Road Trip - Ojai

Just got back from a quick road trip up to Ojai. There's nothing better for design inspiration than to get out of Dodge and clear your head for new ideas. I've been wanting to explore Ojai (pronounced O-hi) for some time, and I've already named one of my bamboo spacedye colors 'Ojai' for Spring '08. Ojai, a small town tucked away in a valley east of Ventura, is the Shangri-la of California - always sunny, breezy, and no rain, and rolling hills for miles. It also has a hippy-dippy vibe similar to Kihei, Maui, but I wanted to see for myself. Ojai is actually more polished than I expected. Yes, it's beautiful and remote (and I did see a woman cycling topless with only star pasties on!), but everything was so pristine - the adobe architecture, shops, parks, and arcade plaza. Some great little shops I discovered were Two Sisters (racks of Calypso and Lily McNeal), Hattie's (a cute, little free-standing bungalow carrying clean designs by Theory and Velvet), and the world's best outdoor used bookstore, Bart's Books. Live banjo music at the farmer's market and the fresh strawberries and apricot pies (oh, and the anti-war parade and the dreadlock bongo players) were just enough to get you in the Ojai mood. All said, it was a great little getaway to see inside another world, a Shangri-la of sorts, and to get my juices flowing for Spring 2008. The eco-friendly bamboo yarn I'm using for next Spring will be perfect for one of my new colorways, Ojai. Can't wait to wear my new Stacia tunic dress in Ojai on my next visit to Shangri-la, California!

Foam and C - My 2 New Fave Mags

Believe me, I read them all - Vogue, Bazaar, Elle, In Style - but lately to get my fashion fix, I've been devouring the pages of C Magazine and Foam. Both mags are fairly new and mainly showcase the West Coast fashion scene, but it's so refreshing to open these after seeing one too many avante garde spreads in Vogue or boring red carpet pix in In Style. C Magazine focuses on the looks, people, and places that define California's style and its role as the creative center of the country (or at least the other creative center after NYC!) The magazine has beautiful photography, great styling, and little fashion tidbits on emerging designers, hotspots, products, and trends on the left coast. Foam is a cross between a surfer girl's magazine and Jane magazine - loaded with affordable fashion for gals with an active lifestyle, and all things relating to Fashion, Ocean, Art, and Music. There may be one too many Roxy ads in there, but the articles are interesting for a girl who loves the ocean, and the fashion spreads epitomize the beach lifestyle fantasy - 'Girl Meets Beach' was their maiden issue. So if you're getting a little tired of the usual suspects on the news stands, check out these two new mags - Foam's Summer issue, 'Surf, Love, & Rock n' Roll' and C Magazine's July issue with a radiant Ashley Judd on the cover are on stands now!

Style Icon of the Week - Kate Moss

There's only a handful of models that can withstand the fickle world of fashion and be just as relevant today as they were over a decade ago. Kate Moss is one of them. I remember my early days right out of Parsons and my first gig at Calvin Klein, just about the height of Kate's career as the official face of CK. And all the drama that went with it (eg. late night fights with Johnny Depp at her hotel and holding up our fittings!) She was high-maintenance even back then! Although I don't approve of her crazy lifestyle (druggie or no druggie,) I do think she's a great style icon. She exudes that effortless chic we all strive for. She's her own stylist without even trying. I recently saw her at Paradise Cove in Malibu with her adorable girl, Lila, and a group of grungie, rocker friends. She looked fabulous as usual in a flowy frock and her signature cool grecian sandals and her "mini me" in tow. Her rocker boys, on the other hand, clad in their black, skinny Ramones jeans were completely out of touch with the laid-back, beachy vibe of Paradise Cove (they belonged back in the East Village or in gray London.) As you all know, this Spring the launch of her new label for Top Shop was a break-out hit at Barney's and online at Top Shop, selling out in seconds. Everyone is ready to fork out the bucks to covet that Kate look. The line features replications of some of her signature looks - the fitted waistcoat, the asymmetrical strapless dress, and the skinny, pegged jean. She knows just how to mix that great vintage find with a high-end designer piece and some off-beat accessory. And someone smart over at Top Shop is trying to package that style and create a frenzy. Meanwhile Kate's laughing all the way to the bank!

