Gabriel & Co. Designer Flash Series

Exclusive DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT interview with fearless designer, Rebecca Minkoff, candidly discusses the way style has evolved during the pandemic.

Because for forty years his brand has cannily and consistently shifted and morphed to accommodate the spirit of an ever - rapidly changing culture, he is that rare designer immediate, recognizable just by saying his first name. Unlike most people, TOMMY (Hilfiger) loves change. Well, the last two years has instigated a seismic reassessment of every aspect of our lives, and it has been a challenge for every business, every ambition, every individual. Not surprisingly, Hilfiger has not only embraced the challenge, but he's coming out of it smiling. Maybe that's became his collection has never looked better.

I have known Elie Saab since he began sharing his distinct eye for glamour and gift for design almost two decades ago. Never one for strong self-promotion or spotlight seeking, Saab preferred to let his work be his calling card.

Forget the age that appears on her driver's license. Norma Kamali may be the youngest, most vibrant person you will ever meet. Calm in manner, but almost explosive with positive energy, it's fitting that one of America's most original and influential talents brazenly titled her newest book I am Invincible, because Kamali is inarguable proof that beauty is far more than skin deep, but rather comes from a passionate commitment to self-care, self-confidence and self-satisfaction in always putting one's best self on full display.

There is a volcanic explosion of fabric on too many runways these days; dresses boasting tsunami waves of ruffles, ballooning sleeves, endless trains, obliterated waists, and necklines ending just under the chin line. Gilles Mendel is having none of it.

Oscar De La Renta is one the most desired and revered brand in American fashion. Even the name has the prefect lilt and rhythm to describe a line of clothing that embraces romance, that creates drama, and that moves as sinuously as if the ever charming Mr. De La Renta was gliding you across the dance floor himself.

He’s got a voice like a Bentley backing up on a gravel driveway, a presence as big as an Imax screen, and a love of big time, life’s-a-ball glamour propelled by such buoyant charm and good humor that he has now charmed women from Park Avenue to furthest reaches of QVC for three decades.

He may not be a designer name you recognize immediately and yet Tadashi Shoji must be doing something right because his clothes are featured in over 700 stores in the United States. The reason for his stylish ubiquity is simple. Shoji's formidable skill with draping, pleating and beading elegant stretch fabrics has allowed him to create sensual, dynamic evening wear that flatters all ages and sizes.

She is one of the legendary Big 3 of American fashion and the only woman. But it is a name almost everyone who has ever walked into a fitting room knows - Donna Karan. From the moment she launched her first collection in 1985, she set out to change the way women dressed and saw themselves forever.

Ten years ago, few in America had heard of him. And then suddenly, Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce, two women any designer would be thrilled to dress, started showing up on red carpets in these shapely incredibly feminine, elaborately embroidered gowns created by this guy whose name was unfamiliar, even to many fashion insiders.

Trends come and go. Designers are hot, then they're not. And yet, for 30 years Mark Badgely and James Mischka have prevailed, even thrived in fashion because of an unwavering promise they've made to themselves and their customers - that all women should be able to feel and look as if they are movie stars.

Fashion relentlessly blankets social media but its direction has become rudderless. Rules are long discarded, designers change luxury brand allegiance on what seems a monthly basis, fast fashion beckons hordes of shoppers away from department stores, while each season trends seem to multiply like crabgrass in May. And yet, Nicole Miller's label has thrived for more than three decades, which means she must know something many of her contemporaries don't. Look at her clothes and the answer is obvious.

Elie Saab is never trying to be cool. He doesn't design hot sneakers for an Instagram moment, nor does he add to his collection a gotta-have-it hoodie. Saab's goal is far more obvious and far more satisfying because the Lebanese designer has always been driven by the belief that every woman is happiest when she looks spectacularly beautiful.

Max Mara's clothing doesn't shout to your attention. Instead, each piece whispers for you to touch it, feel it and when you put it on, it's like a welcome embrace. The label's streamlined silhouettes and swoon-worthy fabrics present a woman as the essence of serene. Knowing elegance.

In an industry with the attention span of an eight-year-old let loose in a video arcade, Norma Kamali has remained cool, vital, desirable, and relevant for over five decades. I repeat - FIVE DECADES. Even more remarkable is that the designer's key to such enviable longevity isn't even a secret.

At first glance, Yigal Azrouel does not strike you as a typical ready to wear designer. He is swarthy and handsome,
unassuming but direct. As a native born Israeli he served in the nation's army, is a devoted surfer, collaborates
on art projects with the GUGGENHEIN MUSEUM, the NEW YORK CITY BALLET, shoe wizard MANOLO BLAHNIK
and other celebrated modern artists. He doesn't have a posse.

Christian Siriano's own look has been distinctive from the beginning:His Harry Potteresque haircut, slim frame,
and oversized, thick-framed eyewear works a cool schoolboy nerd vibe. Yet a streak of rebelliousness is at the core of the young designer's success. His aesthetic is anything but casual, nor is it aimed at either Millennials, or supposedly cutting edge New Yorkers. In fact, Siriano doesn't have one dream girl.

The man's name and image are now as American and probably more familiar than Huckleberry Finn's. Tommy Hilfiger is quintessentially and most unapologetically, red, white and blue, just like Old Glory flying over a county fair on the 4th of July. And yet, the Hilfiger brand at 35, exudes a time defying exuberance, expanding its global reach with the freshness of a just posted Snapchat, thanks to the designer's unshakeable faith in reinvention, refusal to take fashion too seriously, and ingenious ways of exciting its ever-growing customer base.

If you haven't heard of him, you should (which of course, is why DESIGNER FLASH is here.) Adam Lippes creates clothes for real life. His fabrics are simply wonderful. You'll wish your favorite robe felt this good. His designs brighten your mood the moment you take them out of your closet, and they slide across your body like an unexpected caress. Sound seductive? It is.

For eight years, we have witnessed one woman command with world stage, unfailingly exuding the essence of graciousness, the poise that accompanies self-awareness, a fearlessly exuberant style as enviable as it is relatable, and dazzling everyone with a special brand of radiance that only a grown woman who has lived an eventful life can possess.

Mark Badgley and James Mischka are blessed with a gift- they are able to design dresses that make a woman feel like she is the only one worth looking at. So, it's no wonder Kate Winslet, Taylor Swift, Helen Mirren and Carrie Underwood are photographed in their glorious gowns on the red carpet.