The story of how Sacramento fashion designer Annalise Tran got to where she is today is almost as intriguing as the clothes she creates. The Middle child of five sisters, Annalise was born in war torn South Vietnam; where her father served in the military protecting his country from communist invaders. One fateful day Annalise’s father was captured and imprisoned by Northern Vietnamese forces and held in a Communist prison.

Upon hearing this her Mother bravely took her five children and fled to Hong Kong, there they met a Christian emissary who sponsored the family and brought them to the United States, it was 15 years later that Annalise she saw her Dad again.

With the hope of a better life Annalise’s Mother started a Bridal Boutique in their new home. After college Annalise worked in the boutique, firstly doing bridal make up, learning depth and tone, then as a store buyer, going to bridal markets and gaining an insider education in the world of design and sales. Annalise became fascinated by the designs, the details and shapes, the fabrics, the colors, she was continually amazed at how one dress could flatter a woman to make her sexy or elegant and change her whole persona.

At the Store Annalise was constantly bothered by the amount of women who would walk out of the store discouraged, after finding the dress of their dreams and realizing it is out of their price range, so she became inspired to create her own designs at an affordable price for women of all ages.

-A brave decision as Annalise had no training in design or sewing, so undeterred she set about teaching herself, every night she would work tirelessly, making mistakes and correcting them until she created her first complete dress; a short pink feather for the younger generation. The dress was a hit and a year ago she set up her own online store:

Annalise’s ethos is high quality, hand sewn dresses at an affordable price for sizes 0-20. She dreams of having her designs worn on the red carpet and filling department stores with her line. Annalise is a highly driven and talented designer with her feet firmly planted on the ground, we are convinced all her dreams are within reach.

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