Nanette Lepore is my kind of gal. With an insanely busy career as a top designer as well as mom to a 9-year old daughter, her idea of relaxing is to "have parties…go on a trip…and do some vintage shopping." She even combines work with pleasure, declaring that she wants to "open stores in cities that I personally like to visit."  Currently, there are six standalone locations in the US and UK with more in the works. Las Vegas has been particularly lucky for her, with her location in Caesar's Forum’s Shops being the most successful of the bunch. This could quickly change as she rolls the dice and expands into Asia, the Middle East and the rest of Europe.

Like her other collections, Fall ‘07 is inspired by a trip…this one to "a pretend weekend in a fabulous, mysterious, glamorous hideaway." Rich velvets, wools and capes in luxe fabrics suggest European royalty and made me think of the castles that dot riverbanks throughout the Continent. This is one of the darkest collections she’s ever done with heavier and more ornamented fabric than usual, although there are moments of lightness, thanks to playful tights and other accents in her signature purple.

I especially like the flowy, layered tunic over luxe velvet pants for travel…look for this on a jetway near you! (-: