Fashion isn’t Heidi Merrick’s only love. Years ago, the Los Angeles fashion designer came to The Alisal to go fly fishing and fell in love. She embraced the ranch life so much so that last year her family moved to Ojai, California where they started a working ranch. This new lifestyle change rekindled her love with The Alisal and inspired a collaboration via her new Autumn Winter 21/22 RNCH Collection. Featured in this collection are Merrick’s signature pieces with a ranch twist. From jumpsuits to riding pants, prairie skirts to riding shorts, Merrick introduces western wear to timeless luxury.
Courtesy/Blue Gabor
Paying homage to her SRF collection, a surfing-inspired line of logoed t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats, the RNCH collection includes a partnership with The Alisal called RNCH ALISAL. Select items from the new Autumn Winter 21/22 RNCH Collection are now available for purchase at The Alisal’s Mercantile, with more pieces to come later this fall on-property and online. According to an interview with WWD, Merrick says she is “a lifestyle designer and [these collaborations] end the seasonal pressure.” RNCH ALISAL resort wear provides the perfect transition from day to night as the temperatures cool when the sun sets on the Ranch.
Courtesy/Elizabeth Lippman
The debut of Merrick’s new collection, including both her Autumn Winter 21/22 RNCH collection and RNCH ALISAL, took place on the Creekside Lawn in a fashion show for Merrick’s friends, family and select media. Among those in attendance were Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lindsay Price and Deepika Chopra and Benita Litt (pictured on the left). Gellar praised Merrick at the event calling her fashion functional and sexy while Price applauded the designer for her “impeccable” tailoring.
Models sporting pieces from Merrick’s new collection rode in on horses lead by The Alisal’s very own wranglers. Whether horseback riding or posing on bales of hay, Merrick’s models showed us how style can co-exist with function.
Guests were served a sit-down dinner by The Alisal’s Director of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef, Anthony Endy, featuring barbeque stations with oak-grilled prime porterhouse steaks, fire-roasted lobster tails, seafood and linguica paella and more. Known for elevating barbecue by marrying tradition with finesse, Endy uses fresh, local ingredients whenever possible and pairs his dishes with local wines from the Santa Ynez Valley.
Courtesy/Elizabeth Lippman
“It’s an overwhelming gift to have my show at The Alisal,” said Heidi after her show. “I just love that I get to debut this new collection at the place that inspired it all.”
Kathleen Cochran, The Alisal’s General Manager, shared similar sentiments: “The passionate spirit, wondrous beauty, and timelessness of The Alisal is captured in the textures and colors of Heidi’s latest collection. The Alisal is honored to be a part of this wonderful line and to be the host of the celebration.”
Courtesy/Blue Gabor Photography
For an inside look, take a peek at the RNCH collection’s photo shoot at The Alisal here.
Stay tuned for more news about our new RNCH ALISAL collection, available now at The Alisal’s Mercantile along with additional pieces debuting in-time for the holiday season on-property and online.
