Monday, October 11, 2010

Pink Label Collection

Brides have been asking for gowns priced under $1,500, so I went to the dress form and got busy. I wanted to help brides stay within their wedding budgets and designed an exquisite collection to answer their requests.

The Pink Label collection has lush fabrics…French tulle with embroidery and pearls, French netting with organza petals and silver threads and re-embroidered French lace with roses studded with sequin and pearls!


I kept the signature Hartnell elegant silhouette and plunging back, a look well known for its’ Old Hollywood glamour and 30’s influence. By emphasizing elegant fabrics and keeping the lines clean, prices are well below the initial $1,500 goal. Three styles are $1,300 and a beauty at $1,200.










That leaves extra cash for a fab pair of shoes! And, with the new Santa Monica Mall directly across the street…I know just the place to go. I’ve introduced myself to all the very cool guys in the shoe departments at Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom’s and we have just the shoe for you! I’m happy to accompany you and help with your selection but the fellows have made the effort to visit my studio and are familiar with the gowns. You’re saving time and money! The Mall has been open just two weeks and already two brides and a mother of the bride have found gorgeous shoes there. How easy is this!


To learn more about my Pink Label Collection and other bridal lines, please visit my website.




Monday, September 6, 2010

Mail Order Bride

One of my most frequently asked questions from Brides around the world is: How do I get a HARTNELL gown?

You can live anywhere on the planet and have a made to measure couture dress made for your wedding.  I developed my Mail Order Bride service for those brides…and mothers,  who have given up on finding their dream dress.  They find me online, send the contact form and I personally answer that day.  How unique is that, when the designer speaks directly to you about YOUR wedding gown and comes to the rescue to make it happen!  


The bride chooses her favorite gown style, and sends photos of herself so I can see her ‘persona’.

She also fills out a detailed measurement chart and eventually we arrive at the Perfect Dress.  We go to work in the studio making a custom pattern, order the silk and begin the process of making a couture gown.  We stay in close contact with the bride so she knows exactly how things are going and everyone is excited when we ship. 


When photos of the wedding arrive, my team and I share the happiness and pride in making one bride so happy to have the dress she thought was only a dream. 


My current favorite Mail Order Bride is Anna from Borneo…yes, Borneo.  Anna is an English woman teaching at a school in Sarawak.  Coincidentally, I’ve actually been to Borneo and understood her predicament. The chance of finding a silk charmeuse gown there for a wedding which was to be in an estate in the English countryside was daunting and very unlikely.  By using my Mail Order Bride service, she had her designer gown.   Wherever you live, I’m here for You!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Bridal Veils

Brides are always surprising me. Weddings have trends just like high fashion, and I could count on one hand the veils ordered over a three year period in the recent past.  Today, at least half of my brides are gazing dreamy-eyed in the mirror trying on designs from my new Hartnell Veil Collection.  As a designer, it’s my job to create and present new ideas to my clientele, but it’s also exciting for me to learn from you!  
With our current economy, clever Brides have recreated their wedding vision from three hundred guests at a large hotel to eighty on the beach with a celebration dinner at the hotel or club.  With less hoopla, yet still with a desire for romance and elegance, the veil is an iconic image and creates a vision that guests will remember.  


You can see these beautiful veils from the collection on my website…and  more fabulous designs here in the studio.  These veils are from my Clouds Veil Collection. 
Like our gowns, our veils are also couture made to order, and I would be delighted to create the perfect veil for you!
As a special offer to my online followers, brides ordering from September 1, 2010 to September 30, 2010 will receive a FREE veil from my  Clouds Veil Collection. Just mention that you read my blog! 

Friday, August 27, 2010

Mother of the Bride


Dressing mothers is one of my favorite creative endeavors. Weddings, bar mitzvahs, anniversaries, guests at other's events...all mothers want to look beautiful yet not take the spotlight from the guest of honor.  I’ve learned that as we women change, we do so in very different ways and I have designed gowns that  celebrate our outstanding features and conceal others.  To help with some figure control, we now have Nordstrom’s just across the street and I’ve met with Cailin, the manager in Lingerie.  She is an expert in fitting undergarments for smooth lines and comfort.  We are working together to find the ideal lingerie for my gowns, and I will accompany my ladies if they want the ‘designer’s eye’ to help find just the right bra or shaper.  

There are a myriad of dresses, gowns, ensembles and cover ups to choose from…and more colors than imaginable, in my collection.  It’s exciting to try on the beautiful designs and discover the perfect combination of drape, allure and femininity for each woman.  Sometimes hesitant at first, soon my mothers see that elegance and beauty is awaiting them when they have a couture gown made just for them. 

To find more style of beautiful Mother of the Bride gowns, please visit my website

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Behind the Seams--Redefining Beauty

It really has been a busy week! Last week after the Burger King shoot, I hosted a card making event at the studio to benefit our local Red Cross. I joined up with KooDooz for this particular project and invited 20 wonderful young girls to create cards out of fabric from my collection. Not only did the girls have an opportunity to bring out their inner designer, but they were giving back to the community at the same time! It was a really exciting Saturday filled with fun and creativity. 
Here I am explaining the project to the girls! 

Check out Fabian Lewkowicz's site for more pictures of the day!  
Here are some of the finished products--the young ladies did a wonderful job!




















To read more about the event, please visit the Red Cross of Santa Monica's article


To learn more about community programming like this, visit Koodooz's website.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

even Burger King wants to be fashionable!

I've been meaning to start my blog here for quite some time but the things have been really busy here at the studio. This week was particularly busy however I thought it would make for an excellent first post! 

Burger King has a wonderful new gift for future fashion designers. To promote this creative item, the marketing folks came up with a commercial that involves a young girl dreaming of becoming a fashion designer.  The advertising folks chose the Hartnell studio for their location and the chaos began!  Lights the size of cars came in along with sound equipment and lots of cardboard on the floor to protect the fancy rugs.  I met Haley Pullos, the actress portraying the young designer wannabe and she promptly fell in love with my whippet, Biscotti. I made several fashion sketches for the story board showing youthful outfits in colorful materials and they paid me a bonus!  Once the shooting began, I suggested phrases for Haley to say that would express a real designer's excitement while choosing fabrics and reviewing the collection on the story board.  It was a fun day with lots of creative people making a mini-movie about a young fashion designer of the future.



The model Haley Pullos was a pleasure to work with and took a liking to my dog Biscotti.










Who says fast food can't be fashionable?
















Until next time!