Hampton Style - July 11, 2008 -

The designer behind Alice+Olivia is nicknamed "Staceypants" for good reason. In a debut that appeared patently choreographed for shock value and column inches, Stacey Bendet showed her first collection with models walking the runway in nothing but low-slung pants and a few well-positioned flowers. Stacey rode the wave of ensuing media attention straight onto the radar of fashion cognoscenti. To her credit, once Stacey laid claim to the spotlight, she proved that she knew how to hold it.

Within three years the Alice+Olivia label had major financial backing and had expanded to include dresses and blouses showcased in full runway shows. The label was also now sold in her signature boutiques in Manhattan, Greenwich, Los Angeles and the Hamptons. Initially perched in East Hampton, last year the store moved to Jobs Lane in Southampton, where it quickly became a social annex for Stacey and her set. "We were there, drunk on margaritas, dancing, and my friends from Manhattan would be skateboarding in the front. It was so great."

The Chappaqua native first began coming to the Hamptons in her college years at UPenn, spending summers with her then-boyfriend's family and later with friends in share houses. "I couldn't wait for the weekend so I could come back. It was a mini-vacation I always looked forward to," explains the fashion designer, who clocked countless summer nights at local nightclubs during her single days. Now married to film producer Eric Eisner, son of Michael Eisner, the pair are expecting a daughter later this year. As Eric's work keeps him largely L.A.-based, an investment in local housing seemed natural: enter Stacey's longtime friend Moby who partnered with her in a $3 million, 3,000-square-foot Sunset Strip home designed by John Woolf in 1929. Wood-paneled ceilings, Palladian columns, parquet floors and sweeping city views may have been what drew in Stacey, but Moby's interest is much more focused on the garage and guest house: he's turning it into an insulated recording studio. Page Six reported that neighbors are grousing about having already kicked Prince off the block for noise pollution. Beyond a local landing pad, Stacey also had work in mind when she fell for the place: she plans to use the space for celebrity fittings, small fashion shows and large parties.

When Stacey is in the Hamptons, however, she and Eric are much more likely to be found bicycling along the shore or driving out to Montauk to check out the surf. They spend a lot of time with Stacey's business partner, Andrew Rosen: "He has cool organic vegan chefs and they always cook awesome meals for me," says health-conscious Stacey, who has scaled back on late nights since getting engaged, pregnant and married within just four months. She now prefers spending her evenings in, breaking bread in the company of such local friends as Dylan Lauren and Chris Barish.

With Eric's film commitments in Hollywood and Stacey's main design studio located in New York, the couple inevitably have to travel back and forth between the two coasts. Never fear, Stacey assures, because "there's definitely a Hamptons population spending time in L.A." Among many others, Southampton's Nicky Hilton has a place just a few doors down from Stacey there., ensuring that when the designer is relegated to the West Coast, there's likely to be someone else around pining for fresh greens at Nick and Toni's and the clear skies of Cooper's Beach.