Carolina Herrera

Venezuela-born fashion designer Carolina Herrera, breathtaking in chocolate-brown Swiss lace, brought her fall and winter collection to the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach on Wednesday and left some of Orange County's best-dressed women with another name on their Shop-Till-You-Drop list.

The Emmy statuettes weren't the only lithe, gold figures at Sunday night's award show. Celebrities walked the red carpet in varying metallic hues, from warm gold and bronze to shimmery shades of silver and gray. While the look was metallic, it was anything but heavy. Tones were subtle, gown silhouettes were simple and jewelry was noticeably pared down. In the downtown L.A. heat, a palette of pretty metallics made more sense than a dark, weighty gown that looked as if the wearer would need a wheelbarrow to get from the limo to her seat.

P ant- emonium broke out when New York designer Carolina Herrera unveiled her fall 1993 collection Wednesday at the Hyatt Regency Irvine for the Angelitos de Oro annual fund-raiser for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Orange County. Herrera showed pants for day, evening and just about every dressy occasion. Never one to bow to fads, the Venezuelan-born designer showed no bell-bottoms.

Many of the spring clothes designers are showing this week have a tactile appeal. Maybe it's a signal that we're searching for more depth in fashion, something to touch and feel, not just to look at and discard after one season. Of course, it also helps to justify a high price tag -- because you can actually see the work. The new summer suit as a trend came into focus at Carolina Herrera on Monday, where a sinewy rope-weave raffia vest was paired with linen shorts. Herrera's collection had an organic sensibility and was free of any strict theme.

Many of the spring clothes designers are showing this week have a tactile appeal. Maybe it's a signal that we're searching for more depth in fashion, something to touch and feel, not just to look at and discard after one season. Of course, it also helps to justify a high price tag -- because you can actually see the work. The new summer suit as a trend came into focus at Carolina Herrera on Monday, where a sinewy rope-weave raffia vest was paired with linen shorts. Herrera's collection had an organic sensibility and was free of any strict theme.

It's amazing how often in fashion that a moment from the past brings into focus what's happening in the present. Such was the case over the weekend at New York Fashion Week. Signs of the recession are everywhere here -- the missing faces in the front row, including Saks Fifth Avenue fashion director Michael Fink, who was laid off last month; the empty storefronts on Madison Avenue; the scaled-back shows.

Carolina Herrera yellow, Carolina Herrera polka dots, Carolina Herrera checks, Carolina Herrera perfumes. Glamorous Carolina Herrera herself. Members of the Blue Ribbon at the Music Center flocked into The Founders Tuesday for a tribute to the couturiere and to see her spring collection, thanks to Neiman Marcus/Beverly Hills and its vice president John Martens. Co-chairwomen Joni Smith and Dorie Pinola sat together at the end of the fashion ramp, beaming that all was going so well.

Boutiques are opening so fast along Melrose Place that even their owners aren't able to keep up with them. Three months after fashion designer Carolina Herrera opened the West Coast flagship for her namesake collection, she and her daughter, Carolina, finally were able to visit it and another in Costa Mesa this week. On Monday, Mrs. Herrera and Carolina Jr.

"I'm gettin' married in a mini" could be the theme song of this year's brides, as the miniskirt revival starts to make its way down the aisle. And there's nobody to blame but the brides themselves. They're old enough to know what they like--more than half of last year's first-time brides were 25 or more years old, according to a Bride's magazine formal-wedding survey.

The Emmy statuettes weren't the only lithe, gold figures at Sunday night's award show. Celebrities walked the red carpet in varying metallic hues, from warm gold and bronze to shimmery shades of silver and gray. While the look was metallic, it was anything but heavy. Tones were subtle, gown silhouettes were simple and jewelry was noticeably pared down. In the downtown L.A. heat, a palette of pretty metallics made more sense than a dark, weighty gown that looked as if the wearer would need a wheelbarrow to get from the limo to her seat.

It's amazing how often in fashion that a moment from the past brings into focus what's happening in the present. Such was the case over the weekend at New York Fashion Week. Signs of the recession are everywhere here -- the missing faces in the front row, including Saks Fifth Avenue fashion director Michael Fink, who was laid off last month; the empty storefronts on Madison Avenue; the scaled-back shows.

Coming off the most sensational runway show of the fall season, Nicolas Ghesquiere is at last opening a Balenciaga store in Los Angeles, only the second in the U.S. Expect all the sculptured "Star Trek" meets garden party frocks, haute gladiator sandals and floral print bags from the spring collection, currently being modeled in ads by actress Jennifer Connelly. (Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett are also fans of the label, especially for the red carpet.) The location is just east of San Vicente Boulevard on Melrose Avenue, adding to a booming designer retail area that includes Marc Jacobs, Diane Von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera and soon Alexander McQueen.

Boutiques are opening so fast along Melrose Place that even their owners aren't able to keep up with them. Three months after fashion designer Carolina Herrera opened the West Coast flagship for her namesake collection, she and her daughter, Carolina, finally were able to visit it and another in Costa Mesa this week. On Monday, Mrs. Herrera and Carolina Jr.

P ant- emonium broke out when New York designer Carolina Herrera unveiled her fall 1993 collection Wednesday at the Hyatt Regency Irvine for the Angelitos de Oro annual fund-raiser for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Orange County. Herrera showed pants for day, evening and just about every dressy occasion. Never one to bow to fads, the Venezuelan-born designer showed no bell-bottoms.

Carolina Herrera yellow, Carolina Herrera polka dots, Carolina Herrera checks, Carolina Herrera perfumes. Glamorous Carolina Herrera herself. Members of the Blue Ribbon at the Music Center flocked into The Founders Tuesday for a tribute to the couturiere and to see her spring collection, thanks to Neiman Marcus/Beverly Hills and its vice president John Martens. Co-chairwomen Joni Smith and Dorie Pinola sat together at the end of the fashion ramp, beaming that all was going so well.

Designing bridal gowns can leave one with very firm opinions on marriage and family. Just ask New York designer Carolina Herrera, who created Caroline Kennedy's much-copied wedding gown and has been manufacturing a bridal collection for 2 1/2 years. Herrera believes a woman can have it all--career and family. But if she's smart, she'll have her family first. Family is 'the most important thing in life.

Spring fashion week kicked off here Monday with hordes of retailers and press--just back from Europe--lamenting the lack of clothes suitable for working women. Of course Bill Blass, who headlined the first day's shows along with Carolina Herrera and Marc Jacobs, does not cater to a nine-to-five crowd, either.

Designing bridal gowns can leave one with very firm opinions on marriage and family. Just ask New York designer Carolina Herrera, who created Caroline Kennedy's much-copied wedding gown and has been manufacturing a bridal collection for 2 1/2 years. Herrera believes a woman can have it all--career and family. But if she's smart, she'll have her family first. Family is 'the most important thing in life.

Spring fashion week kicked off here Monday with hordes of retailers and press--just back from Europe--lamenting the lack of clothes suitable for working women. Of course Bill Blass, who headlined the first day's shows along with Carolina Herrera and Marc Jacobs, does not cater to a nine-to-five crowd, either.

Venezuela-born fashion designer Carolina Herrera, breathtaking in chocolate-brown Swiss lace, brought her fall and winter collection to the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach on Wednesday and left some of Orange County's best-dressed women with another name on their Shop-Till-You-Drop list.