Hanna Hartnell - Elegant Designs for the Bride and BeyondThe airy quality of designer Hanna Hartnell's loft and boutique in Santa Monica set the mood for what Pamela Heath and I were to expect upon meeting Hanna herself, and viewing her collection of gowns. These sleek flowing dresses possessed a quality of sophistication and uniqueness reminiscent of her mascot Biscotti, her prized whippet and constant companion. It's no wonder that Barbra Streisand, Gwyeneth Paltrow, Christi Turlington, Helen Hunt, and Meryl Streep all love Hanna Hartnell. Her collection is a stellar representation of true diva--yes, everything about Hanna screams refined. The ease in which Hanna described her collection exuded an unspoken confidence, which seems to be the trademark of her gowns, and represents the mature woman who is well traveled, cultured, nurturing, yet powerful, and still very sexy. She enjoys dressing the bride, the mother of the bride, and even the bridesmaids. Typically, her designs are ideal. However, for the mother of the bride, and second-time bride, Hanna has succeeded in making the wearer look as important as she feels on her daughter's or son's wedding day. But most importantly, once she steps into a Hanna Hartnell dress, her womanly essence shines through. Mother of the bride is very close to my heart. This is a woman who's close to my age, often times a bit younger. The mothers of the brides are either career women, or they've raised children and have devoted themselves to this wedding. This is their special day. Because I do a lot of destination weddings, the mother of the bride has a special dress. It should suit the locale: a resort, a ranch, Tuscany, Fiji, etc. It is important that she represents who she is today. I enjoy bringing out the glamour, the lushness that is available in the fabrics that I use in the designs that we're doing. Hartnell's favorite choices of fabrics are silk charmeuse and laces. The fabric talks to her and dictates the ultimate design of the dress. Silk charmeuse is perfect for weddings because it has a luster and a sheen; it's heavy, and it has a drape to it. Because of the way she cuts her dresses, they are very flattering on all sizes. One of my favorite groups to work with is the second-time bride, usually someone over 40. They choose a different type of wedding, often in a garden, and more low-keyed than traditional first-time weddings. These dresses have a bit of sexuality to them, emphasizing the woman that she is. It's exciting to help this woman realize her image of herself. Besides bridal, Hanna enjoys the celebrity aspect of gown dressing, such as red carpet and special events. She has a clientele of women that do the social circuit. They want beautiful gowns for their charity events. And she does work with stylists for the Academy Awards or Emmys. Regarding color pallets, Hanna works with an importer with a selection of over 90 colors from which to choose in her silks, in both the charmeuse and chiffon. It allows women to do what she feels that she is here for, to make something very personal that expresses their feeling and allows them to fit in with the mood of the wedding. What is your best selling dress? The Peacock is one of our most popular designs for the bride. It is a halter dress, and it has a slit on one side. Once the woman tries it on, it's sold. I've enjoyed making this dress because it really looks good on a girl with a great figure, as well as someone that has a little bit more to offer. For the mother of the bride, we have a dress called the Phoenix, which was recently featured in In-Style Magazine. It's very elegant, it's very classic, but it still does have a body awareness that is still appropriate for a wedding with a little more decorum. It has 8-foot long ties that criss-cross and then tie in a bow in the back, and the streamers hang down to the edge of the veil. The streamers allow the bride to introduce another soft color like blush or pale blue. Do you also do 2-pieces? We have 2-piece and 3-piece dresses that generally I do for women with figure issues who are just more comfortable with more coverage. I developed two cover-ups for women who have issues with their arms. It gives the coverage without interrupting the elegance of the dress. Have you ever had a difficult client? Everyone that comes in to see me has a wonderful experience. We're draping the fabric; something is being made for them, etc. My gowns require that the wearer of the gown have a base of self-confidence. She must like herself, because the gowns innately say, "I love life and I want to live it." And the woman that comes in that doesn't have that, if she's very unhappy or if she's mean, I just ask her to leave. I take her elbow and gently show her to the door. I cannot have that negative energy here. Also, this is a very word-of-mouth business. I've stuck to that, so if I start working with nasty women, their friends are nasty, too, and I don't want to deal with them either. So that's how I deal with difficult people. Highest Highs I am very lucky to answer a question like what do I consider as success because it really happens everyday. When a woman comes in who is frustrated with not finding what she wants, or is a woman who's been a mom for 20 or 25 years who may not have had a dress on for 20 years practically, and they're uncomfortable, and don't see themselves as glamorous--but when they put on that dress, they see that they can be beautiful. Other than that, I have had award shows, but it's kind of momentary. Lowest Lows One of the biggest challenges I had as a little girl growing up in the country pretty much on my own, was learning to work with employees, and how to give orders, elicit from them the standard that I needed and elicit for myself, and realize that it's much better to work with people than to talk to them. And that has been one of my biggest growth points. I am so happy with my staff now. Another big challenge has been to get the word out--to let people know that I am here because if had 3 million dollars to do a marketing campaign, everyone would know who I am. I want to keep the company small, very limited, and very personal, but I still want to expand that awareness. That's a big challenge. I came to fashion late, but I think I was born to do this. I learned to sew from my mother when I was about six or seven, and I was making clothes by the time I was in the sixth grade. But I didn't start my business until I was in my 30s. I really bluffed for the first several years and called myself a dressmaker. I kind of learned through doing. What do you envision for the future? For the 30 years I have been designing clothes, the gowns are a new adventure for me, and I love every moment of it. Every aspect of it fits my personality to a tee. So my new goal is exposure. I don't really consider so much bridal designing. I look at gowns as gowns. Some of them I do in white or cream, and I'll call it a wedding gown, but I think I have just scratched the surface of how to dress women for special events and make it very personal and exciting, but still appropriate. What advice would you give to those wanting to become a designer? If I were to give advice to young people that would like to get into the fashion business, the first thing I would suggest is that they look at all the different aspects of fashion. Being a fashion designer is almost like being a top musician. How many can you really name? It's a very limited, elite group. I found a way to fulfill myself and have a wonderful lifestyle, and I am very happy with this. But it's very demanding to be a fashion designer. You not only design, but you manufacture. You work with people, resource people. You're doing shows, and you need a tremendous amount of energy. I would really suggest that you get a job in the industry before you strike out on your own--even if it's just for a couple of years. Also, consider the other aspects, whether it's photography, or fabric design, or all the different aspects that have to do with fashion other than just being the designer. Hanna Hartnell's boutique in Santa Monica is open weekdays and most Saturdays. You can also visit her website at www.hannahartnell.com . Interview by Pamela Heath, written by Kaylene Peoples. Watch the Video: |
