In creating our most recent collection of one-of-a-kind pieces, we used only the finest antique laces and silks, hand blown 19th century glass beads, trimmings, and hand crochet linens. Here are a few hints of exquisite thing to come.

October 22nd to 23rd

This is going to be our first official event in Mexico City (!!) and I am really excited about it, not to mention nervous! there will be some truly incredible one-of-a-kind pieces of ours for sale, which I will be posting photos of next week after the event. It is going to be held at a stunning turn of the century house turned fancy downtown gallery in the chic area of Colonia Roma. gratis cocktails will be on hand to help loosen up your purse strings! Cuidado!

If you know anyone living in Mexico City feel free to pass this invitation on to them with our regards.

I’m planning a little somthin’ somthin’ with a few Mexican designers during this coming Mexico City fashion week, which lies towards the end October, ‘08. Of course it won’t be a runway spectacular, or anything of the like….that’s just not me, but rather more of a gathering, a party, a sale! Something kind of, sort of similar to what I used to hold in New York, but with tequila instead of wine (of course!) and a few other tricks. Should a lot of fun, and once I get all of the details I’ll post them here. hope you can make it! xo

On a return flight from spending a few weeks in the States, I was happily flipping through Elle’s September 2008 issue and came across a few pages advertising Banana Republic’s 30 year anniversary collection, celebrating 30 of classic looks, and as it turns out, one of the dresses featured in the spread is a dress shockingly similar to one which I designed for spring 2007, in my Las Niñas Collection! Shock!

I have included a scan of the advertisement along with some photos of my own July Tuxedo dress… Typically I would be flattered by someone having been slightly inspired by my own work, but to blatantly copy is another matter entirely. And the two design elements which makes my dress special are the two elements which they copied, the bow tie neck, though they moved the bow to the side of the neck and the cummerbund belt.

I pride myself on making beautifully and carefully hand-crafted dresses which are typically made in limited edition runs or simply one of a kind, so when a massive company such as Banana Republic sneaks in to steal ideas from any, not just myself, small designer it will truly damage business. Instead of stealing from independent designers the large companies should hire them to consult. They should hire true designers with original ideas, not people who simply call themselves designers and merely copy others hard work and livelihood.

If you do not know of the website fashionista.com, you should go and take a peek. It’s a great little site about fashion, which has the youthful glow of Teen Vogue and a kick of punk rock to it. My favorite part of site is a section called Adventures in Copyrights which calls out on all of companies which steal ideas from other designers, places like Forever 21s and Top Shops are constantly berated for their unscrupulous ways, especially when they steal from an impendent designer such as myself.

get to know us!! by becoming a fan of christina hatter’s facebook page, listed under christina hattler link to facebook.com,

in the near future, we will be handing out special discounts to our fans and friends via these websites so keep in touch!! xo c

It was my first time ever on the film set last week, I was helping Lupita Peckinpah the genius costumer out for the day, dressing actresses in the 10 looks I created for the Mexican independent film, 2033 Villas Paraiso. If all goes well the film should hit the international festival circuit by early next year!! I’m proud to say the dresses looked outstanding on the actresses, actually they were extremely skinny, toweringly beautiful Brazilian models so how could they not?

Here are a few snaps I took while working on set for the day; you can see slivers of my dresses on the gals in this party scene.

here are a few looks i’ve created for the mexican film i am working on, with art deco details

i’ve been neglectful, i know! ...but for good reason. been working on a really interesting project, a mexican film, a futuristic one no less (so cool!) helping out with the costume design and i just love it! in the mean time i’ve also been trying to get the spring (oh so very late!) samples out the door. i’m making the final piece (a sexy jumper) on wednesday so i promise some new pictures up really really soon. i’m dying to wear this collection, i’ve hand dyed all of them in beautiful shades of the mexican sky, all are 100% cotton and absolutely perfect for the beach and warm weather frolicking… and the best part? the price- they should retail for no more than $150 to $250 usd! finally affordable christina hattler!

I’ve just finished work on two especially fancy dresses for my 18 year old twin sisters, Katherine and Jaqueline. They are debutantes and will be coming out officially this December at a ball hosted by Miami Beach’s posh Surf Club. I toiled away for about two months on these gems, French seaming the insides which are filled with multiple layers of silk and tulle, cutting, ironing, tufting, boning, and beading petite rosettes, pleating, pinning and primping- not to mention bleeding (much!). Thank goodness the dresses are white, as this made the spots of pin pricked bloody finger prints easier to clean up! I’m also currently recuperating from a week of bed rest, as the day after I shipped the dresses to my mother, I fell into a fit of terrible pain in my lower back from stress (from getting the dresses finished in time) and too much bending over hand stitching…thus is the life of a designer who actually sews the work she designs. Despite the pains of making things by hand, I adore the act and process of creating a dress, especially ones on such grand a scale, it’s rare to have an opportunity to make something so fantastical, Scarlet O’Harah meets Marie Antoinette meets Princess Josephine. Where else BUT a debutante ball can you wear such frilly froths of a dress? I’m going to attend the event in December, three days after Christmas (in Miami’s heat no less!), and thus have to find something to wear myself, though I’m not sure if I have the energy to make something….hmm, we’ll have to wait and see. Here are a few photographs of the dresses:

This next collection I have planned is going to be small….3 dresses that’s it. and maybe a tote bag if I can find a great leather man/woman to work with me…next week I’m off to see one, a friend’s uncle. Finding artisans to work with here is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack…BUT once you do find that needle, it’s usually diamond studded.

I met with an embroider last weekend, Carolina, she lives in a pueblo names San Juan, and the day we went to visit her, Sunday, happened to be the day San Juan’s fiesta was talking place. So naturally she invited us to stay and celebrate with her family. We had one of the best red mole’s I’ve ever encountered (she promises to teach me the recipe next time she needs to make a batch), in addition to multiple types of tamales, home made ‘mosqito’ I liken this to a sweet moonshine Carolina’s husband Julio prides himself on making at home…tequialla, beer et all. and that was just for lunch. We ate and drank like kings with a family who however little money they had in the bank, made up for it ten fold with love and life.

So obviously I have to hire her…such a wonderful woman Carolina is. Her embroidery is some of the best I’ve seen, though she has yet to give me her rates, I’m sure she is expensive (embroidery is tedious, time consuming hand work) but however much she will ask, she is well worth the work she produces. And so, you’ll be seeing Carolina’s work in this next collection, I don’t want to give away too many secrets, but the dresses will be lower priced than my past collections (!!!) by about 1/2, I’ll also be hand dying a few things as well. And even though the prices will be lower, the quality and handwork will be top notch. I’ll be buying all my fabrics in Mexico (instead of NY which will make a huge difference in the end costs)-and everything will be made from 100% cotton, easy and breezy. Seasonless… great for vacations, running about the streets of NY, sleeping in fields of French lavender or any tiny little Mexican beach town.

I’m going to be making 4 of these small ‘seasonless’ collections a year in addition making the always available one-of-a-kind pieces too….and I’m currently working on two wedding dresses…will also have to begin my own dress soon…it’s going to be linen I think, with Carolina’s handiwork. Lots to do, lots to plan. Can’t wait to see where my friend’s uncle, the leatherman, lives…hopefully there will be a fiesta nearby!