Photo by Blue Gabor Photography
Heidi Merrick is known for her minimalist approach to California coastal-cool style, but the Los Angeles designer recently unveiled a fresh collection that spoke to a different lifestyle common throughout the state. Embedded in Merrick’s Autumn/Winter ’21/22 RNCH collection are influences from personal experiences living on her own Carpinteria, Calif., ranch and time spent at The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort, which sits on 10,500 acres in the state’s Santa Ynez Valley.
“The Alisal beautifully represents the values this year has impressed on me—family dining, horses, nature, good friends, hard work and all the things ranch life can bring,” Merrick said.
Merrick’s partnership with Alisal, a luxury resort and dude ranch that opened in 1946, brought together the designer and close friends for a Sept. 16 fashion show on the property’s Creekside Lawn. Alisal wranglers and horses were featured during the event while the fashion presentation was followed by a private dinner executed by the luxury destination’s Director of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef Anthony Endy. A selection of pieces from the Autumn/Winter ’21/22 RNCH collection is available at The Alisal Mercantile, with additional releases being made in the future at the property and online at heidimerrick.com.
“The passionate spirit, wondrous beauty and timelessness of The Alisal is captured in the textures and colors of Heidi’s latest collection,” said Kathleen Cochran, general manager of the property. “The Alisal is honored to be a part of this wonderful line and to be the host of the celebration.”
The RNCH collection comprises tones of chocolate, cocoa, apricot, deep rose red, shamrock green, red ochre and cadet blue while also incorporating classic black, white, ivory and chambray. A strong presence of bishop sleeves is found within the collection’s cozy sweaters and button-up pieces, as a sleeveless mandarin-collar top paired with a long, pleated frontier skirt and a Western hat added touches of ranch romance.
Merrick also incorporated her signature elements, updated for a ranch feel. The jumpsuit with long-sleeved tuxedo-wrap top featured pants that tucked perfectly into field boots. There was also plenty of sparkle from Merrick’s sequined pieces, including a long-sleeved, sparkling black bodysuit with belted-bow waist, strong shoulders and a plunging neckline. Primary textiles within the RNCH collection included moire, denim and wool. In the style of Merrick’s previous SRF line of casualwear, the designer also released a collection of RNCH crew necks, hoodies, T-shirts, baseball caps, trucker hats and a tote.
“It’s an overwhelming gift to have my show at The Alisal,” said Merrick. “The Alisal has been a great inspiration to me ever since my first fly-fishing experience years ago, and I’ve been fortunate to come back several times with my family. I just love that I get to debut this new collection at the place that inspired it all.”
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