colors perfect for all seasons.

The second group, Mission, is for true Fall and ships to stores in August. This eco-friendly group of bamboo tops, sweaters, and dresses will satisfy both form and function. My favorite look is the drawstring tunic with crochet scarf in Juniper - a new take on my signature beach tunic with its side ruching and low button placket. I especially like how the long, chunky bamboo scarf winterizes the tissue-weight bamboo tunic. For a heavier, keep-warm kind of look, I've made up the bamboo in a 7gg tuck stitch cowl neck and hoodie - a great alternative to cashmere in August. I've also brought back the bamboo/nylon dress with a great new scoop-neck shape with empire waistline and uber short for boot-wearing Fall days. The "Mission" colors are inspired by California's spanish architecture - Adobe, Mesa, Eucalyptus, Juniper, and Sequoia.

And lastly, my full-on winter group of merino spacedye and solid sweaters are sure-fire warmey sweaters you'll be sporting this September and October. Customers have requested more "pop" in my Fall palette, similar to the vivid colors I usually do in Spring. So this season, I've pumped up the color in the merino spacedye, a much needed color boost to the season of drab and boring browns, greys, and blacks that usually flood the market. Don't be afraid of color, I'm certainly not! The "Canyon" group is inspired by, well of course, the canyons of California - Laurel, Temescal, Topanga, Benedict, Coldwater, Rustic, and Malibu. And for those of you who want the same great shapes, but in solid, there's some rich, Fall colors too - Mulholland (teal), Beachwood (camel), Toluca (chocolate), Runyon (aubergine), and Mandeville (hot pink). The new belted cardicoat this season is made in a 7gg tuck stitch with a funnel neck, large hidden snap closure, and side seam pockets for a true sweater coat feel. After some success with crochet and pointelle patterns in my rayon spacedye, I've tried it out in merino too. It adds just the right amount of femininity to the wooly sweater so you can keep warm and be girly too. I love the new wide sleeved cardigan with its single crochet "power" button in lovely spacedye pointelle. And stores have been requesting a long pointelle spacedye scarf so here it is...a hell of a lot cheaper (and chicer!) than a $$$$issoni scarf!!

Behind the Scenes - Fall '08 Photoshoot

It's been a crazy month or two with preparing for the upcoming Fall shows, getting all my Fall samples done, putting Summer "into work" for production, and shipping Spring to stores - yikes! I don't think I can go a month without working on all four seasons at the same time, all at different stages that is. The fun part is getting all the samples in and finally getting to see the results of what's been in my head for 4 months! Once again, my friend Judy has come to the rescue and volunteered to model my samples so I can get some images of the looks that you'll see come this Fall.

My first group, Town & Country is for a June delivery and is actually Fall Transition. Inspired by what they call in Hawaii as "town," which is Honolulu city proper and "country," which is the rural parts of the Northshore. I've taken the bamboo one step further and developed a bamboo/cotton version which is scrumptious against the skin and a perfect transitional weight. The styling is both city and country - wear to work or to the beach literally. My favorite new silhouette is the cocoon cardigan which is a variation on the shrug, but a lot more fabric to wrap yourself into. It's the perfect 'throw-over-anything' kind of cardigan, buttonless and chic all at the same time. I've also always wanted to do a hoodie dress (as you all know, I'm a firm believer in the iconic hoodie). It's both sexy with it's plunging neckline, but sporty with it's drawstring and hood. Wear as a coverup at the beach this June or sport with some high boots when Fall actually arrives. The colors - Haiku, Seagrass, Banyan, and Lantern - are both vibrant and transitional colors perfect for all seasons.

The second group, Mission, is for true Fall and ships to stores in August. This eco-friendly group of bamboo tops, sweaters, and dresses will satisfy both form and function. My favorite look is the drawstring tunic with crochet scarf in Juniper - a new take on my signature beach tunic with its side ruching and low button placket. I especially like how the long, chunky bamboo scarf winterizes the tissue-weight bamboo tunic. For a heavier, keep-warm kind of look, I've made up the bamboo in a 7gg tuck stitch cowl neck and hoodie - a great alternative to cashmere in August. I've also brought back the bamboo/nylon dress with a great new scoop-neck shape with empire waistline and uber short for boot-wearing Fall days. The "Mission" colors are inspired by California's spanish architecture - Adobe, Mesa, Eucalyptus, Juniper, and Sequoia.

And lastly, my full-on winter group of merino spacedye and solid sweaters are sure-fire warmey sweaters you'll be sporting this September and October. Customers have requested more "pop" in my Fall palette, similar to the vivid colors I usually do in Spring. So this season, I've pumped up the color in the merino spacedye, a much needed color boost to the season of drab and boring browns, greys, and blacks that usually flood the market. Don't be afraid of color, I'm certainly not! The "Canyon" group is inspired by, well of course, the canyons of California - Laurel, Temescal, Topanga, Benedict, Coldwater, Rustic, and Malibu. And for those of you who want the same great shapes, but in solid, there's some rich, Fall colors too - Mulholland (teal), Beachwood (camel), Toluca (chocolate), Runyon (aubergine), and Mandeville (hot pink). The new belted cardicoat this season is made in a 7gg tuck stitch with a funnel neck, large hidden snap closure, and side seam pockets for a true sweater coat feel. After some success with crochet and pointelle patterns in my rayon spacedye, I've tried it out in merino too. It adds just the right amount of femininity to the wooly sweater so you can keep warm and be girly too. I love the new wide sleeved cardigan with its single crochet "power" button in lovely spacedye pointelle. And stores have been requesting a long pointelle spacedye scarf so here it is...a hell of a lot cheaper (and chicer!) than a $$$$issoni scarf!!

