Studio Mucci

Disco Ice Cream Social Behind the Scenes

August 6, 2015August 6, 2015 by Alyssa Garrison

Last week in a flurry of silver glitter and pastel tulle we managed to throw together our second styled party shoot, the Disco Ice Cream Social. Paige and I are usually super planned when it comes to our projects, but thanks to crazy busy schedules and a last-minute vacation, we ended up really winging it this time. I’ll admit I was pretty nervous when I headed to Milk Glass with a backpack full of ice cream and disco balls Friday afternoon, but with the help of amazing makers like Bake Shoppe, Lampshade Bash, and Studio Mucci, and the genius of our photographer Scarlet O’Neill, everything really came together. Sure there were a few moments where something didn’t fit a model quite right, or those frantic seconds when the custom ice cream cake was melting beyond repair and we didn’t have a freezer onsite, but overall it was a dreamy, ice-creamy success!

We can’t wait to share the full shoot soon, but for now here’s a behind the scenes look at the magic we created.

Photos: Abby Ballanger

Dress Up

Studio Mucci x ModCloth

June 2, 2015June 10, 2015 by Alyssa Garrison

I’ve been a long-time fan of Amina of Studio Mucci. Ever since she came up in my suggested photos on Instagram years ago (fellow pastel people tend to pop up for me- who would’ve thought?) I’ve been swooning over her incredible tassel creations, her magical life, and her super inspiring stance on compassionate living and self love. When we finally met in person last September she was just as sparkly, friendly and fabulous as I has imagined, and we instantly hit it off over berry lemonade and sweets at Bottega Louie.

Since our meeting we’ve stayed in touch- she’s sent me a few packages with tassel surprises and product previews, and I have sent her little notes and some cotton candy tea to try. When she texted to thank me for the tea, we got to talking, and she told me all about a special summer look book project she’d just wrapped with ModCloth. We chatted a bit about the shoot, her new blog, what she had chosen to wear and make for the look book, and in the end we decided it probably made sense to run a little writeup here on RAOP!

Scroll down for the full interview!

What was your inspiration for this collaboration? //

I was inspired to do this project with ModCloth because I’ve been a longtime customer of theirs, and I feel like our brands are a natural fit. Like Studio Mucci, they sell fun playful items that have a sense of humor. I was also really encouraged by their inclusive approach to fashion- they carry clothing from sizes 0-30.

You mentioned earlier that you haven’t worn a swimsuit in a very long time when we spoke earlier- can you tell me a bit more about that? //

I have owned maybe 2 swimsuits in the last 15 years (one of which remains in my drawer with the tags still on). I guess you could say that I’ve been in hiding for a long time. Until recently, I had internalized all of the messages I’ve received throughout the years… the ones that told me that I should remain in hiding until my body was “swimsuit ready”, until I had lost weight or changed myself enough to be acceptable to society. All of this, coupled with the fact that I’d been dealing with major body image issues and an eating disorder my entire adult life, made it pretty easy to avoid swimwear or even going to the beach or pool parties.

How did it feel getting into that sweet little ice cream suit? What made you decide to do it for this shoot? //

I’ll admit that I was terrified at first… I knew these pictures would be online and people on the internet can be really mean! So even though the swimsuit was my idea, when I received all of the clothes from ModCloth for my initial fitting, I almost chickened out! But then I thought about the excitement I had originally felt when I was choosing the looks. I had seen the Ice-cream suit and thought, “I really wish I could wear something like that. Other women were swimsuits, so why not me!?”

It was a struggle, but ultimately I feel like I finally put an end to 15 years of hiding myself.

What’s your favourite clothing piece from the shoot, and your favourite complementary Mucci decor item? //

I fell in love with the “Flavour Fave” Dress the minute that I saw it! It’s pure ice cream minty perfection, and it’s extremely well made. Naturally I also love the garland Vintage Ice-cream tassel garland that it inspired. It was probably the easiest one to design, because I knew the exact vibe I was going for: Sweet and pastel with a vintage vibe.

And finally… how did you decide which hair colour to have for the shoot? (this is something I always struggle with!) //

Oh my gosh me too! I went back and forth between all pink, and a peach-pink or lilac-pink combo for awhile. Ultimately the pink-lilac won because I wasn’t ready to part with lilac yet, but I think I’m definitely doing all pink next!

Clothing and decor styled and modelled by Amina Mucciolo

All decor can be found here at the Studio Mucci shop

All clothing can be found on ModCloth here.

