What’s in a name?  What does the name represent?  How do you want to be known?  Does it fit the product and the image? 

 The name change of my line was a long time in coming - 9 years to be exact.  This company was founded by Estelle Gracer in 1977 and the company name was Estelle Gracer Inc., which I shortened to Estelle Inc. when I purchased it in 1999.  I continued to use the logo, and name Estelle on the jacket labels but several years into owership I knew I needed to change the name of the line to make it my own. Unfortunately, everything I considered just wasn’t quite right.  I certainly couldn’t call the line Cindy White.  How uninspired did that sound?  No rhyme, no rhythm and no cachet …

One afternoon I was meeting with my dear friends and fabulous cheerleaders, Bruce Camber and Hattie Bryant of Small Business School. The topic of marketing came up and the three of us decided a name change was called for so we embarked on a little brainstorming session.  We were online, checking out words for ribbon, weaving, sweater, jacket etc. in foreign languages.  There was nothing in French, nothing in German and nothing in Italian.  The suggestion was made that we make it more personal but of course we had already ruled out Cindy White.  I happened to be in Italian at the time so I looked up White.  Hmmm, the feminine form of White in Italian is Bianca – Interesting… What could I do with that?  To me the obvious name to pair with it came from a chance remark from my daughter-in-law Lori.  Several months before she had made the comment that if she and my son Nathan had children I shouldn’t be called “Grandma” – it had to be something else like “Cici”.  OMG!  That was it!  Cici Bianca!

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us and we are in full swing with the Holiday Season nothing will get you more in the Christmas mood than Rustic Stuff located in Scottsdale, Arizona.

 Rustic Stuff is a furniture/design store that is transformed this time of year by store owner Paul Folk and his talented elves into a Christmas Wonderland, featuring over 40 different decorated trees.

 Fabulous, opulent trees of every size and decorating theme fill the space.  It is impossible to see everything in one pass through the store.

Everywhere you look there is something to delight. 

 Ribbons, ribbons and more ribbons!  Hmm, maybe an inspiration for a new Cici Bianca jacket!

 It’s almost necessary to circle at least twice in one direction and then reverse your steps because undoubtedly you missed something very special tucked back in a corner.

On display are a huge selection of the whimsical Mark Roberts Elves & Fairies which adorn trees throughout the store.

 The Pixies are the new addition to the line this year.

The Mark Roberts brand also includes a line of amazingly beautiful Angels.

My simple red, white and green decorations are so conservative compared to all this! 

Wishing all, the magic of the Christmas Season and the very best Holidays ever.

 Photos by Cindy White

photo credit: Ana Paula Hirama

Ah, New York – it stirs my soul and if I could figure out how to embed an MP3 player (or whatever I need)  so Jay Z and Alicia Keys’ song Empire State of Mind  could play in the background for a little mood music, I would be very happy – but this is far beyond my technological skills…  Instead here is a link to the video.

My  recent show in NYC for my Cici Bianca  jacket line was a new venue for me and was held at the Essex House on Central Park South.  This lovely hotel between 6th and 7th, faces the Park making for an absolutely perfect location.

 Before seeing customers, I could go for an early morning walk  by the pond -

or view an installation of Public Art.

What the heck???

After my day finished, I could wander down 5th to view the beautiful gowns in the windows of Bergdorf Goodman

along with the wonderful collection of Barbie Clothes on the corner of 58th & 5th.

There were evening strolls past Bloomingdales at 59th and Lexington

and for the APPRENTICE and CELEBRITY APPRENTICE fans…

Farther on downtown, the craziness of Times Square looks like this -

and this…

For Miss Remy I had to take a shot of this.

Because the UN was in session, New York’s Finest were out en masse – even on the steps of St. Patrick’s Cathedral!

By the way, I have never seen so many motorcades withBLACK SUVs…

I love my trips to New York and loved this one even more because of a new setting and a successful show.  Yet the noise, the sights and smells and the masses of people can not only be exhilarating but exhausting. Thank heavens for the close proximity of Central Park.  This serene oasis is an escape from the sensory overload of the city. 

I did something this weekend I never do – I saw a movie for the second time.  My darling best friend treated me to a repeat of Midnight In Paris.  Loved the movie, but more than anything -

I love that city.

   photo credit: Sean MacEntee                                                                                       

For most of my adult life, I have had this dream to live in Paris for at least six months.  I want to settle into a neighborhood and get to know the city and its’ people .

photo credit: faungg

I want to walk to the corner newsstand and flirt with this charming Frenchman. 

 
photo credit: faungg

And, I want to be a regular at this cafe and hope that the haughty waiter will acknowledge my presence. 

I even bought Rosetta Stone for French.  Not that I can speak a lick of it mind you, but I have it in case I have some advance warning and can study like crazy for a few months.

Recently I had dinner with my friend, Jackie Dishner, prolific writer and author of Backroads and Byways of Arizona.  I happened to mention my intention of living in Paris within the next few years and of course she asked me what was I doing to further my goal ?  Good question - not much… you know how it is – life seems to get in the way.

Well, for Jackie not the right answer.  The next thing I knew she had pulled out a pen and a $10.00 bill from her purse and written “PARIS” on the back.  She handed it to me  and said “This is a start.”   Hmm… a challenge – I am always up for a challenge.  Stay tuned…

 (And for heavens’ sake, shouldn’t I be selling my jackets in Paris?)

The beautiful sunny 65 degree weather enticed me out early this morning to hike the nearby mountain trails.  Thought I would get a little physical exercise along with a little mental relaxation. 

The hike was easy and the vista to the Southeast was lovely.

Along the way I spied some very interesting lichen on the rocks.  Don’t know much about this stuff but I always thought you needed moisture for lichen to form. Not much moisture around here considering we set a record for low humidity last week – 2% – unbelievable.  

