Hattingdon Horses designer and originator, Vivian J Grant, created Curtis (the first) while she was lobbying on behalf of horses in Washington DC, December 2007. It was Christmas break, but not all legislators had gone home.
Among those still around were a handful of politicians doing anything they could to impede progress on horse protection bills. Someone had to stay and keep an eye on things. Vivian drew the short straw. She decided to take advantage of the situation.
Vivian had long wanted to create something fun to put on tee-shirts and other merchandise to raise money to help horses. Suddenly inspired, Vivian opened up her photo editor and starting working with shapes. Curtis was the result, and an instant smash.
On the heels of Curtis’ huge success was Vivian’s next Hattingdon, one “for the girls” which was also hugely popular. She named the design Harper. Harper features a large pink Chanel inspired picture hat.
Many, many more Hattingdon hat wearing cartoon horses soon followed Curtis and Harper.
Etienne
One of the hats Vivian created for Hattingdon in those beginning years was Etienne — the beginning of her avant-garde hat design period.
“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” — Coco Chanel.
Here she is.
The Etienne design was inspired by French fashion and the colours of the country’s flag. The name was inspired by Etienne Aigner.
Hattingdon creator Vivian wore “Aigner” shoes for many, many years — from the time she was a teenager.
The name Etienne is a French variant of the Greek name Stephen meaning ‘garland or crown’. It is primarily a male name.
Thank you for stopping by. Before you go, we have some extras for you below.
By Guest Writer, Sunny Tiegs
Related Reading
See Why are the French so chic?, by Joobin Bekhrad, BBC, 8th October 2019
Extras
French fashion is great, but as with any style, it also has a few garments and accessories that are so present in the French style that if you want to achieve the look, you’d better have some of them in your wardrobe.
What You Need
Black Blazer (2nd choice, Navy)
Jeans (the best pair and fit you can afford)
Waisted Cocktail Dress
Ballerina Flats / Flat Sandals
Black Leather Jacket
Not Just the French
Inspired by the late Diana, Princess of Wales, imagine layering a Hattingdon tee or sweatshirt with jeans, a dark jacket and ballet flats or classic black loafers. Très chic.
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