The new La Strada per CABIRIA and Cabiria Collections and a SALE

Hello friends,

I have been super busy the last few months drawing, sourcing, plotting, pattern developing, and getting items into the factory for the new Cabiria Collection and the diffusion line, La Strada per CABIRIA. So very excited!

I'm also excited to let you know that the online site Zulily is having a major SALE of Cabiria's past season items for today through Saturday at 6am EST only.  Grab these items before they're gone; you only have another 66 hours!

In the meantime, delivery from the factory is coming in mid-late August, then the photo shoot.  Some of your favorite plus size boutiques and online stores have placed pre-orders, so you can expect to see Cabiria and La Strada per CABIRIA in Boutique Larrieux, Bombshell Boutique, Hey Gorgeous, and Madison Plus Select by autumn.  As always, if you know of a shop that needs to carry our lines, please let me know and I'll pursue that.  I love giving customers the opportunity to try on the clothes and both see and feel the difference.

In the meantime, I want to offer you some sneak previews of the upcoming collections.  Remember that the La Strada per CABIRIA line is our street style inspired line made in lower end fabrics (sometimes), and that's why it's a lower price point.  All the attention to detail and excellent fit you've come to expect from Cabiria is still there!

From the Cabiria line:

Vivi top in 100% silk jersey or 100% silk double georgette

Lorna dress in 100% silk twill (also in green basketweave)

Adelina top in 100% silk twill (also in blue turtle silk CDC)

And from the La Strada per CABIRIA line:

Gloria dress in Purple Heather super soft poly cotton jersey knit

Claudia dress in Berry Herringbone poly/lycra ponte knit

and these amazing pants, with a spiral seam that pulls the fabric forward as you walk, so you don't get that bunching up at the inner thigh.  I'm quite proud of this!

Cinzia pants in 100% silk twill

In the meantime, I'll keep you up to date on all the press we've been getting internationally and at home, and appearances like this one on Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" in a custom Cabiria piece on the wonderful actress Ashlie Atkinson.

Have a wonderful week, and again Zulily's past season super discount sale is ends Saturday morning. Go!

All my best, Eden

Campo Dei Fiori Collection - Autumn Winter Holiday 2014 - Is Here

Hello friends,

First of all, thank you for all your patience.  Many of you have asked when you could see images from the catalog and photoshoot, and many of you have asked when you can buy the pieces you saw at NYFW in September.  Finally, I have the collection ready for you. Now. Today.

For the new collection, Jourdan wears a version of the Stella blouse in Blue Leopard and Black Silk Charmeuse, paired with the Flavia in Giraffe Wool, as previously worn by Victoria in the fashion show.

Maxey wore the Stella blouse in Orange Pebbles and Blue Digital Snakeskin Silk Charmeuse and the Flavia skirt in Atari 8-bit Chevron Brocade for the fashion show.  I had Frances wear it for our lookbook.

Bernadett wore the Stefania dress in Gold Balloons 4-ply silk with Gold Leopard contrast cuffs, collar, and yoke for the fashion show.  Frances wore the same dress for our catalog, but I made this dress in a number of different versions for the collection.

Maxey wears the Stefania in Blue Gerbera silk crepe de chine with Butternut silk faille trim, as well as a version with no contrast at all.

She also wears the Stefania in Horoscope White Italian merino wool jersey, a super fine gauge knit that insulates the body while being nearly translucent.

And Frances wears the Stefania in Blue Gerbera silk crepe de chine with Taupe Paintbrush silk twill trim with an accent belt.

As well as the Stefania in a Pink Jigsaw silk twill with black silk charmeuse contrast.

In the show, Frances wore a Sofia silk jersey dress in Black and White Wire Fence print, which immediately sold out.  For the collection, Frances wears the same Sofia cut in French Apricot silk jersey,

while Jourdan wears the Sofia in Blue Player Piano silk jersey, so named because the pattern reminds me of the punch card paper strips that make automatic vintage pianos play their tunes.

Finally, Mimi wore the Paola maxi dress in a one-of-a-kind fuchsia, brown and orange horizontal stripe. For the collection, Jourdan wears the Paola in a beautiful and soft Jade Green Italian merino wool jersey, with a softer, heavier hand than the Horoscope wool.  Each Paola in Jade Green has an individualized lining of fine cotton jersey in a pattern different from any other Paola out there.  A secret pleasure for the wearer.

