Road Trip - La Jolla and Carlsbad

I just got back from a road trip down to some of San Diego's cool beach towns - La Jolla and Carlsbad. The main purpose for the trip was to take my 3 year-old son to Legoland - yippee! Not much design inspiration here at this suburban nightmare, but the quaint little beach towns of La Jolla, Del Mar, Encinitas, and Carlsbad were chock full of inspiration for my Spring '08 collection. We spent the first day at La Jolla Shores and I attempted to teach my son to surf on a foam board rented at Surf Diva (they have a great new bikini shop too on Avenida de la Playa!). The waves were mushy and uninspiring, but I did get my son up on the board! The shopping is great in La Jolla along Prospect and Silverado (check out Stacia at Happy Endings at 931 Silverado!) overlooking the picturesque Cove. The Cove was by far the best place for free diving and snorkeling (beats out crowed Hanauama Bay!) Driving up the PCH 101 and exploring Del Mar (check out Stacia at The Rare Earth at 2710 Via de la Valle!), Solana Beach, Cardiff by the Sea, Encinitas, and Carlsbad was a blast. My favorites, La Jolla and Carlsbad have been the main inspiration for my new Spring '08 "Surfrider" collection of spacedye cotton knits. The 'La Jolla' spacedye colorway is a mix of blues and greens that make up the colors in the La Jolla Cove where I went diving. 'Carlsbad' embodies the many washed out beachy colors of this funky little surf town - peachy corals, sunny yellows, and sky blues. My new favorite Spring dress, the "T-shirt" mini dress in Carlsbad spacedye with drawstring waist and patch pockets, is perfect for the laid-back vibe of Carlsbad (with a bikini underneath and some gold thongs you're ready to go from beach to dinner in my washable cotton dress.) I also designed a crocheted tank in 'La Jolla' which I'm anxious to don next Spring. So the trip was a success, Legoland and all, but I'm always sure to find inspiration along the coast. My Spring/Summer collections are continually inspired by the ocean, the beach lifestyle, and the many colors in nature around me.

Road Trip - La Jolla and Carlsbad

I just got back from a road trip down to some of San Diego's cool beach towns - La Jolla and Carlsbad. The main purpose for the trip was to take my 3 year-old son to Legoland - yippee! Not much design inspiration here at this suburban nightmare, but the quaint little beach towns of La Jolla, Del Mar, Encinitas, and Carlsbad were chock full of inspiration for my Spring '08 collection. We spent the first day at La Jolla Shores and I attempted to teach my son to surf on a foam board rented at Surf Diva (they have a great new bikini shop too on Avenida de la Playa!). The waves were mushy and uninspiring, but I did get my son up on the board! The shopping is great in La Jolla along Prospect and Silverado (check out Stacia at Happy Endings at 931 Silverado!) overlooking the picturesque Cove. The Cove was by far the best place for free diving and snorkeling (beats out crowed Hanauama Bay!) Driving up the PCH 101 and exploring Del Mar (check out Stacia at The Rare Earth at 2710 Via de la Valle!), Solana Beach, Cardiff by the Sea, Encinitas, and Carlsbad was a blast. My favorites, La Jolla and Carlsbad have been the main inspiration for my new Spring '08 "Surfrider" collection of spacedye cotton knits. The 'La Jolla' spacedye colorway is a mix of blues and greens that make up the colors in the La Jolla Cove where I went diving. 'Carlsbad' embodies the many washed out beachy colors of this funky little surf town - peachy corals, sunny yellows, and sky blues. My new favorite Spring dress, the "T-shirt" mini dress in Carlsbad spacedye with drawstring waist and patch pockets, is perfect for the laid-back vibe of Carlsbad (with a bikini underneath and some gold thongs you're ready to go from beach to dinner in my washable cotton dress.) I also designed a crocheted tank in 'La Jolla' which I'm anxious to don next Spring. So the trip was a success, Legoland and all, but I'm always sure to find inspiration along the coast. My Spring/Summer collections are continually inspired by the ocean, the beach lifestyle, and the many colors in nature around me.

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!