I grew up in the 90's, the era of "SUPER Models"....Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Tatjana Patitz..., so naturally I have a special liking of everything lavish and exaggerated as much as I appreciate an artistic and almost theatrical approach to fashion.    
     This being said, it is more than natural that my favorite designers happen to be John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Gianni Versace. Recently, however, there were another two men joining the team... Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana in particular.

     Their Fall/Winter 2012 Runway show has totally captivated me. The models styled like the characters of famous Italian 17th century paintings looked breathtakingly angelic. Golden embroideries recalled Baroque mirrors and frames, while the needlepoint was most likely inspired by dining room tapestries with painterly cherub and angel prints throughout.
    The needlepoint floral pieces were both beautiful and more wearable, but somehow reminded me more of Spring/Summer than Fall/Winter. The embroidered capes, bags and footwear worked as elaborate statement pieces as did the needlepoints.

It is the best to see for yourself:

My all-time favorite though is an old... almost ancient Fashion Show - Galliano's "Diorient Express" Fall/Winter 1998/99 Haute Couture. I remember to be mesmerized by it back then so much, I actually had to go way back into the past and dig up this ancient definitely no HD video, but it's still worth of seeing. I miss those days of theatrical shows full of unexpected surprises...

     I always thought Bergdorf Goodman has the most amazing window displays in the entire New York City...especially during the Holidays. I often make a trip out of it... to come and see them. Each year they create something more magical and out of this world that just takes my breath away, but Bloomies is slowly getting there as well. It might not be something out of this world, but it gets pretty close... 

Take a look at their promotion of Karl Lagerfeld's watches....

        You might not know this about me, but I'm not a huge fan of department stores. Mostly for their congestion and traffic flow, I much more prefer the personal touch and feeling of a small boutique. However, since I work on the Upper East Side and often shop at ZARA on Lexington and 59th Street, for my beauty products or perfumes, I usually run across the street either to Sephora or Bloomingdales.        
        That was a reason of my visit to Bloomies this time around as well, but something "bright" and "colorful" in the window caught my eye and to be honest, I LOVE "BRIGHT" and "COLORFUL". It wasn't just the color, it was much more. It was the combination of neutral black & white enhanced with a hint of vibrant colors....beautiful spring colors as mint and coral... in combination of navy blue and yellow, but most of all...amazing geometric patterns and architectural cuts...that stopped me in my busy and over-booked Tuesday afternoon.

Bloomingdales has currently on display the collection of Milly's Spring 2013. 

         I've never heard of this brand before, but their colorful springy apparel with amazingly unusual prints and patterns was a real eye catcher and in some way very unique and refreshing. I snapped a couple of pictures and as soon as I got home, I've Googled them. To my biggest surprise, this brand apparently has been on our market since 2001 and their head designer just so happened to be a formal FIT student, Michelle Smith, so I started to dig a bit deeper and this is what I've found out:

The Milly by Michelle Smith collection has defined youthful, luxurious style since 2001. Convinced from an early age that fashion design was her calling, Smith earned an art school scholarship to study fashion illustration, and later followed her passion to New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. With a keen interest in European fashion and luxury goods, Smith worked at the Hermes boutique in Manhattan to help pay for her studies. Upon graduation from FIT, she wrote to the President of Hermes requesting an internship at the Paris headquarters. Her request was granted, making Michelle Smith the first American Hermes employee sent to work in Paris by this legendary fashion house.

While in Paris, Smith continued her studies at the prestigious design school ESMOD while also interning at Louis Vuitton, Torrente and Christian Dior Haute Couture. After three years, Smith returned home to New York, intent on establishing her own design business, and Milly was born.

Since the glare of the windows doesn't allow you to see this amazing collection of exquisite prints and colors properly, I found some pictures on-line just to tease your eyes.

Michelle's collection is contemporary and exquisite, not only it combines ultra modern with sophisticated and glamorous look, but her clothes somehow seems to embody today's modern sensibility with a hint of a vintage vibe, essentially all the things urban women are looking for.

        If Michelle's collection made as huge of an impact on you as it did on me, you have a chance to actually meet her. It might be a bit of a late information, but she is coming to hold a discussion forum in Blomingdales tomorrow, Thursday, March 7th between 6 - 7pm. Here is the link from the Daily News and Guest of a Guest web sides regarding the event: 

http://events.nydailynews.com/new_york_ny/events/show/311748283-meet-milly-designer-michelle-smith-at-bloomingdales

http://guestofaguest.com/new-york/calendar/2013/march/meet-milly-designer-michelle-smith-at-bloomingdales

Meet Milly Designer Michelle Smith at Bloomingdale's

When	Thu, March 7,6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Where	Bloomingdale's , 1000 Third Ave, New York, NY (map)
Admission	Open
Description	Stop by Bloomingdale's to meet Milly designer Michelle Smith as she showcases her newest collection at Bloomingdale's.
Website	(click here)