VANESSALYNNE’S FRESH IDEAS
When fashion designer Vanessalynne Hattar envisions the next collection for her women’s clothing line, she taps into an array of sources for fresh ideas.
“I am inspired by everything,” she says. “But I mainly draw my inspiration from nature and places.
“Sometimes, I can be inspired by a town or a city. It could come from the architecture, the people, the culture or a combination of everything. At times, I will submerge myself in the textures, colors, sounds and landscapes while in nature.”
She also carries a notebook for sketching a silhouette, a sleeve or another detail of a garment that piques her interest when out and about.
A Bay Area native, Hattar grew up in Oakland and lives in Walnut Creek. She studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. She launched her line, Vanessalynne Designs, in spring 2015 and sells exclusively through her online retail site and seasonal pop-ups. Hattar imagines sophisticated, feminine pieces for today’s cosmopolitan woman.
She characterizes her design aesthetic as “elegant and effortless, using timeless silhouettes and still giving off
a kind of insouciant edginess. I am obsessed with flowers, so I try to incorporate a playful floral print each season, too.”
Her fall/winter 2017 collection is her largest to date. With approximately 25 pieces, it stays true to her focus on dresses and skirts while providing customers with more options.
“I like to focus on creating versatile clothing that can be taken from day to night and from season to season,” she says. “Classic yet trendy pieces that would add value to your closet, not just go out of style once the season is over.”
In the mix are the Lana jumpsuit, featuring a deep, plunging V-neck, and the Viola coat, made with faux llama fur. Among the florals, there’s the gathered-sleeve Adarra dress, with its dreamy print rendered in blue, light brown and gray. The shimmering Alyna dress, awash in gold metallic baby sequins adorning black mesh, is edged with scalloped black lace.
One crucial element of Hattar’s designs is that everything must be manufactured in San Francisco.
“It’s very important to me that my clothing is made with ethical and sustainable practices,” she says. “My customers can be at peace knowing each piece is made with integrity — supporting our economy using local artisans that have been paid fairly and produced in an environment with excellent working conditions,” she says. “My collections at this time are manufactured in low quantities, and some pieces are even made to order, to ensure that there is no excess stock or fabric, which means that there is no waste.”
Hattar believes that despite San Francisco’s abundance of talent, it’s one of the most underrated fashion cities in the United States. “San Francisco has been undergoing so many exhilarating changes with the tech boom, I think fashion should be another exciting aspect of what we have to offer, and I want to be a part of that.”