by MIKE CHAIKEN
CTFashionMag.com
Sisters Darcey and Stacey Silva are more than just reality television stars. They are also fashion designers.
CONTRIBUTED
And in July, the Connecticut-born 46-year-old twins brought their brand, House of Eleven, to Miami Swim Week in the beginning of July. Their trip and runway show was captured across their social media accounts.
The Silvas, who were brought to the public’s attention in “90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days,” are in their second season of their spin-off series, “Darcey and Stacey.” The show airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. on TLC and streams on Discovery+.
“Miami Swim Week is an amazing event,” said Darcey in a telephone interview. “It’s one of the top fashion shows in the world. It’s famous for swimwear and resort wear. The huge designers are there.”
Plus, said Darcey, “Miami is a place we love to go to…. It’s an amazing destination. That’s where I met (my fiancé) Georgi.”
“We were very blessed to be able to show our brand (in Miami Swim Week),” said Darcy.
Stacey noted Miami is just one piece of the marketing puzzle for House of Eleven. The brand also has been featured in New York Fashion Week and has shown in Los Angeles Fashion Week several times. The Miami trip actually was a sophomore performance for House of Eleven after having shown there once before, she explained.
In Miami, Stacey said the sisters were able to show the House of Eleven’s new collection, which features men’s, women’s and teen wear.
Stacey said House of Eleven is in the process of a rebranding after 10 years in business and Miami was part of that rebranding effort.
“We are very excited for the future,” said Darcey.
As part of the Miami runway show, Darcey’s 16-year-old daughters Aniko and Aspen, 16, both modeled the collection.
“They’re both into modeling for runway and commercial photography…. I think they both have that knack. And they both agreed to walk in our runway show,” said Darcey.
“(They) do a lot more creative things in the (entertainment) industry like acting and modeling. They also sing… there’s more to come from them,” said Darcey.
Aniko recently competed as Miss Middlesex County Teen USA at this year’s Miss Connecticut Teen USA competition. “I’m really proud of Aniko,” said Darcey.
However, Darcey was quick to note that Aspen also was going to compete for Miss Connecticut Teen USA as Miss Middletown Teen USA. However, Aspen didn’t want to compete against her sister so she opted to sit out the event.
The second season of “Darcey & Stacey” is underway. The episodes aired thus far have focused on the sisters’ romances: Stacey’s marriage to Florian Sukaj and Darcey’s engagement to Georgi Rusev.
Press materials from TLC explain, “After a tumultuous year of romance and heartbreak, last season wrapped up as Darcey got engaged and Stacey got married. Now, Stacey is hopeful to give the gift of fatherhood to her younger husband, Florian, but at the age of 46, conceiving naturally doesn’t come without its challenges. Will Florian’s strict faith and opposing views on IVF leave the couple praying for a miracle? Darcey is left questioning her engagement to Georgi after a distressing encounter with his ex-wife.”
Stacey said the second season has been “absolutely” easier to film then the first one. At this point, the audience is up to speed on their stories and the people in their life. “I definitely love it more than season one,” said Stacey.
“Season two is amazing to film,” said Darcey. “It’s raw and real. It’s very relatable for a lot of people.”
Darcey said second seasons covers “the ups and downs, the good and the bad, the ugly” in the Silvas’ life.
There also are, said Stacey, “a lot of laughs.”
“It’s exciting,” said Darcey.
The romantic experiences depicted on “Darcey and Stacey” are ones that many people watching the show might find familiar, the sisters noted.
“I actually feel (seeing our story is) a blessing and so inspirational to people all around the world watching,” said Darcey.
“I get tons of DMs (direct messages on social media) a day from women saying, ‘Thank you for helping me on my journey. I’ve been going through the same things you’re going through. You guys are a bright light. Keeping doing you,'” said Darcey.
When the fans write, Darcey said, “I always thank them and (say how I) appreciate their love and support and give it back (to them).”
For Connecticut audiences, “Darcey and Stacey” offers some familiar sights. For instance, Main Street in Middletown and the twins’ apartment complex in Wethersfield show up on the TLC series.
“Middletown has always been home away from home for us,” said Darcey. “We were born in Connecticut and lived there throughout our life.
Their father, Mike, is an engineer so his job often took him – and the twins– to places like China and Singapore. They also lived in Los Angeles.
But Middletown is where their hearts are.
“Everyone from Connecticut when they see us, they get so excited,” said Darcey. “We’ve been able to incorporate Connecticut to be part of the show because it is a part of our life.”
As season two continues, said Darcey, “You’ll see a lot more of (Connecticut) and some other little trips that we take.”
In particular, Darcey said, fans should keep an eye out during season two for a fun photo shoot the twins did… in Turkey.