Santa Monica's Hidden Gem

I've lived in Santa Monica for almost 4 years now and have just come to explore one of its hidden gems - the Santa Monica Airport. No, not the actual airport itself, but all the cool stuff on its grounds. I actually just moved 3 blocks south of Santa Monica proper into Los Angeles and now I'm a quick jaunt away from the airport's restaurant hub. My husband and I checked out the popular sushi joint last night, The Hump, at the SM airport. What a fabulous little find! The restaurant literally sits above the airstrip so it's deck (with heat lamps and outdoor seating) overlooks the airplanes as they take off (little airplanes that is). It's a pretty small, intimate restaurant, but refreshingly not pretentious (as much as I love Bond St. in NYC, it's a total scene). There are several other great dining options at the airport that I'm looking forward to trying - Typhoon (Pan-Asian fare) and the Spitfire Grill (could be a good brunch option!)

The SM airport recently renovated the parking lot into a great new soccer field, dog park, and small playground for some much needed green space. On Saturdays, be sure to check out the small, manageable farmer's market. The little airport also has slowly become an incubator of sorts for aspiring artists with it's creative venues and artist studios alongside the airstrip. I'm anxious to check out the Art Walk event on March 29th this year at the airport to visit some of the galleries and enjoy live music and entertainment for my kids.

I also just happened to notice the little sign at the airport when we were leaving The Hump last night - BARNEY"S WAREHOUSE SALE! Yeah! I haven't been to a Barney's warehouse sale since the mid 90's! The big sale held at the airport's Barker Hanger starts tomorrow and runs until Feb. 12th. I can't wait to check it out on Monday on my day off. I'm in desperate need of pants. I'll let you know what I find!

Santa Monica's Hidden Gem

I've lived in Santa Monica for almost 4 years now and have just come to explore one of its hidden gems - the Santa Monica Airport. No, not the actual airport itself, but all the cool stuff on its grounds. I actually just moved 3 blocks south of Santa Monica proper into Los Angeles and now I'm a quick jaunt away from the airport's restaurant hub. My husband and I checked out the popular sushi joint last night, The Hump, at the SM airport. What a fabulous little find! The restaurant literally sits above the airstrip so it's deck (with heat lamps and outdoor seating) overlooks the airplanes as they take off (little airplanes that is). It's a pretty small, intimate restaurant, but refreshingly not pretentious (as much as I love Bond St. in NYC, it's a total scene). There are several other great dining options at the airport that I'm looking forward to trying - Typhoon (Pan-Asian fare) and the Spitfire Grill (could be a good brunch option!)

The SM airport recently renovated the parking lot into a great new soccer field, dog park, and small playground for some much needed green space. On Saturdays, be sure to check out the small, manageable farmer's market. The little airport also has slowly become an incubator of sorts for aspiring artists with it's creative venues and artist studios alongside the airstrip. I'm anxious to check out the Art Walk event on March 29th this year at the airport to visit some of the galleries and enjoy live music and entertainment for my kids.

I also just happened to notice the little sign at the airport when we were leaving The Hump last night - BARNEY"S WAREHOUSE SALE! Yeah! I haven't been to a Barney's warehouse sale since the mid 90's! The big sale held at the airport's Barker Hanger starts tomorrow and runs until Feb. 12th. I can't wait to check it out on Monday on my day off. I'm in desperate need of pants. I'll let you know what I find!

Spring is in the Air

Brrrr...it's cold outside, even here in L.A. where it's been raining non stop for days. But I can't complain, because most days here we can don our first Spring looks before the tulips bloom. Yes, it's hard to believe we've come full circle again and now it's time for the Spring collections to hit the retail floors. The ironic thing is that I'm shooting my Fall '08 collection tomorrow - yikes!

My Eco-spacedye goodies just hit the stores and online at shopstacia.com. Although I've been working with eco-friendly fibers for some time now with the sustainable spun rayon collections, this is my first foray into Bamboo. It's the hot fiber right now if you haven't noticed. This luxurious sustainable fiber feels like a light-weight cashmere, but breathes like cotton and drapes like silky rayon. My Spring I collection was inspired by my June trek up to Ojai (see my previous road trip post) where the natural earthy colors and rustic scenery of this Shangri-la was the basis for my palette of Ojai, Carmel, Big Sur, and Avalon. Even the silhouettes have that hippy-dippy Ojai vibe - a braided beach tunic, a beach tunic dress you can wear alone or over pants, a va va voom dress with wood bead trim, and a tie-front swing cardi. And of course, there's a few feminine pieces to even it all out - a low-back flutter top and a sexy wrap dress. You'll love the dresses even more this time around, because I've added a touch of nylon for elasticity. And I've added some much needed solids to the collection, my favorite being the gathered vee tunic (selling out at Olive & Bette's!)

Check out the new goodies at shopstacia.com and stay tuned for the next Spring delivery of "Pretty" rayon spacedye knits with touches of pointelle and lace to hit in February.