Summer Fashion Inspiration

Now that the unofficial first day of summer, Memorial Day, has passed we can get the ball rolling on perfecting our summer style. Summer is about freedom in fashion aka a look that is seemingly thrown together at the last minute. The Stela 9 girl wears her hair naturally, hanging in a loose braid or beach waves around her face. She is the embodiment of an Indian Summer, with a look that is perfectly carefree. Summer 2013 is all about leather, mismatched prints, overalls, stripes, midi and maxi skirts, pastels, neon, lace and crop tops. Here is a collection of looks and images that Stela 9 finds particularly inspiring to our personal summer style and our interpretation of the trends of the season.

Visit our Pinterest board for more inspiration: http://pinterest.com/stela_9/

Street Style Shots With Our Social Media Interns

Shots taken of our social media interns Sarah and Kelly this week. We're loving the way Sarah styled her Pacaya Crossbody with a chiffon kimino and rad pendant necklace while shopping on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice Beach. 

Kelly here takes the Krisha hobo on a record shopping spree at Hollywood landmark, Amoeba. We love the way she grunged up her bohemian look with cut offs and an army parka. 

Keep checking back on our instagram (Stela_9) for more updates, street style shots, and travels. 

xo

Wear This DIY Fringe Sweater At Your Next Festival Appearance!

May is a confusing month weather-wise in most of America, even in our home base of Los Angeles. While yes, the weather is almost always perfect here, it can get confusing when it goes from a 75 degree day to dropping to the 60's by evening, making us wish we had brought a sweater. A fringed knit is ideal for in-between weather, capturing both our shivers and a vibrant summer spirit. Here at Stela 9 we are all about our fringe so this DIY fringed knit idea from a pair and a spare blog is too hard to resist. We're pretty sure we'll be rocking this fringe at our next festival appearance.

What You Need:

• A loose weave knit 
• Scissors 
• Leather/rope (we think leather works best)

1. Begin by cutting the leather into pieces around 1 yard long. Go for around 50 pieces.

2. To start fringing, fold a piece of your fringe material in half. 

3. Loop it through the wool at the top middle near the neckline. Pull tight.

4. Continue with this down the side of the sweater in a triangle shape. You can mark the shape using chalk. Have a good playlist or a TV show on, because this part can take a while but the results are oh so worth it!

5. Finish by doing the other side, mirroring the pattern and angle. 

And voila! The look is complete!

Pair this with some One Teaspoon cut off shorts, ankle boots, a Panama hat, and of course, your favorite Stela 9 bag!

Ventura Backpack, $128 via Free People

Good luck and happy fringing! 

STELA 9 X THREADSENCE INTERVIEW

ThreadSence, known for its "free-spirited fashion for the indie-inspired lifestyle" recently interviewed our very own Jess, designer and creator of Stela 9. Jess discussed the other career possibilities she had lined up, such as pro snowboarder and mesoaserican archaeologist, what inspires her designs, her time in Guatemala and a few words of wisdom for those out there aspiring to work in fashion. We are so excited to be featured on such an awesome site so make sure to check out the interview at the link below!

images courtesy of Threadsence

Interview

Also be sure to check out our great bags ThreadSence has in stock here. 

Sneak Peek: Stela 9 AW 2013 Mystic Moon Look Book

Get excited guys, here's a sneak peek into our Dark Moon AW 2013 look book that was shot by our amazing team in the Santa Clarita canyons. We're super excited to release this look book, and bags from this shoot are already available at Free People and Threadsence! Take a look and tell us what you think!

A special thanks to our friends at Vanessa Mooney, Gypsy Junkies, and Nightcap for the amazing clothes and jewels. You are all inspirations to us!
  

Weaving Traditions of Guatemala by Lauren

The dress or traje of the Mayan women in the Highlands of Guatemala are very distinct in pattern and color and vary from village to village. They are handmade with an array of bright colors woven into many different designs, some most commonly seen are the zig-zag (cheveron) pattern and the iconic Quetzal bird (Seen on the Stela 9 Weekender bag!). The weaving tradition dates back to ancient Mayan civilization, when basic looming techniques were first used to make traditional wear. Here’s a little introduction to some of the basic garments worn by Guatemalan women and how they are made!

