PONCHOS AND THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER

Happy first day of Summer - the new 16th Colony collection is here!

The shoot was a few weeks ago at Victoria Beach in Laguna. I discovered this hidden gem of a place a few months back when I was doing a shoot for Locale Magazine. At that moment, I knew that it'd be the perfect spot for the Summer Ponchos to come to life. From that time until the shoot as I would sketch out the designs and sew each of the samples, the story was feeding into my imagination. So once the shoot rolled around I was ready and each shot was specifically planned out according to this vision.



Having the beach tent was crucial - so when I went back to AZ last month I put my dad to work and had him help me assemble this from scratch. You know, just DIYing and stuff, no big deal. Anyway, seriously it was pretty easy. Grab a few of poplar dowels, some of those wood moulding things, crochet fabric and then drill a few holes and you're all set.



The inspiration for the Dreamweaver collection was inspired by soft delicate fabrics and trims with a vintage aesthetic. To me it's all sort of moody too. There's a defining freedom that lives in this collection.



I always say that I love a good lookbook but a video lookbook expresses the intensity of a collection's story and mood even more so. Needless to say, I'm working on an edit for the Dreamweaver collection. I'll let you know when it's done. Until then, if you're interested you can check out more of the photos on the 16th Colony site.

DAYCATION

Yesterday, I was whisked away to San Juan Capistrano for the afternoon.

Even though I live so close, I've actually never been. So it was really great to get out and do some exploring - it's nice to pretend like you're on a mini vacay.



Outfit details you ask? Denim vest - Lost for her. Dress - total random find in Downtown LA. Cut out sandals from Sosie. And of course, one of my most favorite rings ever the 'Buried Treasure Ring' by the lovely Mr. Kate.

I'm obsessed with this mailbox.



The Downtown San Juan Capistrano area is super cute and filled with various antique shops, restaurants, and ice cream parlors (yum). But a lot of the unique places were actually kind of hidden on the west side of the train track in a lush area of trees/cacti/rose bushes. Perfect spot for whipping out the camera.



Anyway, I'm glad Summer is finally here - I'm pretty sure it's my fave season to dress for.

LA MARKET

In my last post I mentioned that some other Summer adventures that will be taking place, so guess what - I'll be at LA Market this week!

I have an awesome opportunity to show my 16th Colony Fall Collection and I couldn't be more grateful and excited to be in this position. This entire week leading up to it has been more crazy than usual (which is pretty much borderline insanity). I've been prepping everything like a mad woman and pretty much loving every second of it - the massive coffee intake doesn't hurt either.

Anyway, I'll be in the Nothing to Wear Showroom in the Copper Design Space, Mezzanine 2 this Monday-Thursday - come and say what's up if you're around.

ALL THAT IS TO COME

Oh, hi. Lately, you might have been thinking 'what is up with this girl - did she forget how to blog or something?' I mean it's probably really been weighing on you I'm sure.

But no, really I haven't forgotten about the blog or anything else for the matter. In fact, there's a lot of stuff in the works. I'm getting ready to release my Summer collection for 16th Colony and until then hopefully this little teaser photo will hold you over. This was actually taken when I was visiting my hometown in AZ. The Summer shoot was held here in lovely SoCal last week - I just finished editing all the photos today and everything will be up on the 16thC site very soon.

Back on the Hanger Shortage topic though, a few weeks ago I filmed another Style Interview Video. I'm not going to give away who it is quite yet, but that's another thing you have to look forward to. Let's just say she's a pretty savvy/stylish/artsy business chic who also has a love affair with all things vintage. Be excited.

Okay, so there's a few other things that will come up as we venture into Summer but let's focus on getting some of this stuff done and up on the site first. K, great :)

PORT

I met Jim a while ago back at Agenda and at that point I had already been wanting to get into to his store Port and check it all out.

I seriously suggest you do the same if you're cruising through the Long Beach area. Jim opened his store sort of as a passion project a few years back and it has since turned into basically a destination and home for well thought out brands. He does such a good job curating the space with several lines including some of his talented friends' brands like Wonderland Sun and Quiet Life.



There's some people out there doing their thing that have their hands in so much that you wonder what other great ideas they have - in addition to everything else going on, Jim has Port branded apparel. As of now, the line consists mostly of men's items, including quality, thermals, sweatshirts and hats.



On top of running Port, Jim has also teamed up with the brand Broken Homme which is a leather specific boot collection made in the USA. These handcrafted boots are designed in Long Beach and the aesthetic of the brand fits in perfectly with the overall lifestyle vibe that Jim has created at Port. Now if they'll only come out with a size that will fit me.



Luckily, there are a few great Port items for girls - when I checked out the store a few weeks back, I walked away with their women's crew sweatshirt courtesy of Jim. Not to sound like a bum or anything but I've been wearing this sweatshirt nearly everyday since. The way my crazy schedule has been working out, I don't always have time to plan out elaborate outfits so I gravitate toward my Port sweatshirt, some version of cut-off shorts and boots - works every time.

WILLOW & CLAY FESTIVAL VID

A couple weeks ago I was on set filming with Willow & Clay for their Fall '13 photoshoot.

Shooting behind the scenes for fashion brands is great because it really shows an up close and personal look at how much preparation and thought goes into the photoshoots. I love seeing everything come together and the interaction between everyone and their roles.

Anyway, in addition to filming their behind the scenes - that same day we also shot a vid for their blog that focuses on Festival Season and styling cute peasant blouses for the occasion. It turned out to be really fun - blogger Camilla was adorable and great to work with. So check out the vid and also make sure to wander on over to the Willow & Clay tumblr for some photo and style inspiration.

TRUNK SHOWIN'

My Trunk Show was 3 weeks ago and I have no idea where the time has gone but I've been wanting to share a few photos and thoughts.

I teamed up with Bri the lovely owner of Briana Rene Store and hosted a little shindig for the showing of my first collection. I was extremely happy with the event. I had every last detail in place and as it started to come together just an hour before the show I could clearly see my vision and brand come to life. It wasn't just all in my head anymore and I realized that everything about it was so 'me'. Creating my brand from scratch, I really wanted to just let loose and just let it be - I"m not sure if that really makes sense but for me it means just trusting in myself and what my taste, style and interests are. All of these things combined have been more clear than ever and translated into what 16th Colony is and will continue to be. I'm so grateful to have the creative freedom to do what it is that I love because what comes out of it is so real and rewarding.

Briana and I



As for the event, it was so much fun and I'm so happy that my friends and family were there along with people that I've met during this process that have been super supportive - and not to mention some of you that follow my blog! Thanks for stopping by, grabbing a drink and checking out the ponchos. I really appreciate all the great feedback and I'm also now completely sold out of the Agate.

So I guess that means that I should release the Summer collection soon - who's ready?

Chattin it up with Beatrice and Erika

Blogger love with Kimberly and Stacey

The Talc Poncho

Jodi Carpenter looking babely in her Black Onyx

FESTIVAL STYLE

With Festival Season approaching, I was inspired to put together a few looks.

I've been super into graphic tees the last few months. For me they're perfect for my everyday styling since I'm either designing in my studio or at the computer editing films - but of course on top of being comfortable I want to look put together too. I'm loving these tees from Wenanami and wanted to take my obsession with graphic tees a step further and style them with a festival vibe.

Wenanami graphic tank styled with Nasty Gal wool floppy hat and a black knit slit skirt made by me.

Wenanami California graphic tee styled with Black Sheep suede fringe vest and Urban Outfitters lace shorts.



Now I'm all set for festivals - Thanks to Shout PR and Wenanami!

Wenanami graphic tank styled with cut out shorts made by yours truly.