Fashion designer Anne Fontaine expands beyond her classic white shirt

The little black dress. Haute couture. Ballet flats.

Along with these French staples from fashion houses Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton, comes the work of accomplished designer Anne Fontaine, who is helping to foster a look that can also be interpreted as what it means to be stylish in Paris — or in Orange County.

Fontaine, a Paris-based designer who was born in Brazil, is the woman behind the womenswear collection known for its iconic white shirt. Now she has expanded into outerwear, knits, handbags, jewelry and much more while adding color, albeit nothing flashy.

She took her neutral color palette to Costa Mesa on March 31, presenting models in looks that ranged from subtle floral prints and longline skirts to opulent organza blouses during an exclusive fashion show at South Coast Plaza.

Fontaine’s spring/summer 2016 collection — the theme is “Beauty in Nature” — was inspired by the environment. She fixed her signature designs on elements like sunburst pleats and a mix of linen materials, creating cleanly tailored pieces in shades of blue, other seasonal colors and earthy tones.

Since childhood, Fontaine has made her own clothes, refusing to wear ready-made items since she wanted to tailor her own creative aesthetic. She decided to put forth her collection in 1993, and the next year she opened her first boutique on Paris’ Rue des Saints-Peres.

But long before the fashion house was born and its products would be sold in 70 boutiques around the world, Fontaine met Ari Zlotkin, her future husband. He showed Fontaine his grandmother’s attic, where they found a collection of white shirts.

Fontaine felt inspired by the pieces to create an updated design for the classic white shirt.

Her business began with a concentration of white shirts in organza, silk and Pima cotton poplin from Peru, and she had the fabrics crafted by French and Italian artisans known for their tailoring and sewing expertise.

“I wanted this piece, belonging to a masculine wardrobe, to become a women’s essential,” Fontaine said in an email. “A white shirt is timeless elegance. It’s an item which every woman can play with to create her own identity and express her own creativity. Nothing is sexier than a woman in a white shirt.”

Each season, she conceptualizes a new vision of it in a number of styles.

The Noriana three-quarter sleeve shirt, priced at $350, features an A-line silhouette with a back that is open and accented with a bow and pleat. There’s the Naelys shirt, showcasing elaborate roserrers — poofy rose-like petals — on the sleeve, and the Natalia embroidered chiffon cape layered over a sleeveless Pima jersey-cloth T-shirt.

The environment has always remained a focus in Fontaine’s designs and charitable pursuits.

In 2011, she created the Anne Fontaine Foundation, an organization aiming to protect the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. Known as the Mata Atlantica forest in Portuguese, it is one of the richest forests in terms of biodiversity, but it is also one of the most threatened. Today in Brazil, over 85% of the original region has been deforested, threatening plants and animals with extinction.

When looking to the future, Fontaine, who lives in Honfleur, Normandy, said that in five years, she hopes to be spending more of her time educating others about reforestation and children’s education programs.

Fashion-wise, she would like to expand the brand’s Les Precieuses collection, which is a limited collection of evening wear, dresses and tops with fine embroidery and delicate fabrics.

She soon will launch the AF active line, a sport chic collection for women.

“Being stylish is a story of having your own look,” Fontaine said. “My style is timeless elegance and femininity. I translate my style into my designs, which I want to be relatable. I have a style which highlights a woman’s personality. Women should be able to get dressed and feel beautiful and confident without having to put in much thought.”

Anne Fontaine is at South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. For more information, call (714) 549-0315 or visit annefontaine.com.