Ragazza: Mexican Dresses for Quinceañeras

Carolina Vazquez Ortega designs Ragazza Fashion with the goal of Quinceañeras choosing a dress that matches their personality.

Fashion design runs in her veins, since she was little she witnessed how her mother turned the dreams of many women into reality by making glamorous dresses from fabric scraps. And although Carolina Vázquez Ortega finished a degree in architecture, she soon discovered that her true passion was not building buildings but designing dresses for Quinceañeras.

 During the past 8 years, with the help of her husband and her team, they have made more than 1,000 dresses for the girls who are looking for the ideal dress to celebrate their Quince.

The popularity of her Ragazza Fashion collections is such that the company, based in the Mexican republic and known for its use of elaborate and unconventional skirts as well as conceptual designs, is becoming known in the American market.

What is your favorite part when looking for a concept for a Quince dress?

The collaboration between the girl, her parents, and me. It takes the participation of a team to create a dress in which she feels beautiful and her parents feel confident about the quality of the garment with which they will present their daughter.

What makes a dress high-quality?

In our case, it's the delicacy, all the dresses are turned upside down to check that each seam line is well made.

Where does your inspiration come from for the Ragazza collections?

 Animals, the circus, stonework, opinions from my clients, and everything around me. Quinceañeras know what they like, which I always appreciate because it keeps me grounded. They also inspired the name Ragazza, which means young girl in Italian.

 How would you describe the style of your line?

Cutting-edge, I always seek to create new styles either in the skirt or the neckline. Always with the intention of looking modern but keeping in mind the integrity of the young girls.

What kind of girl did you have in mind when designing the L'Bouton collection?

 I was inspired by a sweet girl who liked to have fun. But of course, there are different types of personalities in Quinceañeras, so I included a dress in each collection for each one: the extravagant, the shy, the daring, etc.

Do you take custom orders?

 Of course, although we have collections, sometimes the girls want to change something about the model in the skirt or the bodice and we have no problem doing it.

What is the price of your dresses?

Each of our authorized distributors sells the dresses in a package with shoes, accessories, or any other related item and they choose the price. If you want the price of a particular dress, send us a message on Facebook with its description.

What is the easiest way to order a Ragazza dress?

We have different authorized distributors in the United States, but you can also do it through our Facebook, we use it as our main website. It is suggested to confirm with us to make sure you are ordering an original Ragazza.

What do you have planned for next year?

We will be promoting our colorful limited edition Paradise, inspired by the beach and sand.

What will be the trends for 2013? 

Strong colors like fuchsia will still be popular, as well as strapless bodices. Decorated shorts for the surprise dance will also be the craze.

What should be kept in mind when choosing a dress?

Comfort and personality, it will be a unique moment so it is unnecessary to worry about being too short, too dark-skinned, or too thin to wear a certain dress. What should be avoided when choosing a dress? Revealing necklines or a skirt so short that the Quinceañera has to worry about adjusting it all night.