Huipil (wee-pil) – The top or blouse worn by women and is made from cotton. The fabric consists of cross-stitching with ikat or zig-zag pattern. Though the style remains pretty consistent throughout Central America, it may be worn in different ways (tucked into skirt or loose), signifying which village a woman is from. The Huipil is traditionally worn with a Corte (skirt) and a Faja (belt/sash).  These beautiful pieces are handmade with dyed-cotton and a loom and typically take 3-4 months to finish, if it’s worked on for 4 hours a day.

Here are a few ways these beauties are made: 

Hand Looming/Backstrap Looming: A loom (palita) which is secured from the top is pulled forward by a backstrap that sits around the waist of a woman who sits while she is weaving. Movement of the body pulls the weaving apparatus for tension needed to loom the cotton. The loom is supported by two horizontal wooden beams. The “weft” threads are the horizontal threads, which are woven into the “warp” threads, the vertical ones. Sometimes sticks, wood, bamboo or bone needles are used in the weaving process. This weaving usually takes place in the women’s home while she cares for her kids and prepares meals.

Photo: Begonia Photography

Photo: Adventure-life.com

Foot looming/The Treadle Loom: This loom (below) was introduced to the Mayans after Spanish conquest in 1524. Larger textiles can be made on this, because it is larger in size. It is a wooden structure that sits alone, while the artisan controls the foot pedals to power it. It is structured by two or four long narrow frames (harnesses) that are tied by ropes to a roller at the top of the loom. The warp threads pass though looped fiber (the eye) and are drawn down by the foot-activate treadle. The warps extend from the front and back beams to create tension (seen in hand looming). This process is much more complex and time consuming than hand looming.

photo: weavolution.com

Embroidery: This method was exercised by Pre-Colombian weavers, a technique that involves decorative yarn stitchery done with a needle on a ground fabric. Used for intricate designs or adding on additional iconic imagery to the bags.

Looming is a highly skilled and timely process, but in the end you get gorgeous, intricate, and unique textiles—the very same fabric used in Stela 9 bags! Enjoy!  

Sources:  1. Schevill, Margot, and Christopher Lutz. Maya Textiles of Guatemala: The Gustavus A. Eisen Collection, 1902, the Hearst Museum of Anthropology, the University of California at Berkeley. Austin: University of Texas, 1993. Print.

          2. LaCaria, Tania. "Hand Woven Textiles from Guatemala." Passport To Design RSS. N.p., 2011. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

Chichicastenango, Guatemala with Lauren

I would refer to Chichicastenango as the Grand Bazaar of Central America. It is a crowded, colorful place with emanating smells from the comedores (little eateries throughout the market), a place where vendors sell their  handmade crafts, fresh flowers, candles, limestones used to prepare black corn tortillas, chickens, peppers and even machetes. Beautiful hand-woven textiles, often used in the production of women's blouses an handmade bags were hanging from the fronts of little store fronts. I was overwhelmed with how many beautiful artisan gifts I wanted to purchase and take home with me! I did find a super rad overnight duffel with beautiful patchwork embroidery and long straps to be worn like a backpack, which has been really useful for weekend getaways. We spent a few days in the town of Chi-Chi, exploring the churches, greeting new people in the market place, trying amazing food...

 In the market place, you can find intricate wood carved masks for sale that are traditionally used in The Dance of the Conquest- a dance that tells the story of the last king of Maya, Tecun Uman, who defeated the Spaniards in 1524.

Credit: Jeremy Woodhouse Photography

Pretty central to the market place, lies the Church of Santo Tomas, which dates back 400 years! Amazingly, it is built upon a Pre-Columbian temple platform, with 18 steps leading to the front entrance. Each of the 18 steps to the church represents one month in the 18-month Mayan calender. It is here in the church, that Maya Priests, K'iche', perform ritual ceremonies, prayer, and candle lighting. 

Wikipedia image: Church of Santo Tomas

Women in the marketplace, preparing tortillas.