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INTOTHEWORLDOF...134 VOGUE INDIA JUNE http://www.vogue.in
GETTY IMAGES; COURTESY ALICEANDOLIVIA INSTAGRAMStacey
Bendet
In an Alice + Olivia design, chances
are you will nd butter ies and
paisleys, zebra stripes and feathers,
glitter and colour, all disparate
elements coming together. Naturally,
for founder Stacey Bendet’s own
world is as rich with a juxtaposition
of design, art, family, yoga and
philanthropy. By Parizaad Khan SethiStacey Bendet is exactly as advertised.
The creative director and CEO of Alice
+ Olivia is the living embodiment of
the maximalist label she founded in
2002, and an immersion into her world
is a full-body slam that leaves us seeing
rainbows, stripes and animal prints, all
at once.
Bendet’s offi ce inside the label’s atel-
ier in New York’s Meatpacking district
is a scene out of Alice In Wonderland
(the Tim Burton imagining) complete
with a man-sized mushroom sculpture
by the Haas Brothers, and a harmoni-
ous cacophony of textures, prints, art
and furniture.
Bendet, a busy mother of three
known for her personal style, says she
lets her day’s mood dictate her daily
wardrobe. Two days ago she was in
bell-bottomed fl oral pants, yesterday
was an all-purple suit before pivoting
to today’s neon yellow mini and thigh-
high boots. Bendet’s slideshow of
looks is not personal whimsy but a
smart creative strategy. She fl its be-
tween periods, styles and trends, al-
most getting into character so she can
design for the widest possible variety
of women. As a result, Alice + Olivia
offers something for everyone—party
wear, bohemian dresses or classic
pieces from any of the brand’s 36 bou-tiques around the world.
But there’s no missing her personal
creative stamp. Everything is fi ltered
through her lens, and the style ele-
ments she loves deeply become an Al-
ice + Olivia signature—her distinctive
colour-blocked eye makeup, striped
prints, ’70s bell-bottoms and collabora-
tions with modern art heavyweights.
The label has even trademarked her
other signature look—massive globe-
like sunglasses and a puckered red lip,
which appears as a cutesy graphic on
ready-to-wear and accessories under
the moniker StaceFace. We get a peek
into Bendet’s whimsical, ever-chang-
ing world.AM ROUTINE
“I get up very early and have breakfast
with my three girls, do their super-
long hair, get them ready for school
and do yoga once they’re on the bus.
I’ve been practising ashtanga yoga for
over 15 years. It’s my one hour to de-
compress before the craziness of the
rest of the day starts. I’m a very clean
eater—95 per cent vegan (once in a
while I like a little piece of chocolate).”STACEFACE
“I have two signature makeup looks—
for my dark eye I use a Maybellinemascara, a black Inglot liner and add
Stila’s All Over Shimmer Powder in
Kitten for a glistening cheek, paired
with a nude lip. The other is a really
clean face and a power red lip. Once in
a while I’ll do a skin cleanse and put
nothing but almond oil on my body.
For headaches, I rub a little CBD oil on
my temples and it’s an amazing fi x. I
love acupuncture for body relaxation
and I adore saunas, so I got an infrared
sauna blanket at home.”COLLECTOR’S EDITION
“I change my offi ce every so often,
swapping rugs and art. I collaborate
with artists a lot—I see a painting and
want to make it into a dress or a tee. I
have collaborated with iconic artists
like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel
Basquiat, and adore Donald Robert-
son, with whom I have collaborated
twice. Our latest collaboration is with
Carla Kranendonk, who uses amazing
patterns in her paintings. We extract-
ed those and made them into mixed
engineered prints. I love to work with
smaller artists, especially women.”LIFE IMITATING ART
“One of my favourite artists is Julian
Schnabel; he’s done two amazing
paintings of my children. I have three