Timing is Everything, Slow and Steady (and TV Stuff)

Hello friends,

I hope all of you are enjoying your summer. It's been waffling back and forth between heat waves and monsoons here in New York for weeks! As many of you know, I also went on an incredible trip to the Upper Midwest this summer as well, which allowed me to meet the customers and store owners who make this whole adventure possible. Thank you again.

One question that came up a lot was "Are you doing a Fall/Winter Collection?" A very good question, indeed.

Originally my funding had come from Kickstarter, which supplied a very helpful push to get production for Cabiria, but wasn't enough to cover multiple seasons. I had assumed I would sell out of my dresses, and that money would fund subsequent line development. This is the reasoning that comes from a fine art school education, and very little business knowledge.

Sales have been incredible (thank you!), especially for a brand new line. Reception has been entirely positive, and press keeps building more awareness. I've accidentally found astounding allies who know what they are doing far more than I do, and have put me directly in the right places at the right times. What that means is that with only 1 season's micro collection under my belt, I've attracted *media placement, an investor, and the interest of several larger retailers who want to carry Cabiria. This is unprecedented, seriously, and I count my blessings, for sure.

*While they're not the clearest shots, here's the lovely Ashlie Atkinson in the Sofia in Oxblood Beetle in the pilot of "Us and Them" on FOX Television!

I also need, for the time being, to keep my day job in order to have cash flow to build the inventory lines and pay the rent. I am lucky in that regard as well to work with dear friends in an industry I love - in this case, I'll be wardrobe supervising a television series. I know some people may be able to do it, but I do not know how to efficiently perform at high levels on two jobs that are 90 - 100 hours per week each.

Quality and details mean everything to me with Cabiria. Professionalism and customer service, rapid follow through and production supervision for development are all very hands on. So rather than try to force through a Fall/Winter collection that's half-baked for time reasons, I am going to quietly develop both a Fall/Winter Collection and a Spring/Summer Collection for release early next year. I am going to concentrate on having product I believe in, and that my vendors would be proud to carry. I will have time to find the right fabrics, and develop the right silhouettes based on on my design sensibilities and your incredible feedback. I will develop more tops, as well as dresses with sleeves and more tailored pieces in a range of high end fabrics. I will do this right, or as right as I can get it.

Thank you everyone for understanding, and know that Cabiria is still going strong. Stronger than ever, thanks to you all!

All the best, Eden

Store Tour and New Press (Happy Summer Everyone!)

Hello friends,

As summer heats up, we've really been cooking over here at Cabiria HQ! We shipped to the newly opened, newly revamped Re/Dress NYC, we're in the works for a big wholesale order to a vendor you already know and love, and we're working on how to get the Fall/Winter collection produced. So much good stuff!

But this is definitely the biggest news: We are hitting the road for a Store Tour! As a big thank you to all the lovely Upper Midwestern folks who have been selling out Cabiria's dresses at Bombshell Boutique in St. Paul, Vive La Femme in Chicago, and Boutique Larrieux in Milwaukee, I am going to be coming to do 3 in-store events and bringing lots of Cabiria pieces for you to try on and take home with you!

I'll be coming to
Milwaukee, WI to Boutique Laurreiux (315 N. Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202) on Thursday, June 20th from noon - 7pm

Chicago, IL to Vive La Femme (2048 N. Damen in Bucktown, Chicago, IL 60647) on Friday, June 21st from 6pm - 8pm

And St. Paul, MN to Bombshell Boutique (794 Grand Ave St. Paul, MN 55105) on Saturday, June 22nd from 4pm - 8pm

I know the shop owners all have fun stuff planned, from giveaways to manicures to cupcakes, so please come out and meet me! I can't wait to show you my dresses and meet you all.

We also have the glorious Michelle Landriault of Affairs Magazine proving to be the best kind of fan. Not only has she now featured us once in her magazine, but she bought another dress and featured us again! And this time, she got StrangeFate Photography on board and did an entire photo shoot to show off how she wears her new Cabiria Sofia in Giant Peony silk dress. Can I just say how much I love this lady? If you click on the "Affairs" link, you'll see her whole photo shoot!



Next we have the lovely Cynthia Schames of fantastic e-commerce site Abbey Post modeling the new Valentina in Blue Splatter that she bought at Curvaceous K on NYC's Lower East Side. She didn't want to take it off, and wore it out of the store! I love that.


And finally, from last month's Madison Plus Select Press Event, we have a photo from Tracey Iglesias's blog Ascending Butterfly, featuring the Flaminia in Tropicalia, the Francesca in Robin's Nest, and the Sofia in Black & Ivory Lace silk jersey. And me!


Please get in touch with the stores closest to you for more details regarding the in-store events, and if you want a store near you to carry Cabiria, let them know! Happy summer everyone, and see you soon!

All the best, Eden

GOOOOOOAAAALLLLL!!!! Telemundo, WNTW, and a new Boutique!

Hi friends,

I'm so pleased to know Aimee Cheshire and her extraordinary website for plus size independent contemporary designers (like me), MadisonPlusSelect.com. She curates designers who wouldn't otherwise have a broad platform, and she does it with panache!

Last week I was part of a press event for Madison Plus Select and the new pieces on the website, and then this week, she had us featured on Telemundo's "Mujer de Hoy" program. As in gorgeous plus size Latinas who look amazing in my bold patterns and curve enhancing dresses!

