Follow Us
 |
 |
| Our manufacturing is certified by Unicef. |  |
Stacy's Finds
I'd tell you, but I'd have to…
I promise, I was going to tell you exactly how to find what is in my opinion Bali's most pristine white sand beach…
But, a little mystery goes a long way and I think you'll have fun trying to find this very special place on your own.
Hint: Start by exploring the island's most southern tip and be prepared for a really good workout.
Local Girl Goes Global with TULOLA
A year ago, Sri Luce decided to turn her eclectic childhood into a business and created Tulola; a jewelry line fusing traditional and contemporary Balinese design inspired by Sri's personal global style.
After all it's in her genes: her Balinese mother is originally from Ubud and is well known as Bali's first female painter to have held a private exhibition of her artwork; her American father was one of Bali's first silver jewelry exporters having discovered the island's expert craftsmanship in the late seventies.
Having grown up between Queens and Indonesia; with a three year stint at a Quaker boarding school, Sri finally settled on NYU for university. Anyone from an island knows that it's not always easy to spend too much time away from home. Bali soon beckoned and Sri's parents made a deal with her.
She could leave NYU but only if she agreed to work for the family's jewelry company. So after two years as an assistant and designer, Sri took over the biz and managed the company for four years.
Twelve months after taking the plunge on her own, Tulola's stunning brushed gold plated cuff bracelets have been seen on the wrists of Courtney Love and Penelope Cruz.
live well…love much…laugh often
Whether you're planning a fun getaway with the girls or a much needed escape from stressed out mom-dom, Bali is a nourishing hotspot for soul, mind and body.
The epitome of spa culture, you can't visit Bali without indulging in several spa treatments as there seems to be one or two or three on every corner.
An expat friend turned me on to the Japanese inspired creambath, a delicious hour long deep conditioning hair treatment that involves lots of scalp and shoulder massage. (Warning: You may be asking me about long term house rentals after this one.)
It's fun to find your own favorite spot, but for starters try Sanur's classic oceanfront resort Tandjung Sari which offers a lush & traditional Balinese setting. The 2.5 hour full body massage, scrub and creambath for US$100 is a winner.
Self described foot pamperologists, Fabulously Feet, recently opened in a fun, contemporary venue set beneath a sea of brightly hued paper lanterns, an eye popping candy bar and hot pink nanopods featuring Punjabi Lounge music.
For time on the mat and a view of vibrant jade green rice paddies, head to the Yoga Barn in downtown Ubud. In trendy Canguu, a must see is the open air studio at the Desa Seni eco-village. Both offer authentic and restorative environments offering a variety of practices as well as meditation and let loose creative dance.
As for eating well, Bali is an amazingly self sustainable island: watermelons, strawberries, beautiful lettuces, herbs and greens of all kinds grow in abundance here almost all year long.
Juicing is a very common feature on almost every menu with fresh fruit, vegetable and specialty cleansing drinks available morning, noon and night. My favorite, the detox me, is infused with mint, lemon and aloe vera all grown by the Swedish inspired Cafe Smorgas in Sanur.
Of course, the signature passion fruit martini at Metis Restaurant is also chock full of good for you antioxidants and rounds out any Bali based wellness program.
BECCA Beach Kahala starts a trend
Thanks to little Becca, the namesake of uber popular boutique, BECCA Beach, at the Kahala Hotel & Resort in Honolulu, our silk mini dresses have become a popular "mommy and me" item for summer 2010.
I'm always amazed at what clients come up with as a creative bride to be from Newport Beach, CA recently ordered four of them in our new summer color, plum, as flower girl dresses for her wedding in July – can't wait to see photos!
The Melati Dress
Introducing our new Melati dress for summer – inspired by our favorite model and a fun, sexy twist on our original semi-sheer cover up in luscious silk chiffon.
Not Your Mother's Natural Resource
We were invited up to Green School a few weeks ago to attend a party given by some of the teachers at their on-campus bamboo housing community.
Thanks to John Hardy, all of the buildings at Green School are architectural wonders constructed mostly of bamboo – circular in design representing the spiral or circle of life.
Not only is bamboo architecture making a modern splash on Bali's international creative scene, bamboo furniture has also come a long way since the large, elephant bamboo style beds and couches that were coming out of Bali in droves during the nineties.
I fell in love with a John Hardy chair that I could have sworn had been flown in from a modern designer in Denmark – sleek curved lines and that signature clean Danish look.
Bamboo is definitely on our radar here at Diamond Head Road – design inspiration for 2011?
Art & Fashion Rock Fundraising
The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis knows how to throw a party and raise money doing it.
When writer and St. Louis native, Tania Beasley-Jolly, asked if I’d consider donating a few frocks to the event, I jumped at the chance. We are always looking for ways to give back to communities whether they’re located in Hawaii, Bali or well, St. Louis!
Our hot off the press, Melati dress, which is not currently available in stores or online, will be auctioned off as part of the “Oscar Worthy Los Angeles Art and Style Experience.”
Among a million other items, the experience includes a two-night stay at the Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills and a private shopping experience with vintage couture guru, Cameron Silver, who owns the illustrious Decades Inc. on Melrose Avenue.
The gala’s Honorary Chair “Dream Team” includes fashion insiders Chloe Sevigny, writer Derek Blasberg and Vogue supermodel Karlie Kloss who currently calls St. Louis home.
All proceeds from the event help expand the museum’s educational and outreach programs.
