Day three of my LA visit turned out to be the highlight of the trip. My first appointment of the day was with designer Nicole Batki, my personal favorite, and the best-selling dress designer at Tres. I still remember seeing the first Batki dress I just had to have, and years later, I still own it.
I was honored to be invited to tour the Nicole Batki headquarters by label owner Aida, and driven to her Pasadena warehouse by her son, to select gowns out of her vast collection. I was able to explore the space where the designer began 25 years ago.
Next, we traveled to the label headquarters, where I enjoyed the privilege of meeting Aida, seeing the craftsmanship firsthand, meeting her giant black poodle, and of course, choosing the right gowns to order for El Paso, plus one gifted gown for myself. It was truly the stuff of fashion fairytales. Who knows—this may have been the inspiration I need to start designing on my own one day!
We then left for the Cooper Building in downtown LA to finish the buying appointments. I ran into my friend Deva, who represents a line called Camilla. I also snapped up brands like Camilla, which is new to Tres. Camilla offers stunning beaded kaftans and exaggerated blazers and prints. This Australian line is available now in-store and is on fire! Each piece is unique and different from anything we have carried before. It’s no wonder our original order sold-out in less than 3 days. Another must-have was Joie. Their Fall collection looked fantastic, with many great, luxe sweaters and knits at accessible price points for the chillier weather.
Finally, I beelined to Skull Cashmere who was one of the best finds of my trip. On our last day in LA, we browsed the racks at LA Mart, which is a world unto itself, with more than 150 showrooms to explore.
The best way to end an amazing trip? Running into one of my style blog icons, Sincerely Jules! I spotted Jules during lunch, and couldn’t resist approaching to her gush a bit, since she is the one who inspired me to start my own blog. I even picked up some posing tips from her as we snapped photos together (pro tip: strike a different post each shot!).
This was my first trip to LA market, but it won’t be my last. I can’t wait to share all of the goodies I found for Tres Mariposas with you!