Blondes Who Shop

Two new stores I'm shipping to this Summer, Blonde and Blondette, should be on everyone's hit list for shopping destinations. In my home-town of Santa Monica, Blonde has been a fixture on Main St. for some time now and always has the best hand-picked collections for the laid-back Californian. It's the kind of place you can stroll into on your way to the beach and snag a T-bag's print dress. The vibe there is so relaxed you just want to hang out on their couch and chat with the store's owner Amber. Check out their cool web site and Amber's blog for the latest on California lifestyle and fashion. If you can't make it to Little Rock, Arkansas, be sure to surf on over to Blondette's web site to do your shopping. Mischelle Papan's girly web site features a well-edited mix of designers with personalized customer service. So whether you're a blondette or just blonde, check out these two great shops (new favorites on my list!) and get yourself some fashion must-haves and some Stacia knits for the Summer months!

Retro Cool Maile Leaf

Young girls love to sift through their mother's jewelry box of treasures. One of my favorite pieces of my mother's that evokes a lot of nostalgia growing up on Oahu in the 70's, was a gold maile leaf pendant. At the time, the gold maile leaf was an iconic motif and almost everyone on the Islands owned one in the late seventies. With all the recent explosion of nature-inspired jewelry out there, it seemed appropriate to ask my Mom if I could have this coveted little trinket that's been hiding in storage for over 20 years. Now I'm wearing this beautiful, timeless pendant daily and feel I'm already ahead of the curve at no cost to me! I actually found some of these gold maile leaf pendants from the 70's for sale at next to nothing at gypsywomancaravan.com. But if you're unable to snag an original second-hand one then you can fork out the big bucks for one by a current designer. Jennifer Meyer, studio-head's daughter and soon-to-be-wife of actor Tobey Maguire, creates nature-inspired jewelry that has been seen on the likes of Jennifer Aniston (a similar gold leaf pendant was worn by Jen in The Break Up) and Kate Hudson. Jennifer Meyer's pricey, yet coveted pendants can be found at Barney's New York and Kaviar & Kind. The Rachel Leigh jewelry line also offers cool, gold leaf pendants at more affordable prices and can be found online at fengjunk.com and revolveclothing.com. As a designer, my love of nature has always inspired me, so I'm happy to see that the 'maile' gold leaf motif from the 70's is making a comeback!

Charms to Cherish

After baby #2 was born, I was determined to buy myself a "push" gift this time, and not just some fancy jewelry or an expensive handbag. I was looking for something more personal that celebrated the birth of my two children. But I didn't want something too hokey, like my child's birthstone or picture around my neck - it had to be stylish and cool.

One of my favorite haunts on the Westside is the Brentwood Country Mart and I came upon the cutest, tiniest shop there- Monogram Market. What pulled me in the door was the display of hand-stamped, gold charms that were personalized with the name of a child and his birth date on the back. Perfect! I found my push gift!

These heirloom quality 14K gold discs come in various sizes depending on the length of the name. You can choose with or without a rim, silver or gold, and either a name or an initial. The font is a traditional 'typewriter key' lettering that comes from a vintage stamping machine. The artist, Heather Moore, customizes all these charms herself and they must be ordered 3 weeks in advance. Chains and little jeweled bead attachments are optional. They also have a great "wish list" order form you can fill out and give to your hubby as a hint (idiot proof ordering!)

Monogram Market just has an informational web site, so it's best to drop by or call for a catalog. I love my two new gold charms - printed with 'Kaiulani' and 'Campbell' with their respective birth dates on the back- and I will cherish them in style for years to come!

