Fall has arrived at bella bliss and we are so excited to share it with you! Our Fall 12 collection pairs some of our favorite bliss basics with new prints and updated styles we know you will love! Lisa, our owner and designer, sat down with us to discuss the fall line. She gives us an inside look of Fall ’12 from concept to closet.
bliss basics and new styles for fall 12
How long did it take you to design the fall line?
I start a full year in advance because the majority of our prints are custom. The design/color process can take awhile to perfect each print.
Lisa working on the fall line.
Without giving away too many secrets, what’s the general process you go through to design a piece of clothing/put together a line?
I’m ALWAYS looking at clothes. For myself, for my kids…it’s an obsession. And, as a classic collection, my challenge is always to keep our line beautiful but interesting. I usually start by looking at our existing patterns (our archives have hundred of patterns by now) and update them. I love to look through my own childhood wardrobe and anything vintage for inspiration. A lot of my pieces are honestly a combination of several favorite things…a neckline from one dress paired with a silhouette from another. My favorite new boy piece for Spring ’13 was inspired by something I found from the 1800′s. It was this complicated, fussy piece, but I loved the shape of it. I sketched it as this simple little piece and it turned out amazing!
Lisa looking over the Fall 12 look book.
What are some of your favorite places to shop?
I am 100% an online shopper when I’m at home because I don’t have time to really shop in stores. But, when I travel, I love to shop local boutiques…that’s where I find my favorite pieces. I avoid Malls at all cost. My favorite sites are Saks, Bergdorfs, JCrew, revolveclothing.com, Gilt and OneKingsLane.
What do you believe makes bliss clothing the top quality it is?
We never take the easy road…in fact, we make things harder on ourselves all the time. If it’s not perfect, we reject it.
The Riley Overall took some time to perfect.
What do you like best about designing a children’s clothing line?
I like seeing an idea turn into an entire collection. There is nothing better than getting those boxes of samples. It’s a lot 0f work but I enjoy the creativity involved! My brain never stops.
How has the whole process changed as the company has grown?
We started as just a sweater company. I would sit at my kitchen counter and draw the designs that would be appliqued on each sweater with my little colored pencils. When we added clothing, I used to have to measure everything, and I was so tied down to getting every pattern perfect. It is so much easier now because we have so many patterns under our belts. Now, I am freed up to focus on creating more prints and more pieces…the line has grown so much it is unbelievable.
early bliss sweaters
Where did you get your inspiration from Fall ’12?
It always starts with the prints. I always “overdesign”…I create more than we need in case something doesn’t work. Once I got the berry and orange peony right, I knew which direction to go. But a lot of my inspiration came from the fact that it’s so hard to find clothes for my own daughter in sizes 10-14. I really pushed myself to create things that she would want to wear. The Becca Skirt, Zoe Dress and the Brooke Dress were the first things I worked on.
Katharine (Lisa’s 13 year old) in the Becca Skirt with Bow in Orange Peony.
Daisy is in the Brooke Dress.
Katharine in the Zoe Dress
What are your favorite colors/prints to work with this fall?
Obviously navy and hot pink…we went a little crazy, but I still love it!!
Stormy looks adorable in our Straight Leg Pant in the Hot Pink with Navy ric rac and the navy vivi jacket! We can’t get enough of these colors!
What is your favorite piece in the line?
I can’t pick just one! For Katharine, my 13 year old, I love the Becca Skirt with Bow. For Mac, my 11 year old, it’s the essential Khaki (we worked so hard to get the fit just right)! And for Shep, my two year old, it’s the Riley Overall!
Another shot of Katharine in the Becca Skirt with Bow in the berry print!
Mac in the Essential Khaki…the perfect fit!
Shep in the Riley Overall!
During the entire process of Fall ’12, what has been your favorite part?
Seeing the finished catalog! So many hours go into it, and so many people are involved…the feedback for this collection has been amazing and our team has done such an incredible job!
bella bliss 