By: Paige Mastrandrea By: Paige Mastrandrea | February 1, 2023 | Magazine, People, Feature, People Feature, Features, Featured, Celebrity,
Past the internet’s beloved “Stassie Baby,” find the true Anastasia Karanikolaou behind the lens.
Saks Potts dress via 8voatico, 8voatico.com; Casadei heels, casadei.com. Photographed by RIOCAM Styled by Manuela Gutierrez Styling Assistant: Sydney Mastrandrea Hair by Danny Jelaca Makeup by Joanna Marchevsky 9530 W. Broadview Drive, Bay Harbor Islands, $25 million Listed by The Jills Zeder Group, Jill Hertzberg, 305.788.5455, and Danny Hertzberg, 305.505.1950
Known to her friends as Stas, and often to the internet as Stassie Baby (@staskaranikolaou), has remained a bit of an enigma despite her whopping 15 million followers on social media. And quite contrary to popular opinion, she prefers to keep it that way. While she may be highly photographed on the social circuit looking glamorous from head to toe, where Stas feels most comfortable is at home cozying up with her friends. If there are three things I’ve learned about Stas throughout our chat, it is that 1. She is a ride-or-die best friend; 2. She’s a savvy entrepreneur who builds brands from her passions; and 3. She’s a vodka girl, which I, myself, can wholeheartedly relate to.
The latter has resulted in the creation of her and close friend Zack Bia’s latest product launch, Sunny Vodka (@sunnyvodka). The award-winning, gluten-free spirit came about between the two friends from a love of the spirit and an inundation of products they found subpar on the marketplace. While the world seems to be going through a tequila craze, Sunny is a refreshing addition to the scene.
Givenchy dress and boots, givenchy.com. Photographed by RIOCAM
“Sunny is quite literally ingrained in my lifestyle,” shares Stas. “I don’t go anywhere without it. It’s honestly been a dream to be able to create something, have it and share it with all my friends. I love entertaining and hosting get-togethers and parties, so being able to have Sunny be a part of that made so much sense. It’s like a piece of the pie between Zack and me.”
Like its co-founder’s personality, Sunny was created to be adaptable in any setting. During the day, Stas opts for a refreshing poolside cocktail with a cucumber, lime and mint vibe, while at night she does a martini.
“It’s so smooth, you can even drink it alone,” she notes. “I’ve switched so many of my friends over from tequila to Sunny. I told them they need to try it—it’s a different breed of vodka.”
Vetements top, thewebster.us; Saks Potts skirt via 8voatico, 8voatico.com; stylist’s own props and jewelry. Photographed by RIOCAM
Aside from Sunny, Stas also launched her namesake home line, Stassie by Anastasia Karanikolaou, in late 2022. Two years in the making, Stas’ passion for redecorating her home during the pandemic has resulted in a chic line of bedding, throws, linens and more.
“I’ve moved almost every year since moving out of my parents’ house. Redecorating my spaces has become a passion of mine, especially my bedroom. It’s my safe place, so I want it to be cozy. It’s been super fun and challenging to tap into my creative side, trying to piece things together that not just I but everyone will like.”
Vetements top, thewebster.us; Saks Potts skirt via 8voatico, 8voatico.com; stylist’s own props and jewelry. Photographed by RIOCAM
On what makes it unique in the home decor industry, she notes that its price point is meant to be accessible for everyone. Of the more pricey items, Stas’ favorites include the faux fur bedding, but she made sure to keep prices under $100, reinforcing the concept that having a chic, comfortable home doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank.
Between the two businesses, Stas has learned to tap her CEO hat and enter a new role. “I definitely have learned to take charge of my companies and make decisions, give feedback and collaborate on ideas. That’s been really fun and challenging—it’s a learning experience, because I’ve never had my own projects that I got to work on like this.”
Saks Potts dress via 8voatico, 8voatico.com; Casadei heels, casadei.com. Photographed by RIOCAM
While it may be in more of an informal format, another area Stas takes charge with ease is in the kitchen. A natural-born host, and in her words, “a chef in a past life,” Stas finds peace at home, cooking up Greek-inspired dishes either passed down from her family or self-taught. Hosting dinner parties for friends is one of her favorite things to do, where she relishes the feeling of creating a perfectly executed dish and having her friends enjoy the fruits of her labor.