Balinese Eco-Sanctuary
After eight months on the island, I feel as if we just experienced the fabled beauty of the real Bali – the one all of the artists were attracted to in the 1930's.
For the boys' spring vacation, we chose Seraya Shores, a boutique eco-resort of seven bungalows located on the island's East Coast between the small beach towns of Candidasa and Amed.
Seraya is set amidst an oceanfront coconut grove along a coastline dotted with rugged cliffs, miles of smooth round stones and pockets of black sand beaches. We felt right at home as the area closely resembles the Kohala Coast of Hawaii's Big Island albeit twenty years ago pre real estate boom.
Our second story bungalow felt more like a tree house as every window framed a view of bending coconut fronds, the simple zen-like swimming pool and the ever present sapphire blue Indian Ocean with Nusa Penida and Lombok Islands on the horizon.
As the resort's grounds are terraced to maximize views, there are three different dining areas to offer guests a variety and some privacy. Since we had four children under age nine in our group, the staff chose to quarantine us in the open air "yoga barn" most of the time which was just perfect as the long, low lying table surrounded by stuffed lauhala floor pillows allowed each meal to flow as effortless as it gets with four boys.
There is no set menu at Seraya – Chef Sasa, who is from the surrounding village and who has been with the resort since it's opening ten years ago, prepares each meal according to his finds at the daily market. We enjoyed lots of steamed fish, chicken satay, shredded mango salads topped with mint, stir fried bok choy and tempeh, and freshly squeezed juices.
Favorite activities during the week included watching hundreds of colorful sailing canoes make their way back to shore after sunrise fishing every morning, road tripping to Amed to enjoy some of the island's most colorful snorkeling where we found coral in hues of chartreuse, periwinkle and tangerine, accompanying Sasa to the local market in Amlapura where we found freshly pressed coconut oil, and letting the boys run loose around Seraya's grounds as the consistent sound of crashing waves kept track of time instead of a clock.
Shopping Strategy: Part I
My girlfriend from Singapore was just here for two whirlwind days to get a taste of the best that Bali has to offer.
March is a fantastic time to explore Bali as the island is quiet: you have the beaches and shops all to yourself. The only downside is that it's HOT, so you need a savvy strategy to get the most out of your time without melting.
First, hire a driver ($45/12 hours) to drop you at the Bali Deli, the perfect place to grab a cool drink and to enjoy a bit of air con in the gourmet market. The Deli is located on Jalan Kunti right across the street from the Indian raja-inspired Prana Spa.
Right next door you'll find Periplus Bookstore; Indonesia's version of Barnes & Noble with international magazines galore, local guidebooks and several Bali based novels including Janet de Neefe's cooking odyssey, Fragrant Rice. Pick up a copy of The Yak, Bali's leading "it" magazine to read the latest interviews and insight into the island's happening people and trends.
From Periplus, turn right along the shady side of the sidewalk into Uma and Leopold, one of Bali's leading fashion brands. I found the perfect short white sundress with a bright Mexican inspired trim and Tania found a superbly fitting full lengh black strapless number topped off with a simple handmade lace trim.
Right around the corner from Uma and Leopold you'll find Word of Mouth and just as a warning, you may not want to leave. Offering a cafe~shopping~lifestyle concept that is not only seductive but follows through with one of a kind pieces that include floor to ceiling ceramic lighting sculptures, oversized metallic bean bags, plexiglass benches, featherweight silk dresses, Dr. Suess pop-up books, chunky burnished gold jewelry and a groovy electro-indie soundtrack to keep you browsing.
Next, stumble into 7 Pers owned by Johnny Widiana who is the force of nature behind some of the most incredible statement jewelry pieces on the island. He creates super sized glass resin northern European inspired necklaces as well as large than life "ghetto fab" metal masterpieces. Johnny is making a name for himself in the UK and Australia and his work is consistently featured in Elle Indonesia.
Apres shopping, head back to Prana Spa for the classic chill, a reflexology treatment that starts with your feet and ankles and ends with your neck and shoulders. In typical Bali fashion, this top notch treatment and setting will only set you back a cool US$15.
Nyepi: A Day of Peace and Quiet
If you've ever been to Bali, you know that it's a busy island.
In the more populated residential areas there is a constant stream of low flying airplanes transporting people on and off the island; thousands of motorbikes whizzing by for personal and commercial use and bell ringing bakso (chicken soup) sellers walking up and down neighborhood streets.
Not today though. Except for the chitter chatter of birds, not a creature is stirring; not even a mouse. In fact, on Nyepi, which is the Hindu version of the first day of the year, no one is even allowed to exit his/her property unless a dire emergency requires hospital care. The Balinese go as far as to shut down the international airport in their capital of Denpasar and absolutely not one business is open.
Nyepi is a day of silence and reflection: not a day for working, cooking or even using electricity if you're a good Hindu. Of course, as westerners with two young kids, we're cheating a little bit. We do have the air conditioning running and the dvd player has been put to good use today.
Tonight we will eat by candlelight and spend some time in the pool checking out the stars which are supposed to be very intense in the deep Bali darkness. And tomorrow, it's out to the beach at first light to see the mountains and towering volcano, Mt. Agung, in absolute clarity.
Some people can't handle a day like this – there are Nyepi hotel packages advertised throughout the newspaper, offering respite from silence and reflection. Personally, I could use a few more Nyepis sprinkled throughout the year; once a season would be great.
Maybe next year we'll go even deeper and attempt it without the movies.