"THE SPA DRESS®: What a great idea," says Kate Bacon, author of Well Dunne!, the only blog on entertainment marketing. Adding, "DANIELLA CRACKNELL … The lady knows marketing."
ABOUT THE CREATOR
DANIELLA CRACKNELL is creator of The Spa Dress®, a 'New Trend in Leisure Wear' for ladies on the go. She says, "The Spa Dress® does for the sundress what Diane von Furstenberg did for the wrap dress, as a wardrobe item new and useful for today’s modern women, combining reliable style of the popular 80s sundress with practical comfort of a towel-like wrap."
Cracknell became a first-time clothing designer by accident, in large part, due to an economic downfall that stole not just her media career in television but that of thousands in the media industry. Media outlets from magazines to TV networks closed by the dozens with sweeping employment losses. Cracknell and her colleagues had no choice but to reinvent themselves.
Prior to, Cracknell was a well-regarded daytime talk show publicist working with some of America's most highly recognized news and entertainment personalities [full bio]. Today, those jobs no longer exist and the media industry has never been the same – heartbreaking!
"To uplift our spirits during this economic downturn," says Cracknell, "my colleagues and I needed a spa day, or two. At which time I discovered that short towels, bulky robes and shapeless wraps were the only spa wear available, and that, simply, was not enough wardrobe functionality nor style for what a spa day is meant to do: Lift you UP!"
Solving a marketplace need to #UpliftOurGirls in mind, body and spirit, Cracknell created The Spa Dress® as the first outfit to wear in and out of the spa, and with colors as motivational mantras. What color best supports your need for a spa day?
Reclaim your inner power in 'Confidence Boosting Black.' Lost your groove? Find your mojo in 'Get Gorgeous Pink.' And clean the slate in 'Starting Over White.' Best asset, The Spa Dress® doesn’t drop when you need a towel to stay UP!
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
In Community Partnership with The Palm Beaches and Longtime Supporter of Airline Ambassadors International. Proud Member of the Delray Chamber of Commerce
PROOF OF CONCEPT
Proof of concept came the day I attended a promotional event with The American Cancer Society in #ThePalmBeaches where I launched The Spa Dress® because of the area's reputation as the #1 resort destination in the United States.
It was in the heat of the Floridian summer, and I was on my way to the event in a car lacking air conditioning. By the time I got to the mid-day event, I was drenched head to toe from the humidity. My hair and makeup no longer posing a professional demeanor. The only thing that survived the Floridian heat was my outfit, The Spa Dress®.
I then smiled a proud smile for creating a wardrobe solution that comes with towel-like qualities made for tropical climates as this. I was thankful on this hottest of days, I was in The Spa Dress®, and I had personally put my invention through the ultimate ‘sweat test,’ performing up to par and, as advertised.
Right out of the gate, The Spa Dress® won a Family Choice Award, one of the most coveted, family friendly consumer award programs in the nation. The product has since been consumer tested on 100+ women as 'the dress that can be a towel,' and is now a story about ‘creating something out of nothing’ talked about in national magazines.
A TV DEBUT
The funniest mistake I made introducing The Spa Dress® was in the creation of an ‘As Seen on TV’ moment. The Spa Dress® was among other ‘must have’ travel accessories, but as the TV host approached The Spa Dress®, by its own device, it fell off the hanger.
Aghast at first that the prop had not held up on live TV, crumbled instead, I quickly realized sometimes the best moments don’t go as planned. Mishaps can be random acts of perfectionism, for this was in discussion of wardrobe malfunction, with The Spa Dress® as a remedy for public displays of ‘towel dropping syndrome,’ a funny topic in itself.
Have you been a victim of ‘towel dropping syndrome’? I found the problem prevalent at spas, health clubs and at resorts, in particular, when opening doors to room service. Now we have a solution in The Spa Dress®.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Spa Dress ... like the Book-to-Movie Traveling Pants but in a Dress
Says Lifestyle Influencer Nicole Young on Coffee With America. Tune in...
"I took The Spa Dress to the Bahamas a few weeks ago and I have to say The Spa Dress was the MVP (Most Valuable Product!) of my vacay. Besides sunscreen of course." - Janene Mascarella, Lifestyle Reporter
TG PICKS: SHOES, BOOKS & A SPA DRESS
Says Lifestyle Influencer Nicole Young on Coffee With America. Tune in...
THAT 'AH HA' MOMENT
A particular person I am most grateful, my dear friend Kathryn Johnson, owner of the 5-star resort Mosaic South Africa where pictures of The Spa Dress® were taken and photographed by South African Artist Ryan Parker.
Years prior, Kathryn and I orchestrated a humanitarian initiative to South Africa, an economic tourism endeavor where, after my career had gone awry, I had hoped for an OPRAH-type ‘ah ha’ moment. But, none would be had, at least not then. It was years later when the universe spoke with ‘Good Orderly Direction [G-O-D].’
Kathryn gifted me the breathtaking photography seen on this site of ladies sporting The Spa Dress® at her resort, a surprise that enabled me to launch The Spa Dress® with professional polish the product didn't otherwise have.
That ‘ah ha’ moment had arrived, reminding me of the magic of South Africa and out of reinvention mode, I had found ‘a new me’ and The Sisterhood of The Traveling Spa Dress® was born, like the book-movie The Traveling Pants but with a dress.
Stay Calm and Spa On!
#UpliftOurGirls@TheSpaDress
AS WORN BY MISS AMERICA
A collaboration with MISS AMERICA was our first step towards achieving our philanthropic mission. Each color of The Spa Dress® aims to have a charitable initiative. For example, Pampering Pink for breast cancer research, Starting Over White for victims of domestic, sexual abuse, and Confidence Black for equal pay and opportunity in the workplace.