Santa Monica's Hidden Gem

I've lived in Santa Monica for almost 4 years now and have just come to explore one of its hidden gems - the Santa Monica Airport. No, not the actual airport itself, but all the cool stuff on its grounds. I actually just moved 3 blocks south of Santa Monica proper into Los Angeles and now I'm a quick jaunt away from the airport's restaurant hub. My husband and I checked out the popular sushi joint last night, The Hump, at the SM airport. What a fabulous little find! The restaurant literally sits above the airstrip so it's deck (with heat lamps and outdoor seating) overlooks the airplanes as they take off (little airplanes that is). It's a pretty small, intimate restaurant, but refreshingly not pretentious (as much as I love Bond St. in NYC, it's a total scene). There are several other great dining options at the airport that I'm looking forward to trying - Typhoon (Pan-Asian fare) and the Spitfire Grill (could be a good brunch option!)

The SM airport recently renovated the parking lot into a great new soccer field, dog park, and small playground for some much needed green space. On Saturdays, be sure to check out the small, manageable farmer's market. The little airport also has slowly become an incubator of sorts for aspiring artists with it's creative venues and artist studios alongside the airstrip. I'm anxious to check out the Art Walk event on March 29th this year at the airport to visit some of the galleries and enjoy live music and entertainment for my kids.

I also just happened to notice the little sign at the airport when we were leaving The Hump last night - BARNEY"S WAREHOUSE SALE! Yeah! I haven't been to a Barney's warehouse sale since the mid 90's! The big sale held at the airport's Barker Hanger starts tomorrow and runs until Feb. 12th. I can't wait to check it out on Monday on my day off. I'm in desperate need of pants. I'll let you know what I find!

Santa Monica's Hidden Gem

I've lived in Santa Monica for almost 4 years now and have just come to explore one of its hidden gems - the Santa Monica Airport. No, not the actual airport itself, but all the cool stuff on its grounds. I actually just moved 3 blocks south of Santa Monica proper into Los Angeles and now I'm a quick jaunt away from the airport's restaurant hub. My husband and I checked out the popular sushi joint last night, The Hump, at the SM airport. What a fabulous little find! The restaurant literally sits above the airstrip so it's deck (with heat lamps and outdoor seating) overlooks the airplanes as they take off (little airplanes that is). It's a pretty small, intimate restaurant, but refreshingly not pretentious (as much as I love Bond St. in NYC, it's a total scene). There are several other great dining options at the airport that I'm looking forward to trying - Typhoon (Pan-Asian fare) and the Spitfire Grill (could be a good brunch option!)

The SM airport recently renovated the parking lot into a great new soccer field, dog park, and small playground for some much needed green space. On Saturdays, be sure to check out the small, manageable farmer's market. The little airport also has slowly become an incubator of sorts for aspiring artists with it's creative venues and artist studios alongside the airstrip. I'm anxious to check out the Art Walk event on March 29th this year at the airport to visit some of the galleries and enjoy live music and entertainment for my kids.

I also just happened to notice the little sign at the airport when we were leaving The Hump last night - BARNEY"S WAREHOUSE SALE! Yeah! I haven't been to a Barney's warehouse sale since the mid 90's! The big sale held at the airport's Barker Hanger starts tomorrow and runs until Feb. 12th. I can't wait to check it out on Monday on my day off. I'm in desperate need of pants. I'll let you know what I find!

Spring is in the Air

Brrrr...it's cold outside, even here in L.A. where it's been raining non stop for days. But I can't complain, because most days here we can don our first Spring looks before the tulips bloom. Yes, it's hard to believe we've come full circle again and now it's time for the Spring collections to hit the retail floors. The ironic thing is that I'm shooting my Fall '08 collection tomorrow - yikes!

My Eco-spacedye goodies just hit the stores and online at shopstacia.com. Although I've been working with eco-friendly fibers for some time now with the sustainable spun rayon collections, this is my first foray into Bamboo. It's the hot fiber right now if you haven't noticed. This luxurious sustainable fiber feels like a light-weight cashmere, but breathes like cotton and drapes like silky rayon. My Spring I collection was inspired by my June trek up to Ojai (see my previous road trip post) where the natural earthy colors and rustic scenery of this Shangri-la was the basis for my palette of Ojai, Carmel, Big Sur, and Avalon. Even the silhouettes have that hippy-dippy Ojai vibe - a braided beach tunic, a beach tunic dress you can wear alone or over pants, a va va voom dress with wood bead trim, and a tie-front swing cardi. And of course, there's a few feminine pieces to even it all out - a low-back flutter top and a sexy wrap dress. You'll love the dresses even more this time around, because I've added a touch of nylon for elasticity. And I've added some much needed solids to the collection, my favorite being the gathered vee tunic (selling out at Olive & Bette's!)

Check out the new goodies at shopstacia.com and stay tuned for the next Spring delivery of "Pretty" rayon spacedye knits with touches of pointelle and lace to hit in February.