Skaist-Taylor Preview First Post-Juicy Couture Collection

Juicy Couture founders Gela Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy have immersed themselves in a completely new business venture – the creation of their brand new collection, Skaist-Taylor.

The noted designers sold their multimillion dollar company to Liz Claiborne back in 2003, but were still under creative contract until 2010 and both women admit that throughout those years, they felt extremely creatively confined.

“When a company gets to be the size that Juicy is, it just can’t be whimsical,” said Nash-Taylor. “You’re supporting an entire floor in Saks or Bloomingdale’s or wherever. You’re designing into what numbers they were doing the month before. This is different,” she added of their new company, Skaist-Taylor.

Both Nash-Taylor and Skaist-Levy left Juicy in 2010 after their contracts expired and honored an 18-month non-compete agreement under Claiborne's terms. After those several months were up, Skaist-Taylor was born. Their new “California eccentric” collection consists of cotton T-shirts with fancy cutout accents, velvet bootleg pants, cozy knit shrugs, lamé dresses, and lots of fur pieces. When asked to explain what “California eccentric” means, Nash-Taylor explained, “We think that we are the most California people that ever lived, because in California we are outrageous. It’s our world, it’s our make-believe, crazy world of California.”

“The eccentric part of it is we love sweatpants, furs and T-shirts. We like dresses with leather jackets and sweatshirts, just mixing it up. It’s got to be, like, a bunch of different feelings. Never too dressy, not too casual,” added Skaist-Taylor. Both women also mentioned that they don't design things for the collection that they themselves wouldn't wear.

Their very first, highly anticipated runway show is set to take place this Sunday (February 12) in the parking garage underneath Lincoln Center from 2:30 to 3:30 with pieces in their line priced anywhere from $220 to $6,300.