Chloe is Fashion Forward with Le Fash, Inc.

Arianna and Zeus

Chloe chats with rider Arianna Anderocci Vastino, creator and owner of Le Fash, Inc.  Arianna is a lifelong veteran of the Hunter/Jumper circuit and has spent the last 14 years working in the international high fashion industry.  She has been responsible for styling fashion editorials found in Elle, In Style and Vogue. Arianna has taken these experiences and created Le Fash, the first fashion forward equestrian clothing line geared toward the competitive Hunter/Jumper rider. Le Fash is the 2012 sponsor of riding superstar Jennifer Alfano, winner of the 2012 USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals!

Chloe: Thanks for chatting, Arianna. Does the horse in the Le Fash marketing ads have a girlfriend???

 AAV: Zeus, who is featured in our ads, doesn’t currently have a girlfriend. Since he now is a big male model, he has opted to play the field a bit! ;)

Chloe:  Hmm, well if Zeus has his own helicopter, please give him my email! Okay, I better start asking you questions from the "approved" list or else I am going to be in trouble. What inspired you to start Le Fash? Have you always aspired to create your own equestrian clothing company?

High Fashion + Equestrian = LE FASH

AAV: I always wanted to bring my two worlds together. But I think I got a real “Ah-Ha” moment when I first started working as a stylist and would see all of these gorgeous equestrian inspired clothing and accessories from the major labels like Chanel, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, etc. I just hated wearing my show clothes and couldn’t understand why us equestrians are inspiring all of these top designers to produce amazing pieces but then we don’t have anything we can wear that is nice to ride or show.

 

Chloe:  Tell me about it! You should see what my rider, Andrea, wears! It is mortifying to be around her! ... Anyway, I am pretty observant, as I have been known to spot monsters hiding under jumps that the untrained eye cannot see … I noticed that your shirts have a lot of subtle details that really set them apart from other typical show shirts, such as hand painted metal buttons instead of the plastic ones. Can you tell us about your favorite Le Fash unique details?

AAV: Well thank you so much for noticing!! I really wanted to have my product be high-end soup to nuts. My favorite thing would have to be using the gold buttons because it is supposed to reminiscent of the hunt club buttons adorned on the hunting jackets. Since it’s something that is new to the industry, it has become our signature. Adorning the gold buttons is almost like you’re part of our hunt club.  I really also like all of the top stitching we use. It’s done with a really fine stitch and needle to make it look extra neat and beautiful. I did that so it would emulate tack stitching.

Chloe:  An exclusive club? I like the sound of that! I will order one in every color! If you had to choose, which is your favorite shirt and why?

Black and White Tuxedo Shirt

AAV: It’s so hard to choose because I really love them all. I would have to say that my ultimate favorite is the Black and White Tuxedo Shirt. I actually made this one by accident! When I first started the line, I wanted to bring some new samples for myself to wear and test out when I was showing at HITS Saugerties. I wanted an all white shirt but it was last minute, I didn’t have enough white bamboo left. So I just had my sample maker use the black bamboo since no one would see it under my riding jacket. When I got the sample back, I was like WOW this is amazing and everyone at Saugerties was stopping me and asking where they could get one! It is now our ultimate best seller and I like that it happened the way it did. Some times in life you stumble and if you react without hesitation, things actually just fall into place better than you could have planned.

Chloe:  So very true!...In case you did not know, I am a “Jumper” now.  Apparently tail swishing is frowned upon in the Hunters… Do you have any fashionable Le Fash shirts that are geared to the Jumper crowd?

AAV: Of course! Our all white shirts or even the Tuxedo Shirt mentioned above are great for our jumper clients. We also just released our new Polo Shirt Collection last week at AETA. We have done great colors in our Sport Polo that would be great for a casual schooling jumper class. This body has the Bamboo/Spandex/Cotton Knit base with an Egyptian Cotton collar and 1/4 placket. The collar is a shirt collar so it’s a little fancier than a normal polo collar. Available for men and women!

AAV: Also, we did the Show Polo especially for the jumper riders. It has the same body as the Sport Polo but with our normal show collar with the magnetic closure. So under your riding jacket, it looks like a normal show shirt, but with a comfy knit, short sleeve body. We have it in all white or in a white body with a blue twill collar and placket.

AAV: All of our polos come with the Le Fash “F” embroidered logo on the chest! So cute!

Chloe: I really like how you suggest riders monogram their cuffs as opposed to their collars. Has this been getting more popular?

AAV: Since our shirts have the magnetic collar closure, you can’t do your monogram at the collar, which I like. I never monogrammed my collars anyway because I liked the clean look. I started to monogram my cuffs instead which is an idea that I got from men’s custom shirting. That is where their monogram always goes  and I think it’s subtle and elegant. I would like to see this trend catch on in the show ring more. How gorgeous is it to see your initials peeking out on your cuff while jumping a beautiful hunter jump?

Chloe:  What is next for Le Fash?

AAV: We are planning on expanding our line into a full array of show and casual attire. I have some great ideas that we are just starting to play around with for pants and accessories! All of our products will follow in the same line as our shirting: very fashion forward, high end with a  seamless “barn to town” transition.

Chloe: Where can I buy Le Fash for Andrea (with her credit card, of course)? I am sick of her riding me in last season’s clothes. You know that sometimes she rides me in clothes from Target?????

AAV: Currently, Le Fash is carried at LA Saddlery in CA, Barrington Saddlery in IL and Willow Tree Designs mobile unit in CO, which will next be attending the Las Vegas National and St Louis Charity.

Also, starting this fall, we will be carried at Equine Divine in SC, Kocher Tack’s mobile unit which attends all major horse shows such as Cap Challenge and PA National, Tack of Shop of Austin in TX and Dapple Grey in Canada. And of course, you can order online at the Le Fash Inc Facebook Store anytime if you don’t have one of our retailers in your area. www.lefashny.com has the direct link!

A big THANKS to Arianna for chatting with Chloe and keeping Chloe's fans up to date on what is fashionable! Please show your support for Le Fash by "liking" the Le Fash Facebook Page!! Stay tuned for pictures of the Show Polo! Chloe will be purchasing one (for me) as soon as it is available online at www.lefashny.com!