Chopard necklace, chopard.com; Fabergé ring, faberge.com. Photographed by RIOCAM
“Cooking is also something I do when I’m feeling anxious,” she shares. “I’ll pick something I want to make from a cookbook and order everything I need and then just sit in the kitchen for two hours or so cooking, playing music in the background. It’s really fun for me, and I like challenging myself to cook things that I’ve never cooked before—because I’m literally a chef and it always turns out good [laughs].”
Cooking is also a means for easing her mental health. Anxiety is a real and ongoing burden in Stas’ life that she has worked for years to confront and, most recently, open up and talk about.
Christina Seewald dress via 8voatico, 8voatico.com; Chopard necklace, chopard.com; stylist’s own props. Photographed by RIOCAM
“I’ve had really bad anxiety my whole life and I’m not sure why. I have struggled with it on my own for a long time, but I’ve found things to do that help ground me—like focus on different hobbies, sitting and reading a book, putting my phone down, playing with my cat, sitting here bedazzling my water bottle. Things that ground me mentally are so important,” she shares. “Also, I’ve learned to talk it through with my friends and share what’s going on and try to get to the root of why things make me anxious or whatever it may be. I didn’t talk about it for a really long time and that was hard.”
The addition of her massive social media presence only exacerbates the issue, but it’s something that, over time, she’s learned to cope with and place less importance on.
Christina Seewald dress via 8voatico, 8voatico.com; Chopard necklace, chopard.com; stylist’s own props. Photographed by RIOCAM
“No one sees the everyday struggles of what goes on in people’s lives behind the scenes. I could be having something going on personally or with friendships and family, but I could post a sexy photo I took three days prior, and everyone thinks I’m just chillin’ on Instagram,” she notes. “In reality, no one knows what’s truly going on, or thinks about that before they make mean or negative comments. But I feel like the more I talk about these struggles and bring light to them, I’m hoping more people will relate and understand the feeling and maybe talk about their feelings to their people. In general, I feel like people should just be nicer, more caring and more thoughtful toward other humans because they are always so quick to judge and be mean. That’s why keeping my inner circle so close is so special to me.”
On the subject of friends, Stas is ride-or-die, as previously mentioned. Often dubbed “Mama Stas” of the group, she’s become the go-to source for advice or support within her circle. And this extends both ways. Her biggest outlet?
Chopard necklace, chopard.com. Photographed by RIOCAM
“The group chat,” she shares. “We have this group chat between a bunch of us that is just going off all day. It’s almost like a diary to us—we just write or send pictures to the group of whatever pops into our heads.”
“Our friendships are just so genuine, and I think a lot of times people don’t expect that. We go out a lot, of course, but I think what’s really important to all of us is we do our friends nights where we stay in and I’ll cook, we’ll bundle up on the couch and just talk about life. It’s so real and it’s so special to me,” she shares.
Stylist’s own bathing suit; Dinh Van earrings, dinhvan.com; Givenchy boots, givenchy.com. Photographed by RIOCAM
Businesswoman, best friend, daughter, cook, host—these are all hats Stas wears with pride outside of her online social media presence. So while you think you may know the enigmatic Stassie Baby on the surface, I invite you to look deeper into this powerful force of a woman that I can tell is only on the cusp of what she is about to accomplish in the world. Stay tuned.
Stas Up Close:
Go-to Cocktail order: Sunny martini, dry with no vermouth and lemon twist
Favorite food: A burger from In-N-Out. Honestly, I crave it every day.
TV show you’re currently bingeing? I am watching Vampire Diaries for literally the 100th time [laughs].
Something people may not know about you: I’m really a homebody, which I don’t think people know.
Three things you can’t live without: My cat, my friends and my family
Most prized possession: My cat is literally my life.
Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given: To take time for yourself and listen to your mind and body. And to put that first and just live your life with gratitude, love and be true to yourself.
Saks Potts Dress via 8voatico, 8voatico.com; Casadei heels, casadei.com; Tejesta sunglasses, tejesta.com Photographed by RIOCAM
Photography by: Photo By: RIOCAM