Photography by Lauren Comes, Makeup by Amanda Bourne

Dear Diary

Pastel Heaven at Bottega Louie

November 5, 2014June 22, 2015 by Alyssa Garrison

I’m not sure where to even start with Bottega Louie. As a lover of all things pink, sweet, and pretty, I practically fell over when I first started seeing photos from people in LA who had visited. My obsession only intensified when Paige brought me back 6 macarons from an LA buying trip and not only were they packaged in the most adorable pastel purple box, but they tasted like heaven, and the earl grey flavour was painted with gold leaf!

My deep love for Bottega Louie hit an all time high when Paige an I finally visited together on our recent LA trip. We met Amina Mucci of Studio Mucci for lunch, and yes, we absolutely stayed for dessert! We filled our table with gourmet pizza, portobello fries and berry lemonade, and when we were finally so full we could’ve burst we moved on to the retail section.

I’m going to be really honest with you guys here: I budgeted $100 for my Bottega Louie visit, and I came pretty close to meeting that cap. I mean come on, everything from the pasta sauce to the coffee to the eclair boxes was so out of this world beautiful! I seriously came *way* to close to buying myself a $200 gift box with a bottle of pink Moet and truffles in it (hem, Christmas is coming!)

In short, Bottega Louie was the pastel heaven I had always dreamed it would be, and even though I’ve shared so many Instagram photos from my visit already, Paige and I just couldn’t help dedicating a special post to it as well!

And yes, in case you’re wondering, everything does taste as good as it looks!

Dear Diary

Inside The Tassel Factory

October 22, 2014June 10, 2015 by Alyssa Garrison

I first started following Studio Mucci on Instagram when my friend Sarah bought one of her garlands for her new apartment. “You don’t follow Studio Mucci?!” she asked, clearly confused, and when I did search and follow Amina Mucci’s account, I immediately knew why.

Studio Mucci represents everything that Paige and I love in the world. Glitter, colour, the desire to celebrate everyday and the resilience to take down party decorations long after the special occasion has passed. Amina, her amazing husband Salvatore, and their team of tassel fairies spend their days building beautiful handmade piñatas, garlands, and the occasional special surprise, and even though their studio (aka. Tassel Factory) is closed to the public, they were kind enough to invite us up for a little peak!

Dress Up

#Gocommando With Dear Kate Yoga Wear

June 18, 2014July 28, 2015 by Alyssa Garrison

I first wrote about Dear Kate on XO Jane when they came to my rescue with their magical (and cute) period panties. The victim of heavy bleeding and frequent leaks, I felt so lucky to have found a company that seemed to understand my woes. I bought a whole bunch of pairs, and I’ve been wearing them gleefully each month since.

To my delight, Dear Kate recently approached me about an amazing new project they’re working on, and I couldn’t be more excited. Introducing, Dear Kate yoga pants.

These aren’t just any yoga pants though. They are the yoga pants to end all yoga pants! Created with care by a talented team of women, these yoga pants were built based on a survey Dear Kate created to find out what women are really looking for in yoga wear. They are made with special high-tech fabric that’s both thick (so it’s never see-through) and breathable, and they’re essentially camel toe proof thanks to special attention to design and stitching. They have a hidden key pocket, a thick waistband, come in plus sizes and three different lengths (shorts, thigh, ankle), and best of all, they’ve been engineered so that you can go commando. That’s right, no underwear needed.

Okay, so maybe you’ve been going commando this whole time anyway. What’s the big deal right? Well, these pants have a special lining for maximum absorption, and the stitching was carefully placed so wedgies and uncomfortable chafing can’t occur. In short, you can feel totally safe in the buff with these miracle pants, even if you never have before.

So how do you get a pair of these wonder pants anyway? Well, since you asked… you can help fund Dear Kate’s Kickstarter! I was sent a special sample pair to test out and give feedback on, and so far the only feedback I have is “I want more!!!” I’m not the only one that feels that way either: the customer response so far has been overwhelming, in fact Dear Kate’s goal was doubled on the first day, but with only ten days to go, they need all the help they can get to make these pants a reality. Plus, if they hit 10k, they’re making the pants with super cute contrast stitching!

So go ahead, treat yourself to a pair (or three), or gift someone you know will love them as much as I do. We all deserve to let loose and #gocommando once and awhile!

*Note: Some or all of the items featured in this post were given to me as a gift from the maker, but I only write about products I genuinely adore, I promise!*