Is Paris is Always the Answer?

If Designer Janessa Leoné has anything to say about it, then yes.

Mar 04, 2025

When I think of vacation, I think of Janessa Leoné. Her hero packable hats have become synonymous with waterside locales worldwide. But these aren’t your grandma’s beach hats; they're cut in modern silhouettes that radiate optimism and youth, intended for summer chasers worldwide.

If you know Janessa, you know optimism is a fitting word for her. She radiates the sunshine she’s selling you. My friend Megan Alida Strachan introduced us last year and I immediately clocked Janessa’s fantastic belt. We clicked immediately and decided to host a dinner together later in the year.

We perched next to one another that night, surrounded by mutual buddies, yammering about travel, weddings, and cocktails all night long: a new friend that immediately felt like an old one.

She influenced me to purchase those Jil Sander sock sandals, which I’m constantly posting because she looked so great in them. Sometimes, seeing someone else in an item helps it click. Surprisingly, they ended up being my most worn shoes this winter.

Hot Girls in Palm Beach

Jess Graves

March 3, 2025

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It felt right to run her Designer Dossier interview alongside our Palm Beach content this week, given that every time I’m on the island, one of her hats is pretty much affixed to my head. But she’s not just hats anymore! I’ll let her explain.

Jess Graves: How would you describe your style?

Janessa Leoné: I tend towards tailored sophistication and oversized silhouettes. I’m a natural minimalist and try to curate my closet to have my core staple items that are easy to grab and style. I’m not the best at time management, so I need my outfits to be easy and not show that I only spent 5 minutes getting ready.

JG: I too am kind of a lazy dresser! Putting tons of thought into my morning look just isn’t my style. It’s why I like your hats! They really finish a look when all it’s comprised of is a summer dress and sandals. But you’re not just hats anymore. Tell me about launching knits and leather goods.

JL: Expanding into handbags and sweaters has been a deeply meaningful step for me and my brand. It’s allowed us to create products using the highest quality raw materials, sourced from a regenerative supply chain. I've always been passionate about creating a luxury product by connecting all the supply chain stakeholders and working directly with ranchers. Moving beyond hats has allowed us to further our mission of supporting regenerative practices, proving that sustainability and luxury go hand in hand.

JG: I can attest that your knits are really something. I wear my cream Joelle sweater all the time. It’s SO warm. Now I’m adding the Andie sweater to my cart for Spring. What's in your cart right now?

JL: I love a long statement coat. On this last trip to NYC, I walked past a stranger on the street in SoHo who I couldn’t stop staring at. She wore the chocolate Saint Laurent leather trench over a pair of denim and a knit draped over her shoulders. I was so mesmerized by the effortless styling and THAT COAT that it took me far too long to notice that she was wearing one of our wool hats.

JG: February puts me in a funk. I feel stagnant. March is teasing us with spring but I’m struggling to be creative. How do you overcome a creative block?

JL: A good night of sleep, a workout, nature, fresh air, and a good ol’ trip to Paris.

JG: Paris is usually the answer! What advice would you give to someone who finds entrepreneurship difficult or lonely?

JL: If it were easy, everyone would do it. It’s a privilege to do hard things, but you don’t have to suffer alone. Find your people, hold tight, and shift your perspective to one of gratitude for being able to design your life.

JG: Gratitude is something I always try to keep with me. Moving to New York has shifted my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I’m so grateful for that. Does where you live influence your work?

JL: Immensely! I have lived in Paris and LA, and I think you can tell where I am located based on each collection and campaign. While in Paris, my work is more serious and elevated, and the campaigns are dramatic and cinematic. While in LA, you can feel the ease and expansiveness that comes with a life of sunshine and outdoors. I love the opportunity to flex both sides of my personality.

JG: Drop a beauty secret.

JL: Ice your face. Sunscreen your hands.

JG: Drop an unpopular opinion/hot take.

JL: We don’t need to buy another piece of clothing. As someone who loves fashion and how clothes make me feel (and also makes a living by selling people things), I like reframing my mindset to realize I have everything I need and more. So each piece I add to my collection is just toppings, a “cherry” so to speak. I have the same mentality when producing anything new from our collections, they have to be made with such craftsmanship and care, and have to justify their place as an extra in people’s lives.

JG: What do you collect? Why?

JL: Ceramics and glassware. My days center around two important rituals: Morning coffee and an evening cocktail. It brings me great joy to drink both from gorgeous vessels, and it is the thing I buy the most while travelling.

JG: I end every interview this way. Describe your perfect Sunday.

JL: In France, they have a saying for having a lie-in: “Faire la grasse matinée,” which literally means to make a fat morning. As I age, there is no greater luxury than spending a Sunday morning with coffee and no plans in bed. We make a lot of fat mornings on Sundays in my house.