Poolside in Long Beach

After 3 years of (pathetically) photographing my own designs with my measly digital Canon, I decided to spend a few bucks and hire the big guns to shoot my Spring/Summer '09 collection. Not that my lovely and talented friend Judy didn't look fabulous in my designs (yes, a real woman and not a model posing for the camera!), it was more about stepping the photography up a notch (I know zilch about lighting!) Luckily, I had my fabulous new public relations team, Jenn and Nicole, to help!

The first challenge was the location. I was envisioning a fabulous mid-century house with an infinity pool to be the backdrop for my Palm Springs-inspired collection. Not exactly the easiest thing to find when you're on my budget! My husband was brilliant enough to suggest the Kramer House in Long Beach and whipped out our Cliff May coffee table book to show me a picture of the PERFECT house. He had recently done a story about Cliff May houses in Long Beach and specifically the Rancho-style homes that the talented duo, Rochelle and Doug Kramer, specialize in selling. Thankfully, they welcomed us into their lovely Cliff May home and allowed us to set up shop for a day and photograph 40 looks.

Being the nervous nelly that I am, I was certain something would go wrong (model wouldn't show, photographer's flight delayed, mystical rain to appear out of no where!). But alas, all went perfect and the day was actually a blast. We were fortunate to have a great crew - Robert the brilliant photographer, Rico the photographer's assistant and music buff, John the hair/makeup guru, Ana Maria the down-to-earth model/singer, and our fabulous host, Rochelle, who I believe really enjoyed the whole fashion palooza.

The Kramer House couldn't have been a more perfect location for my Spring/Summer '09 collection. The whole indoor/outdoor living, chic furniture, glistening pool, and tropical landscape was the ideal setting for my new designs. I've been working on this collection since April so it's nice to finally see it on a body, styled and against this beautiful mid-century backdrop. My vision was complete! I'm so anxious to get my actual printed look books in my hands next week. These glossy booklets featuring all 40 looks will be used for our upcoming trade shows to help sell the line and provide a visual aid for buyers. I admit my knits don't necessarily look like much on a hanger so it's super important to show them on a body. Every knit we put on Ana Maria looked phenomenal. And it'll be great to have these pictures come January when the Spring line goes online a shopstacia.com. I'm sure my web customers will appreciate some decent pictures so they can see how the garment fits and how it can be styled. Stay tuned for more Spring/Summer '09 updates...