I hope very much that you get the chance to touch and wear these garments soon.  Currently, Bombshell in St. Paul, MN and Boutique Larrieux in Milwaukee, WI have their Campo Dei Fiori collection pieces in stock.  MS.SVG in London, UK will have them starting in January, and Madison Plus Select has several pieces online for worldwide shipping.  Additionally, AbbeyPost had a special exclusive run of the Stefania dress made just for them in Gold Leopard and Black Hashmark, and Gwynnie Bee has a large selection of sizes of the Stefania in Pink Jigsaw only for their subscribers.

I am always looking for new retailers and new ways to get Cabiria to my customers, because the differences in quality are best communicated through personal experience.  I will be going to the Curvy-Is-Sexy trade show in Berlin in January to introduce the brand into the European Continental marketplace, and I'm happy to reach out personally to store owners where you shop.

Also, I'm always open to listen to what customers are really clamoring for in the marketplace.  As long as it is a cut and quality level that fit in with the Cabiria brand, I see no reason to ignore the collective expertise of so many plus size shoppers out there.  Cabiria was started to provide a choice!

One happy, beautiful, confident customer at a time.  That's how Cabiria is going to become a premier brand for discerning women all over the world.

Happy holidays everyone, and please shop the collection while it lasts!

                                                                                 All the best, Eden

New York Fashion Week and New Stores and So Much More!

Hello friends,

It has been a VERY busy several weeks here at Cabiria!

Not to bury the lead, I'll let you know about the hugest of the big news: Cabiria has been invited to take part in New York Fashion Week in the tent shows. It will be September 6th, the first show of the second day, right before the Project Runway show. Cabiria is the first plus designer to EVER be invited to show at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Shows. Ever. This is such a huge milestone for legitimizing plus fashion, and incredibly exciting for me personally.* In the meantime, I've got a lot of work to do!

Cabiria garnered a lot of press in the past few weeks, much due to Aimee Cheshire of Madison Plus Select and her team. We were featured in an article by Tyler McCall about the state of the Plus Size industry on the very prominent and generally straight size fashion blog Fashionista.com. The interview was arranged through Aimee, and I was featured as an example of one of her favorite designers doing right by the customers. I really do love these opportunities to reach beyond the usual audience, and Fashionista.com is a big platform!

Aimee was also the one responsible for getting Sofia in Giant Peony onto page 75 of the September issue of Redbook Magazine (the one with Kristen Bell on the cover). She even modeled the dress beautifully! We're part of their by-line on The New Plus-Size Rules for dressing fashionably.

We are also thrilled to work with another online retailer, Abby Post, who writes a blog with fashion tips as well. They included us in their tips for how to dress beautifully for business meetings, and featured our Francesca in Orange Dot dress. It's wonderful to have the owner Cynthia really promoting for Cabiria - she was one of our first customers as well! 

We also got into two more stores!!! - ReDress, newly owned by Rachel Kacenjar of Cupcake & Cuddlebunny and Sweetooth fame, is currently online and imminently opening their storefront in Cleveland, OH. The other is Astoria, NY based Lockwood, the store rebooted from the former Site NYC business. Lockwood just opened this weekend, and is owned by the gorgeously plus size Mackenzi. I really hope she models some of the items she's carrying! Stop by and convince her, please.

Finally, I leave you with two customer photos. Jessica wrote to me a while ago about selling her a sample that had been made for the photo shoot, but didn't go into production. She was really lovely about it, and wore it to several weddings, so I feel the good mojo has been earned. Plus, she looks stunning in it - so happy!

The other is a fantastic woman I met by chance a while ago, who happens to be a journalist and a body acceptance crusader. She came to interview me for an upcoming article for her magazine Beutiful [sic], and fell in love with the Flaminia in Tropicalia dress. Doesn't she look stunning in it?

I think this was the longest post I've ever had, but with really good reason. Talk soon and enjoy yourselves!

All the best, Eden 

* I will update you all as we have more information and photos. I have invited press and retailers and buyers only, as my invite list was small, but if I could, I'd let everyone in. It's not under my control.

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

Home Again and a Celebratory Giveaway!

Hello friends!

I've returned safe and sound from my fantastic trip across the Upper Midwest to meet the customers and store owners who've been such great supporters of Cabiria. It was an astounding success, not only because I got to meet you all, but also because I got to see people's faces as they came out of dressing rooms wearing the clothes, beaming. It's an incredible feeling of accomplishment when that happens, and I feel lucky. Thank you!

First stop was in Milwaukee at Boutique Larrieux in the Historic Third Ward. Lydia's shop is gorgeous, in a converted warehouse space with exposed brick, dramatic lighting and great bead-festooned dressing rooms.