Manhattan Beach Style

Last weekend, my family and I decided to jet down to Manhattan Beach at around 4 pm to enjoy a little beach time minus the crowds. What bliss to be on a nearly deserted beach with the waves crashing and the sun slowly sinking into the horizon. Although I'm not supposed to be thinking about work, sure enough inspiration hits me! A vision appeared in the glaring sun down at the water's edge - the coolest chick strolling the beach. She wore a raffia cowboy hat (yes, some would say the cowboy hat is so 2004, like Uggs, but us folks out here still wear them for sun protection, and yes they still are cool in my book), large, dark sunglasses, a bikini with the coziest belted, hooded sweater coat over it. You might think, why in the world is this girl wearing a sweater coat in the middle of June in California? Well, on the Westside, it gets rather chilly in the evenings at the beach and yes, you need a sweatshirt, or even better, this cool sweater coat. It's like you have to dress in layers throughout the day. She probably was sunbathing in the bikini at 3pm and by 4pm it's dropped like 10 degrees and it's time to cover up for warmth. Anyway, she was certainly a vision of coolness walking along the beach. It's that effortless style I love about California. You'll be seeing a similar belted, hooded sweater coat come this Fall at Stacia! If you ever make it to Manhattan Beach, check out Dolly Rocker, the best shop in the village for cool duds (and for Stacia!) And be sure to stop by Sloopy's on Highland Ave. for a super thick chocolate shake after your swim- the best!

Bruce - Back Better Than Ever

The Bruce girls are back! Yeah! Back in 2001, my old Parson's pals, Daphne Gutierez and Nicole Noselli, won the coveted CFDA Perry Ellis award for Womenswear. They received rave reviews for their stark, moody runway shows featuring sophisticated, clean designs. But like that, they were gone. They closed up shop in 2004 to regroup I guess. But thank God they're back. We small designers have to root for each other, and when a fellow man goes down, you pray they get back up and get back out in the game. Now they're back better than ever. Check out their new Fall 2007 runway collection at style.com. As Nicole put it, "We looked back at all of our collections and saw that we did a lot of valid stuff that we'd like to expand on. We ended so abruptly. This really is another beginning for us." Nicole Phelps, fashion writer at style.com, wrote a nice review on their Fall collection, citing the "killer pintucked and pieced black lace bodysuit and micro-pleated purple minidress." My personal favorites are the bark printed frocks and subtle matte-jersey dresses with triple drawstring ties. NY Times, Cathy Horyn, had an interesting perspective on the young designer - "Maybe more designers should take a break if it means their work will look more sophisticated and simple as this Bruce collection." I'm so happy for my friends and wish them continued success - way to get back up on the horse!

The Death of Fashion and the Fashion Model

When I saw Paris and Nicole on the cover of Harper's Bazaar, I was so upset I canceled my subscription. At least now I know I'm not alone in being offended and disappointed at seeing these fake-tanned, blond-extension-wearing, jailbirds on the cover of a magazine that had been an inspiration for me for many years. There's a great column today in the LA Times fashion section, Image, by Booth Moore, explaining how truly clueless Bazaar was when it put skinny celebutantes on the cover.

It's one thing to see Paris and Nicole on the covers of the rag mags, like US Weekly, but PLEASE spare me their presence in a real fashion magazine. I know fashion can get a little out of touch with reality, but this was just over the top. What has happened to the days of fashion when you saw the faces of Gisele, Karolina, Kate, and Liya? Those were the fashion magazines that got me through all those years at Parsons, tearsheets and all.

Now almost every fashion magazine features a singer or actress on the cover - Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Keira Knightly, etc. The poor fashion models have lost the coveted cover shot! They are doomed to the back pages of the mags in the fashion spreads. Give me some Jacquetta Wheeler on the cover please and look like a real fashion magazine à la Italian Vogue. I can live with a celebrity on the cover as long as it's a celeb with style, like Scarlett Johansson, but spare me the Olsen twins or Paris and Nicole. Vogue, in fact, by putting a curvacious Jennifer Hudson on the cover, was so refreshing. She may have added to the death of the fashion cover model, but at least she's a respectable style icon in the making.

10% off at Shopstacia.com for Surfrider Members

One of my favorite places and causes is the Ocean. Moving to Southern California has been a wake up call of sorts on how polluted and pathetic our oceans have become. Growing up in Hawaii, beach closures and sewage spills were non-existent. But out here it's a common problem that people have become numb to when they hear it in the news. So I guess there's no surfing this weekend in LA with yet another sewage spill at Dockweiler and Venice beach today (plus Malibu is flat!). Everybody here gripes about the sewage spill for about 2 minutes then it's back to business as usual. Luckily there's organizations like Heal the Bay and the Surfrider Foundation who are trying to shake the system and get some action (or at least accountability) for the ocean's pollution. So take some action yourself and join your local Surfrider chapter or participate in your local Beach Cleanup Day, and let's help clean up our beaches and oceans for the sake of surfers, swimmers, and the aquatic life. Stacia is a proud retail member of the Surfrider Foundation and a Heal the Bay member. Become a Surfrider member today and you will receive 10% off your purchases at shopstacia.com for life!

