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Is there anything more California than terry cloth and bubblegum pink? In her new collection for Fabletics, actress Vanessa Hudgens—a Los Angeles native—celebrates the vibrancy and laid-back lifestyle of the Golden State, taking inspiration from the early aughts and her own wardrobe.

The Sun-Daze Collection, which drops April 1, features activewear sets in fun colorful prints, a baby crop top, a string bikini, a soft pink bucket hat in terry ("because sun protection is important"), a halter babydoll dress, a sweet phone charm that resembles a candy necklace, and terry loungewear sets that give serious Juicy Couture velour track suit energy. But the real stars of the show are the prints: one, a geometric pattern in pink, orange, and purple; and the other a beige-and-neon yellow leopard print. "It's nude almost, but with a pop of color, and to me, that screams spring," Hudgens tells BAZAAR.com.

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It's all very Y2K: vivid colors, trippy patterns, baby tees, halter tops, and monochrome sets, but with a more relaxed spin, which speaks to Hudgens's own cool-girl style. The Spring Breakers star chose everything from the silhouettes, to the fabrics, to the tones, to the pearlescent buttons and mushroom patches on some of her pieces. She says she came into the project with a mood board already in mind, pulled from own staples.

"I just kind of looked at my closet and was like, okay, what do I wear most during the spring? And a baby tee is also something that I have a lot of in my closet, so I designed a baby tee out of one of my favorites that I have. So it's, like, really personal," Hudgens says.

The actress—who was previously the face of Fabletics' Velour collection—also based her expectations of the activewear and lifestyle collection on her own daily routine. "I'm always in workout gear, because I'm always working out," she says with a laugh. "I've always felt that it was important to take care of your mind, body, and soul, and working out and being physical is a big part of that for me. So I definitely wanted to make sure that there were pieces in the collection that I felt strong and cute in, but also supported, and which I can wear all day if I'm out and about, and feel like I'm still presentable."

She says it was important to her that every piece be suitable not only for a morning hike or a day by the pool, but also for an afternoon of running errands, a lunch date with friends, and an all-night music festival—one of her springtime hobbies. It was no easy task, but this spring/summer collection, with its clear emphasis on comfort and flattering silhouettes, has exactly that kind of versatility.

"Spring is genuinely one of my favorite times of the year: We're all coming out of our winter hibernation, the sun's out, we're getting back into our fitness, we're hanging out by the pool. So I wanted to do something for all of those moments and really pulled from the things that I love, things that you don't really have to think about and throw on and feel good in," Hudgens says.

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Hudgens lives in the L.A. neighborhood of Los Feliz, which literally translates from Spanish to "the happy"—and happiness is something she exudes, not only in conversation, but in her bright, feel-good designs.

"Reintroducing bright colors into my wardrobe is something that I've personally fallen in love with this year. I was never a big fan of bright colors, and now I cannot get enough, so I really wanted to make sure we had some poppy things in the collection," she says.

Color is certainly having a moment in fashion right now, and it's about time, following what felt like an eternity of gray sweatpants in lockdown. "I mean, you look at Valentino's last show, the walls were even pink," Hudgens says. "I think we're all embracing it, because it does, like, ignite something in you that brings you joy, and that's something that we all need."

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These days—when she's home, and not hosting the preshow for the Oscars red carpet or running her beauty brand, KNOW Beauty, with cofounder Madison Beer—Hudgens tells BAZAAR she's just focused on her health and comfort. It's why she says she's been living in the baby pink terry dress from her collection. "I just feel so confident in the dress. And, like, it's just a little terry dress, but there's the peephole in it, which just makes it feel more elevated and kind of sexy, but there's a built-in sports bra, so you feel supported," Hudgens says.

This is the actress's second fashion collaboration (she designed a line of suits for Suistudio in 2018), but she tells BAZAAR she's excited to continue to explore her creativity with Fabletics and—fingers crossed—hopefully grace us with another hot pink activewear drop very soon.

Rosa Sanchez is the senior news editor at Harper's Bazaar, working on news as it relates to entertainment, fashion, and culture. Previously, she was a news editor at ABC News and, prior to that, a managing editor of celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets. 

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