August 1, 2007
Accessories Talk with Melanie Dizon
By Denise Tong
Melanie Dizon has been a designer since her girlhood days in California, making hats and reconstructed vintage dresses. Now, she is a transplanted New Yorker whose accessories label has found fans like celebrity trendsetters Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, and Kate Hudson.
Dizon’s first foray into professional styling happened when she was only a teenager—she made a small hat collection for the 1990 NBC miniseries The Fire Next Time and later did the same for a Danielle Steele series.
After furthering her creativity at New York’s Pratt Institute, Dizon became an assistant designer for Todd Oldham’s jeans line and later designed accessories for men’s clothing line Staple Design. She broke out on her own with the launch of the melanieDIZON label in 2001.
Her handbags, with their notable detailing but simple overall look, quickly became known for their lush yet accessible style. Her shoe collection, which debuted in spring 2006, follows the bags’ aesthetic and serves as their perfect complement.
Her accessories have been featured in numerous magazines such as Vogue, Women’s Wear Daily, InStyle, and Lucky; they can be found in U.S. boutiques and in Hong Kong, Spain, and Japan.
Dizon talked to Current Vine about her inspirations and gave the scoop on her fall 2007 collection.
***
CV: You enjoyed designing when you were young, but did you ever consider other careers?
MD: I was surrounded by fashion for most of my life, so I guess you can say it was instilled in me at a very early age, but I honestly thought that I would be a writer or poet since writing was my passion all throughout school. However, my sisters were studying fashion design, my mother was sewing all our clothes, and my brother was a studying architect—they all greatly influenced me. I most admire my sisters’ style.
I remember being the first one in the family to shop vintage and secondhand. Soon, I’d amassed a sweet collection of vintage hats, dresses, and bags. Then money started to get a bit tight for me so I began trading my vintage items for other great finds, as well as for cash to purchase fabrics and materials to make my own accessories. Hats and bags were my ultimate love.
CV: Having lived on both the East and West Coasts, are you influenced by both?
MD: The West Coast influences the laid-back, effortless approach to my collection, while the East sharpens and smartens the designs. They’re all about soft structures, color blocking, moldability; they’re modestly utilitarian and aesthetically clean.
CV: Why did you decide to branch out into shoes last year?
MD: I always felt the bags needed some sort of companion and the launch came out of inspiration from my aunt’s, mother’s, and friend’s vintage shoe collections.
CV: Which of your designs have been the most popular?
MD: In bags, I’ve made my mark with the sugar clutch, poppy bag, and fabrizia duffel. In shoes, by far it’s been the Nessa and Yola wedges I launched with in 2006; currently it’s Yola’s sister, the Ajiri wedge.
CV: What will your fall designs be like?
MD: The fall collection carries an Argentinian hunting lodge feel. There are riding boots with menswear detailing, high-heeled booties, tuxedo style d’orsays. And the handbags boast of matelasse treatments on soft nappa leathers in colors like lilac and spruce with leather woven clutches trimmed with grainy calf leathers and antique brass hardwares.
CV: What do you look to for inspiration?
MD: Music, nature, architecture, and Bottega Veneta, one of my all-time favorite designers.
CV: What type of handbag do you think every woman needs?
MD: It would have to be one that works from day to night.
Cv: Do you have any plans to branch out into other accessories or into clothing?
MD: Hmm…only if it happens organically and effortlessly. There is definitely something brewing though!
Pictured: Josele Chocolate boots. Photo courtesy melanieDIZON.