Celebrity Style Icon of the Week - Reese

Even clothing designers indulge in a little rag reading (aka Us Weekly and People) and enjoy dishing on celebs and their good and bad style behavior. My favorite is of course dishing the good on celebrity style and sometimes I find inspiration from those rag pix of celebs. My current favorite right now is Reese Witherspoon. Ever since she dumped her boy-faced hubby, she's never looked better. Her laid-back, effortless chic style has lately been seen on the streets of Brentwood near my home. I've seen her up close and personal at City Bakery with her son, Deacon, and she does look fabulous! Petite and spunky (even after a divorce!) she was sporting a chambray cotton peasant blouse, Marc Jacobs sunglasses, a Van Cleef & Arpel necklace (got to have one!), a large leather tote (for diapers and other kid paraphernalia), and of course, the ultimate accessory, her adorable son. Now that's what I call a cool Mom. Being a new Mom myself, I'm always in awe of those women who can pull off the Mom-look in style. So here's to Reese, who is my style icon of the week!

Win a $500 shopping spree at Ravinstyle.com

Vote for Stacia at stylebakery.com and you could win a $500 shopping spree at ravinstyle.com! Stylebakery.com is a fun take on a traditional style magazine offering style solutions and fresh ingredients to help you cook up your look. The "chefs" at stylebakery will hook you up with the latest and greatest fashion finds and link you to where you can buy them direct. They do all the research for you, so you're just a click away to a style recipe. They cover fashion, beauty, and lifestyle for "real" women who have real budgets. They're hosting the "On the Rise Awards," recognizing the hottest emerging designers and gathering votes for this year's favorite designer. Cast your vote (for ME, please!)and you'll be one step closer to winning a shopping spree at one of the coolest sites in the universe - ravinstyle.com. The girls at ravinstyle.com are the best - they know their fashion and offer the best edited mix of clothing and accessories (and Stacia!) for sale on the web. Thanks for your consideration!

From the Sketchpad - Part 2

With the recent birth of my second child and first girl, Kaiulani Rose, I've been inspired to finally expand my line of Stacia Baby. Spacedye dresses for little girls - genius! I can't wait for Kaiulani to slip into a spacedye dress with matching panties. My size 6-12 months fit model, Kaiulani, has been busy in fittings for my new Spring baby collection - to debut in August at the Kids Show and Coterie in NYC (in stores February '08). I first dabbled with the baby line when I re-launched Stacia in 2005 with some cute spacedye hoodies and hibiscus tees (sized 3-6 mths thru 4T), but I've always wanted to do a full line with pants, dresses, and tops. For Spring '08, I've designed some adorable spacedye crochet dresses with matching crochet panties in bamboo, spacedye cotton striped hoodies and leggings, and delicate pointelle spacedye rayon bloomers and beach tunics. Most of the designs are miniature versions of what I'm working on for the womens' line for Spring. Soon you'll have your own "mini me" dressed in Stacia - coming soon to shopstacia.com and a store near you...

Stacia on Japanese Web Site Flashfilm.com

Check out the feature on Stacia at Flashfilm.com. It's a Japanese-based online magazine for international fashion and lifestyle. The writers at Flashfilm.com wrote a very nice blurb about yours truly and our little line of sweatertees here at Stacia. Their site has a US version for us English speaking folks. It's a cool site so check it out! Stacia is slowly building its international business, selling to stores in St. Bart's, London, Saudi Arabia, Toronto, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, and Japan. You can find Stacia at Kailani, Ash & Diamonds, and coming soon to Furacchi, all in Tokyo, Japan. Keep you posted on our international expansion. Sayonara!