Here are some photos from the press event (it was dark, so lots of flashed out shots, mea culpa),

and the video from Telemundo yesterday:


In another piece of wonderful news, I just shipped a big selection of Cabiria pieces to the amazing, classy Boutique Larrieux in Milwaukee, WI. The boutique is located in a pretty shopping district of landmark buildings in the Historic Third Ward, and Lydia Hamilton's shop is a perfect jewel in the center of everything.

You ladies in the upper Midwest have wonderful taste!

Finally, the TLC show "What Not To Wear" came into Curvaceous K in NYC last week, and makeover girl Carly got one of our silk jersey dresses! Not only that, but she'll be featured in the episode trying it on and loving it! Such an unbelievably wonderful addition to our great press - I can't wait to find out the air date and show you the reveal.

Thank you to everyone involved in this wonderful journey. I get so excited to see people respond so positively to Cabiria and my work!

All my best, Eden

Spring has sprung and we're ready for it!

Hello friends,

It's been very busy as always here at Cabiria HQ! With spring in the air and buds on the trees, we've been shipping out dresses like crazy to wonderful customers all over the country. It's really thrilling to see this all flourish. Speaking of which, I'd love to see photos of Cabiria customers in their new dresses! Please send me photos at eden[at]cabiriastyle.com, and I'll happily post them on the website and the blog. For instance, here's Farrah Olieri from her Facebook selfie in Giuseppina in Butterflies:


and Stephanie Sack in her Francesca in Robin's Nest:

and her Sofia in Giant Peony:


In Chicago, Vive La Femme has had Cabiria flying off the shelves, and in St. Paul, Bombshell Boutique has already reordered some of our sexiest dresses. Yay, beautiful Midwestern plus size ladies! Showing the rest of the country what style looks like over a size 12. You ladies in New Orleans also have EXCLUSIVE dresses in The Voluptuous Vixen, here in New York City, Curvaceous K on the Lower East Side is stocked with the fabulous Flaminia in Tropicalia among others, and online, the incredible site Madison Plus Select has been batting it out of the park. Don't forget Pionna.com either. And I'm always looking to get into stores closer to you. Help me help you!

Some of you may know that I'm also a costume designer, and that has paid off with my relationships with other costume designers. Cabiria will be seen on actresses on THREE different television shows if all the pilots who bought from us are picked up - major network exposure here! Also, Danielle MacDonald wore Cabiria's Sofia in Giant Peony to the red carpet premiere of her film "Trust Me" at the TriBeCa Film Festival last week too. Photos to come soon, I promise.

Here's a wonderful first: Michelle Landriault of Affairs Magazine walked into Vive La Femme in Chicago, and fell in love with the Giuseppina in Butterflies dress. She fell in love with it so much, she made it her OOTD for Easter. Then she loved it even harder, and wrote a whole article about Cabiria being her favorite new designer! How thrilling that this customer is also a fan and a great writer. I love our beautiful customers.

On April 10th, we were on New York teevee! WPIX Channel 11 Morning News had a feature with Madison Plus Select and Aimee Cheshire, hosted by Sukanya Krishnan (a hot curvy lady herself) that aired all over the Metro New York area. Aimee wore the Valentina in Orange Floral and one of the models wore Sofia in Black and Ivory Lace print silk jersey. So beautiful! (I promise to have video soon). Also, Madison Plus is about to do a big photoshoot spotlighting Cabiria NEW, AS OF YET UNPHOTOGRAPHED dresses on the stunners Denise Bidot and Ivory May Kalber. Lucky us - lucky you!




And last month, the fabulous Stephanie Sack of Vive La Femme did a fantastic video on her VLFTV Youtube channel featuring the Cabiria dresses in her shop in Chicago! I love her sassy delivery and how well she wears the pieces. Check out her amazing video now, then run down to her store and buy them all out!

It's all great news, and I can't wait to delivery more dresses into stores so you all can play in the sunshine and swing around in pretty clothes. Let me know if you want to play too!

All the best, Eden

More stores, including New York and New Orleans!

Hello friends,

It's been such a great ride so far since these dresses have hit the market. I'm so very excited that as they get more attention, more stores want to carry them, and then you, my dear reader, can actually see, touch (and buy) them!

This week brought some amazing things: NHK Japanese TV show "El Mundo" shot a segment about us while we were still in production, and it aired this past week, showing us in the factory! I'm currently trying to figure out how to get the segment trimmed to show you just us, since the show is an hour long. Very cool and Cabiria looks great!

Now the best news - I love independent plus size boutiques, and I'm thrilled that Cabiria is now in 2 more of them! New Orleans ladies, The Voluptuous Vixen in the French Quarter has Cabiria in stock in the next few days, and my New York City sisters, Curvaceous K on the Lower East Side has Cabiria on the racks as we speak. Here's a shot of what landed at Curvaceous K before she even had a chance to put them on pretty hangers:



To add to the fun, Stephanie Sack at Vive la femme in Chicago made a video showing off the new shipment of Cabiria dresses as well. Check out the great video!

And don't forget Bombshell Boutique in St. Paul, and everywhere on Madison Plus Select and Pionna and of course on our Cabiria website as well. If there's an item you want to try on from the website, TALK TO YOUR RETAILER and ask them to order it in for you. I'm perfectly willing to work with stores this way, and it helps create a network of customer, store, and manufacturer. Conversation!

Finally, I'd really really appreciate it if everyone could "Like" the Cabiria Facebook page. It's important to be able to get information out on the business without it all feeding through my personal account, and it helps promote the brand as a whole. PLEASE "Like" us, and if you have ideas on how to get more Likes, please let me know. Thank you all and go shop!

All the best, Eden