Towards the Southwest was an equally pretty view of the rough terrain and the city.  Way way off  in the distance is my studio with unfinished tasks waiting for me. Sigh…

I’m always more cautious on the trip down which can be a little more treacherous because of the loose rocks under your feet.

No way could I do this without my trusty hiking shoes!

Recently I had the pleasure of enjoying a lovely Sunday brunch at Lon’s in Phoenix.  The day was perfect and I was so inspired by the flower beds at the Hermosa Inn that I decided to share some of the beautiful plantings we have at the resorts in the Phoenix area.

Even though we are in the desert this bed at the Hermosa Inn reminded me of an English Garden.

My mission was to venture out to a few of the centrally located resorts in town to see what they had featured for their spring plantings.  I was a little discouraged at first as I started my circuit at the Pointe Squaw Peak where I had a tough time finding their usual prolific display.

In the desert we have two main growing periods during the year when you see great displays of annuals.  Oddly enough as everyone else in the country is just beginning to experience spring flowers we are getting ready to clean out our beds and prepare for the next season.  This is what had happened at the Pointe so instead I took a photo of one of their cactus gardens.

But not everyone had started to change over their beds.  Lining the Adobe course at the Arizona Biltmore were masses and masses of geraniums.  If you look closely you’ll be able to see the spent blossoms.  The time is coming to replace!

The next stop on my quest to document our spring blooms was The Phoenician.  This is one of the most outstanding and well-known resorts in our area and the drive into it and its’ flower beds are gorgeous.

Following the Phoenician was the Camelback Inn. Iconic to our area, this fabulous resort is a mixture of urban and desert and has been a destination for travelers since 1936.

I particularly loved their use of lilies this year.  Beautiful…

After the Camelback Inn, my photographic excursion took me to The Westin Kierland.  Although I am not as crazy about the colors of this bed I must admit they are pretty dramatic around the perimeter of the resort buildings.

After almost 2 hours and 30+ miles of driving I ended at the Marriott Desert Ridge, one of my most favorite places (probably because they have the best Spa in town).  Their flower beds, featuring the combination of purple, red and white tucked into the rock formations, were fabulous and certainly in keeping with the caliber of the resort.

I managed to get all my shots finished right at dusk so it was fitting to end my journey with a final shot of the sunset from the entrance at Desert Ridge – lovely.

During my Palm Beach show at John De Medeiros I had the opportunity to spend some time with my friend Bonnie Roseman.  This picture was taken of us a year ago at a Badgley Mischka open house in Palm Beach.  Bonnie has a little gem of a store, Bonnie Roseman BLT,  located off  Worth Avenue on Via De Mario.  It is a diverse establishment filled with unique apparel items, wonderful jewelry and fabulous accessories for your home.

I had the pleasure of joining Bonnie and her friend, jeweler Jelenka Strazicic, at her home for dinner. What a surprise to be greeted by this colorful sight!

Bonnie’s  fanciful home is  awash with vibrant, interesting artwork, furniture and accessories .  Each and every item is a little gem  filled with special meaning.

This is a space that is energetic and eclectic with a personality that is larger than life!

I love that Bonnie has decorated and unified her home with brilliant color and whimsy – such fun… To me it was impressive and inspirational. 

 Inspiration can come from many directions and I almost think Bonnie’s store and home have been influenced by the paintings of Wassily Kandinsky.

My interpretation of  Bonnie’s home.

 Images: Cici Bianca; Geoffrey Clements/CORBIS

Last winter the $15Million renovation of Worth Ave was finished.  It is a beautiful updated adaptation of photographs from back in the day of Addison Mizner, the master architect of the iconic Palm Beach Everglades Club, as well as countless residential mansions and an influencer of the Palm Beach style.

Adorning the entrance to Worth Avenue off of South Ocean is a new clock tower.

Old sidewalks were replaced with beautiful Tabby Shell concrete in the custom color “Palm Beach Beige”.

Installation of 200 coconut palms, along with countless flower beds, borders and plantings have improved the beauty of the street. And, on the west end of 150 Worth Ave, is a vertical wall- living garden by landscape designer Jorge Sanchez and constructed by the Vancouver firm Gsky, featuring 11 different species of plants.  This beautiful show stopper is an elegant addition to the $15 Million renovation.

Images: Palm Beach Post, Palm Beach daily News, Cici Bianca

One of the loveliest retail streets in the country is the inimitable Worth Avenue.  This beautiful palm lined and flower bordered promenade, located in Palm Beach, is a shopping destination showcasing some of the most prestigious stores in the world from Chanel, Tiffany & Co. and Georgio Armani to Bottega Veneta and Cartier. 

On the East end of Worth you will find the Esplanade at 150 Worth Ave.  Housed here are Saks, Gucci, Christoffle, Louis Vuitton and the beautiful and elegant store John de Mederios International Boutique.

I have been fortunate to have a wonderful working relationship with the darling and debonair proprietor,  John de Medeiros. A designer in his own right, John has filled his salon with elegant and dreamy gowns along with the most beautiful special occasion and day dresses imaginable. 

It is always a pleasure  to travel to Palm Beach and I am grateful to John and his key staff people, Michelle and Eduardo for the opportunity to sell my Cici Bianca line of ribbon jackets to his clients.

Images: Palm Beach Daily News, Bill Ingram,Palm Beach Post, My Pink Soap Box – Flickr, Cici Bianca

This is the prototype for a little something I am testing out for production next fall. They are fun and quite adorable - perfect for that Blogger, Twitter girl!

They are woven from satin, silk and cotton ribbons with lace and rayon braids. A few details need to be figured out but I think they could work.  I’m going to call them Palmettes!