Spring '12 Photo Shoot in Malibu

What's better than hanging out at the beach for the day and surrounded by the natural beauty of Malibu? A group of strong independent woman worked this shoot again and what a day we had! We started out at the Malibu Country Inn, a scenic little Inn that sits just above Westward Beach near Point Dume. Thanks to Amanda and Ivy, the resident managers at the Inn, we had free reign of the place with it's picturesque landscaping, rose garden, and gorgeous view of Malibu beach and the swaying palm trees. Our model Isabelle from Next was a real trooper enduring a 24 look shoot, but I'm sure hanging out at the beach wasn't too much of a sacrifice. Once again, I used the talented local photographer Erika Seress, Jacqueline for amazing hair and makeup, and my trusted assistant Amy Silberman (she's even more organized than me!)

All was good until we decided to shoot under the radar at Point Dume Nature Preserve - busted once again! We only got one look in at that location and were quickly shooed away by a handsome county watch guard in full uniform. Luckily we just got a slap on the wrist for not having a permit. But this group was resourceful and we moved on up the PCH to find a more secluded spot to finish up our shoot. Just past El Matador beach is a little hidden gem of a cove called El Pescador Beach. We quickly scurried down the path to the hidden cove to discover a completely desolate beach (and out of reach to county trucks!) Rugged rock formations, large sculptural driftwood, crashing waves, and dusty pathways down to the beach - a perfect setting to shoot my Beachcomber and Coastal collections!

Stay tuned for images from the shoot and hopefully a video of the behind the scenes of our day (if I can get my hubbie crackin' on the video!)

Off to NYC today to show the world the new Spring '12 collection and entice them with my aspirational look book...who wouldn't want to be wearing luxurious, soft Bamboo knits while lounging or strolling at the beach in Malibu, right?

Stacia Takes Manhattan

I haven't been back to NYC since 2008, right around the time the lovely recession began with the Lehman Brother's catastrophe. I usually rely on my East Coast showroom to run the trade show circuits for me and man the booth at Fashion Coterie, the mother of all trade shows. But every once in awhile, I'll hop on a plan and make an appearance at Coterie (usually in September when the weather is much more enjoyable than February's.) I always learn so much by meeting and talking with buyers, new and current customers, to help me tweak the collection for future seasons. After 2008's appearance at Coterie and speaking with one particular buyer, he encouraged me to put copy on my Stacia hangtags promoting the selling points of my sustainable Bamboo yarns. Change is good and a lesson learned on my last trip. I'm due for another visit and heading back East again for Coterie next weekend.

This season I'll be promoting Spring 2012 (scary, right?!) Showcasing my new space-dyed and striped bamboo knits in vibrant Spring colors for next February delivery to stores. I just finished my beach photo shoot last week for the Collection (to be shared with you in another post...) What a great way to jump start Spring with a day-long shoot in Malibu! Coming soon...a collection inspired by California Architecture in a group called Surface featuring rich hued colors named Retro, Lucite, Abstract, and Tribal; another group titled Coastal for the lifestyle we all dream of - Catamaran, Villa, Locust, Seashell, and Abalone - colors that evoke the idealic Coastal living; and finally the quintessential beach group - Beachcomber with seafarer stripes named Gulf, Seaglass, Riptide, Cabana, and Lava.

So if you're a buyer or in the trade, stop by my booth 5040 at the Javits Center on Level 3 in NYC September 18 - 20. If not, stay tuned for pictures of what's to come in stores this February!

Stacia For Sundance

I'm always eager to pair with other cool businesses to make the Stacia collection more obtainable to a wider audience. Hence the recent joint venture with SUNDANCE catalog, the laid-back, rustic-inspired catalog by Robert Redford. I've been receiving these catalogs for years and always thought it would be a no-brainer to make some custom sweaters for them. And it all happened by mistake!

Last Fall's Vegas show was sort of a disaster with the bulk of my Fall samples not ready in correct colors for the show (thanks to the extended Chinese New Year!!) But by chance, one of my Fall styles was sampled up in a Cactus colorway from a previous season, and one that the Sundance crew immediately fell in love with. Lucky me! So off to production we go to make the uber cool boxy tee in a super-soft bamboo yarn in Sundance's favorite color, Cactus. The rustic coloring and slouchy styling are a perfect fit for the Sundance catalog.

Six months later, we're live on Sundance.com and in the mail order catalog. Check out this one-of-a-kind Stacia sweatertee made exclusively for Sundance and at a very handsome price!

Here's to more collaborations with other cool brands to help put Stacia's luxurious, washable, and sustainable bamboo knits in front of more customers (hello, Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters...!)