Meet Jennifer Tattanelli, the Fashionista Behind Ateliers

Walking into Jennifer Tattanelli’s Ateliers is a little like walking into her mind laid bare. The owner of a design shop of the same name believes in making those who visit feel at home, and she hopes they’ll walk out feeling as if they know her just a little bit. And, if you drop by a few more times, you’ll likely feel like you’re visiting a friend.

Tattanelli designs, produces and owns shops in Westhampton Beach, two on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Florida and two in Florence, Italy. All the handbags, shoes and leather jackets and other clothing in the shop are handmade in her headquarters in Italy. They’re also all designed by Tattanelli, who is known for her leather creations. Her handbags of all shapes, colors and sizes are handwoven from one piece of leather. The Infinity bags, as they are called, are reminiscent of the ones she would watch her paternal grandmother make growing up in Florence. Many of her offerings take inspiration from classic designs. Interestingly, her route to becoming a world-class designer actually took a turn through medical school.

“My mother’s side of the family are all doctors,” says Tattanelli, who was born and raised in Italy and who splits her time between Westhampton Beach, Manhattan, Palm Beach and Florence, where she has her design studio and production facility. “I loved pursuing the medical field, following my great-grandfather Dr. James Ewing, but I would watch my grandmother in Italy weave these leather bags out of one long piece of leather around a box made of wood. The bags were very complicated, very beautiful, and in that moment I felt the strong pull of couture.”

Tattanelli’s Upper East Side mother, a painter and theatrical costume designer, met her father in Italy, fell in love and married.

Tattanelli, who is married to Giulio Brancatelli, is known for her leather bags and jackets, as well as custom-made shoes that are as comfortable as they are fashionable.

“I was hit by a car 15 years ago while crossing the street (with her infant son) and can’t wear normal shoes,” Tattanelli says of the accident that she considers a blessing. “My son is fine. I am fine. I never pushed my baby stroller across the street. I always pulled it behind me. If I had been pushing it, my son would be dead now. So, I call it a blessing.”

The need to find comfortable shoes led her to begin to design her own. She worked with orthopedists, podiatrists and other specialists to design shoes that can be customized to any foot. They also have a cushioning foam for added comfort.

“I have women come in who say they can no longer wear heels,” says Tattanelli, who designs flats, wedges and high heels for women. She also makes shoes for men. “I design my clothes to fit the clients, not my clients to fit the clothes.”

She’s able to do this by employing what is becoming a lost art: making garments that are custom fit. She starts from the ground up, often helping customers to understand the importance of wearing bras and undergarments that fit properly. She doesn’t sell undergarments, but she can advise clients on what they need when they go undergarment shopping.

“I want the people who come in to have a good shopping experience, even if they don’t buy a thing,” says Tattanelli, who has two sons, 20-year-old Georgia Tech student and tennis player Gabriele and 16-year-old Jonathan. “I also am a shopper and want my shops to reflect the way I want to be treated when I walk into a store.”

Part of that treatment is to know that the customer will be satisfied when they walk out. This includes custom clothing and alterations to achieve the perfect fit.

“It is a service we provide,” says Tattanelli, whose ancestors crafted leather goods for the Medici family, at one time the wealthiest family in Italy and still arguably the most well-known.

Another service she provides is to offer couture advice to clients, especially businesswomen and mothers of the bride and groom.

“I started at a young age learning how to dress according to my body shape,” explains Tattanelli. “The first impression is important if you want to fit into a company. No one will tell you, but they will tell each other. Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone to find what works for you.

“I like to think of it as a collaboration with the customer,” Tattanelli says of the shopping experiencee at Jennifer Tattanelli. “I want them to take the beauty they have inside and express it through what they wear.”

When she’s not helping others make the most of fashion, she is an active philanthropist. Among her many charitable acts was to build a hospital in Africa that provides care largely to women and children.

She also is a champion of women who are entering or reentering the workforce, supporting them in their clothing choices and with interview and job skills advice.

Her latest charitable adventure will take her onto the dance floor. She is taking dance lessons so she can compete in a charity event April 6 in Palm Beach. It is the Dance the Night Away Gala hosted by the Cancer Alliance of Help & Hope. Ticket and donation information is available at cahh.org.

To find Jennifer Tattanelli store locations, visit jennifertattanelli.com.

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers.