NEW YORK — Tibi designer Amy Smilovic is getting more than a helping hand from Sea Island Resorts.
In addition to sponsoring her first runway show, the fabled Georgia property has tapped her to design a suite, the staff’s uniforms and a collection for its well-heeled vacationers. Smilovic, who grew up on neighboring St. Simons Island, was a natural choice for Sea Island, especially since she spent her high school summers manning the cash register in the resort’s clothing store.
Before sitting down to sketch, Smilovic spent a week at the Addison Mizner-designed property poring over its archives, which include a letter from Winston Churchill, photographs of American presidents at play and a Town & Country spread of stylish women on Sea Island in the Sixties. The latter provided the impetus for Tibi’s spring collection, which will be shown Sept. 13 in Bryant Park here.
“It’s tons of fun. Every time I go down there I’m in my beachfront condominium drawing,” Smilovic said. “And I am reporting to a guy who says, ‘Just make it the best,'” referring to chief executive officer Bill Jones 3rd.
Her ties to the area were fastened tighter when she started Tibi seven years ago. While living in Hong Kong, she plunged into the apparel business by shipping 4,000 printed dresses to her parents’ house on St. Simons. She has since stopped using their living room as a distribution center and uses one on the island.
For Sea Island’s staff, Smilovic wheeled off uniforms for 40 different categories that guests will first see next spring. She is dressing bellhops, bellmen, bell captains, housekeepers — “even the man who sells ice cream by the pool.” Known for the colorful prints she designs, Smilovic has gone beyond the standard resort attire. Cabana girls, for example, will wear rolled-up shorts with seersucker pocket inserts, striped polo shirts and white and yellow grosgrain ribbon belts. The makeover will coincide with Sea Island’s $350 million in renovations.
A white embroidered caftan, a shift dress with high side slits and HotPants underneath and a terry cloth bikini to be worn with a boyish bowling jacket are among the offerings in the 30-piece Tibi for Sea Island collection. It has Smilovic-designed prints, including a terry cloth printed dress reminiscent of the stained- glass windows from the property’s Spanish Lounge, which is made by Rotti in Italy. Pieces will retail from $150 to $350 and should generate $2 million in first-year retail sales, the designer said.
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Her designs will also be featured on furniture and bedding in the Tibi suite. Smilovic said her SoHo showroom, which has such eye-catching pieces as Cole & Sons customized green and white paisley wallpaper and a yellow and white floral couch, was a source of inspiration.
“I would love to do a home collection. I definitely have ulterior motives for doing this. Since I design most of my own prints, I always thought that would be a natural category for me,” she said.
Sea Island has its sights on collaborating with other designers, too. Socialite-turned-designer Zani Gugelman and Hollywould’s Holly Dunlap are two on the resort’s radar, a Sea Island spokeswoman said. In addition, Polo Ralph Lauren has designed a yet-to-be-named store at the resort that will sell Polo Ralph Lauren, Blue and Black Label Polo for women and Polo children’s wear, the spokeswoman said.