What outfits and swimwear will you have on this summer? Find out what’s hot to look cool.
JEFFREY BERNSTEIN, CHELSEA LANE BODYWEAR
Jeffrey Bernstein has made quite a splash with his swimwear collection.
Before relocating to the desert in 2009, Bernstein thrived in a variety of occupations in New York City. He calls the Coachella Valley “business-friendly,” and was so inspired by what he calls the, “carefree, cool, fun-in-the-sun, quintessential Palm Springs attitude,” that he began the regional promotional brand, Destination PSP. Another Bernstein endeavor is Chelsea Lane, an online lingerie and undergarment business. Then he moved into swimwear.
Bernstein doesn’t consider himself a designer; he takes “elements of other things [to] follow the colors and patterns that are trending,” he says, and works with his creative teams.
He fashioned the wildly popular kitsch flamingo and cupcake prints — an ode to bathing suits past and present.
“Resort wear can be conservative but Palm Springs is not,” he says, “and that’s what people find fun and appealing. It’s whimsical and carefree and it’s a special place.”
Chelsea Lane Bodywear available at: www.chelsealane.com
Destination PSP, 170 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. 760-354-9154; www.destinationpsp.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF BOBBIE EAKES
Bobbie Eakes’ resortwear features designs by Lissa Porrata.
BOBBIE EAKES, STUDIO BE
Although she played a fashion-house executive on the daytime soap The Bold and The Beautiful, Bobbie Eakes says, “It’s kind of surprising, even for me, that after years of being an actress and singer, I find myself in the fashion business.”
She brought her colorful outfits by Puerto Rican designer Lissa Porrata stateside, and launched Studio BE in 2014 within the innovative merchants housed at Raymond | Lawrence in Rancho Mirage.
Studio BE carries Porrata as well as an eclectic line by Desigual. The airy fabrics are well-suited to the heat with relaxed-fit sundresses, shorts, tops, and pant separates.
Studio BE Raymond | Lawrence, Flagship Store, The River, 71800 Highway 111 Suite 174, Rancho Mirage. 760-322-3344; www.raymond-lawrence.com
PHOTO BY LANI GARFIELD
Odessa Christiana paints her patterns onto silk.
ODESSA CHRISTIANA
Artist and couturier Odessa Christiana likes to say: “Think beyond beige.”
Anyone familiar with her work knows she walks that talk. Social scenesters see her wearable art modeled at art gallery openings, grand soirees, and other significant community events, as Christiana incorporates her love of art and fashion into her lively social schedule. “I’ve been so embraced by Palm Springs,” she says.
Christiana creates patterns and paints them onto silk. “An architect needs to build and design things that can stand up,” she notes. “I learned that … you have to do it all.”
The designer also reworks vintage clothes, and mixes new fabrics and silk to create original pieces.
Visit www.odessachristiana.com for appointments at Odessa.Christiana’s studio,