Space Dye - Stacia vs. Missoni

Ever since I started working with space-dyed yarn, I've constantly been compared to Missoni, who in the 1970's started the space-dye trend. But what is "space-dyed" yarn anyway? According to answers.com, the definition is "(textiles) Yarn dyed in one color for a specified length and in other colors for other lengths, the sequence being repeated." In layman terms, let's say there's 4 colors in a space-dye pattern (red, white, blue, yellow), you'd dye the yarn in red for about 6" then white the next 6", blue another 6", yellow another 6", and repeat again. The overall yarn will have a sort of rainbow effect and will be a pre-determined color repeat. The fun starts in the knitting process, though, because the pattern is not predictable nor is it engineered. You may have areas of striping, diamond shapes, or zig-zag effects. There's no telling what kind of pattern will evolve, because as the machine knits across the garment and then back down to the next row, the colors will layer on top of each other and create unique patterns on every garment - that is, no 2 garments will be the same. That's the beauty of space-dye yarn - you can get a one-of-a-kind look without a couture price (unless you're Missoni of course!)
So Missoni didn't invent space-dye, nor do I claim to have invented the wheel, but this special dye technique is just another pattern out there for knitwear designers, textile designers, and even carpet weavers to utilize to express an array of color in one fabric. You have polka-dots, stripes, plaids, tie-dye, and then there's space-dye. They're all patterns for fabrics and not patented or copyrighted in the universe. Sonia Rykel is famously known for her stripes, but everybody and his brother (aka J.Crew) have done stripes through the ages. So is it flattering to be compared to Missoni? Sure, they're an iconic brand, but I hope I'm offering my own take on the space-dye yarn in my own designs and colors, and at an obtainable price for a real person (not a celebrity!) I'm not manufacturing $1500 sweaters here, but I am offering affordable, luxurious knits that retail under $300.

From the Sketchpad - Part 1

Since this blog is my diary of sorts as a designer, I wanted to include a series of entries about new stuff I'm working on. Most consumers don't realize we designers have to work a year in advance on our collections so it may be fun to see what's coming up before the collection hits the floor. So here's my first entry From the Sketchpad...
It's June and I've already designed Spring 2008 (to ship to stores in January '08!) Spring is my favorite collection to design so I'm never at a loss for ideas. This Spring I'm dabbling in some new yarns for my signature spacedye - 100% bamboo and 100% cotton. And the new shape I'm working on is the wrap dress. It's a design staple and goes along with that effortless look I strive to achieve in my knitwear. It's easy to feel polished in one , but you can also throw one on over some leggings or a swimsuit and have a more laid-back look. Another fave dress shape I'm resurrecting is my va va voom dress from my Brooklyn-boutique days. It was my best-selling dress at stacia new york in all fabrics - mainly cotton prints - and now I"m trying it in my spacedye knit. I'll keep you posted on how it works out. Can't wait to get all my design samples in from the factory! Will post some pix of the new designs when they arrive. Stay tuned for more Spring '08 From the Sketchpad...

Suit Up For Summer à la North Shore

Finding the perfect, stay-put swimsuit is always a challenge and you don't want to necessarily don a lap-worthy speedo. What's a girl to do? Alas, I have found the answer! Yes, I've tried them all - the designer (Malia Mills), the mass-market (J.Crew), the 16 year-old Roxy look, and yet I haven't been satisfied. Personally, I want a timeless suit (aka a "solid") since I get bored so easily with prints, but the baby's got to fit good and stay-put when I'm on my long board. About 8 years ago I discovered a little gem of a store on Oahu's North Shore in the rustic town of Haleiwa, called North Shore Swimwear. They sell the suits à la carte and hang a sample of each top and bottom up on the wall so you can pick and choose. They also do custom suits if you don't see what you want on the rack. My fave is the Tavaner halter and boy short (pictured above in cherry red.) I own two - one in pacific blue and one in chocolate brown (brown looks great when your ghost-white the first time on the beach!). The Drew halter wrap top is also great. Just bought one in aqua to go with my chocolate boy shorts. That's what's great about the solids too- you can mix n' match colors and look like you meant to do it. If you can't make the trek to Haleiwa, they have a great online shop, northshoreswimwear.com. So click away and get yourself one of these surf-worthy suits before you hit the waves!