Lydia was a great hostess, and got saucy modeling some of the pieces herself in rotation. I also loved that I got a 3 person shot in the Sofia in Giant Peonys - triplets!

The next evening was at the jewelbox of a boutique, Vive la femme in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago. Stephanie and her staff are such a bundle of joyful energy, and that's not just the mint juleps they served! She also had Jen and Tish from Spa Soak, a local business, come out to do hair and makeup for the attendees, thus, evening though there had been rain, my hair looked fabulous. Speaking of fabulous, Stephanie's staff Amber, Amanda and Perry all modeled dresses during the event and looked stupendous. I think they are directly responsible for selling them just by showing the world how great they look in Cabiria.

The following day, I woke up at the crack of dawn and started driving from Chicago to St. Paul for the last event at Bombshell Boutique in St. Paul, MN. That is a pretty but long drive... Denise was our hostess for this event, and pulled out all the stops. She event baked biscotti! Yum. I loved meeting Denise and her staff and customers - it felt like coming back to a dear friend, though it was the first time. One of my favorite moments was a woman came in looking for a dress for her retirement party on Monday, but felt that the neckline on the Valentina was a little too low for her. So I got a needle and thread from behind the counter and stitched it up for her and she walked out happy! So much fun!

At the very last minute of the event, my dear friend Emily came in the door with her fiance. She had driven quite a way to make sure she got to see me and to buy a Francesca in Orange Dot to wear for her wedding reception. I am so honored that she chose to do this and she looks stunning in the dress!

The day after I came home, the Supreme Court knocked down DOMA and Prop 8, giving full rights and recognition to gay and lesbian couples who marry in states allowing same-sex marriage. I love love and romance and all things involving two people finding a partner, so I wanted to celebrate. Inspired by Emily's choice to wear one of my dresses for her own wedding, I am offering a free Francesca dress from Cabiria to the first plus size bride marrying a bride (or groom marrying a groom who is fond of wearing plus size dresses). You will have to prove that it is an incipient marriage with an invitation or photos or license or something, but it would be my honor to celebrate with you!

Finally, the wonderful website Madison Plus Select has released the Francesca in Robin's Nest, worn by the lovely Ivory May Kalber, on their curated website for sale. I'm a lucky girl indeed.

Here's to celebrating all kinds of success!

Eden

Store Tour Details and Things Cooking

Hello friends,

I am so very excited; I'm about to embark on a Store Tour of the Upper Midwest this coming week, and I want to let you in on the details!

On Thursday, June 20th from 4pm to 8pm I'll be coming to Boutique Larrieux in Milwaukee, WI at 315 N. Broadway. Our wonderful hostess, owner Lydia Hamilton will be supplying champagne and snacks, and I'll be bringing new items for you Wisconsin ladies to try and enjoy.

The next night, Friday, June 21st from 6pm to 8pm I'll be at Vive la femme in Chicago, IL in Bucktown at 2048 N. Damen. Stephanie Sack, fantastic plus-size mogul and hostess, will have Spa Soak on site to do hair and makeup, and there will be mint juleps and canapes! I'm so excited. She's created a Facebook Event page as well, just to see more, including unreal beautiful photos of a lovely customer wearing a bunch of the new styles sent over for the event.

Then, we're off to the Twin Cities! Saturday, June 22nd from 4pm to 8pm I'll come to Bombshell Boutique in St. Paul, MN at 794 Grand Ave. for our third event. The gracious Denise Alden will be hosting us, providing pink bubbly, some snacks, as well as drawings and giveaways. I love it! Bombshell will also have new styles provided just for the event.

In other news, Madison Plus Select has started releasing new items on their website, featuring the beautiful Denise Bidot wearing our Sofia in Giant Peony silk waffle weave pique lightweight dress, along with our previous offerings. Check it out, including the illustrious owner Aimee Cheshire wearing the self same dress!

Finally, behind the scenes news at Cabiria HQ is that we maybe, pending, could, might, possibly have a great new investor. What this means is that we really hope to have a Fall/Winter line ready to release to you all in proper time for the cold weather. However, if it makes more sense to do it big and right, we'll hold off and release a Spring Summer line further down with all sorts of bells and whistles. Either way, Cabiria is moving forward in big ways. I cannot WAIT to bring it to you!

Please come to the Milwaukee, Chicago, and St. Paul events next week. I really am looking forward to seeing you there!

All my 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