Although Jamie Haller has a 25-year fashion career under her belt, it’s her past decade spent in home restoration and interior design that speaks to her brand philosophy. “I’ve always designed a home so that it was beautiful and inspiring, but you could live your everyday life in it,” Haller, one of this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists, said at a preview days before her first-ever runway show. “It’s the same idea with fashion.”
The designer is undoubtedly her own customer. “I like to dress in a very understated way with quirky, artful, weird little moments,” she said. There were plenty of those moments here: just take the backwards striped button-up that Haller herself wore during a walk-through. Just as important as the appearance was the quality. “I want the fabrics to be luxurious, and I want to feel like I’m wearing nice natural materials,” she said. This is the foundation of every aspect of her brand, from the sculptural taffeta tops inspired by Haller’s ’90s prom dress to the ultra-soft Penny loafers—the inaugural item she launched in 2020, back when she thought she would only sell slippers. (Haller expanded her shoe offering this season, the highlight of which was a tangerine pump with a versatile floral shoe clip.)
The Los Angeles-based Haller brings a West Coast sensibility to her offering. While the California cool came across in her dual emphasis on richness and ease—think luxe fabrics like cashmere-cotton blends and Japanese cotton organzas fashioned into relaxed silhouettes—a family road trip through the American Southwest helped to inform her color palette. Orange mélange suiting, coppery satin linen cargo pants, and ochre shantung shirting were plucked straight from the Grand Canyon. “The colors almost lean towards fall, but I found it really fresh to use this palette for spring,” she said.
But Haller’s references are far-reaching. While the Grand Canyon’s scenery offered a jumping-off point, so did its vast expansiveness. “Sometimes,” she said, “inspiration can be a feeling.”
