Spotlight on Tracy Reese

After Detroit native Tracy Reese moved to NYC to pursue her dream of becoming a designer, she graduated from Parsons School of Design in 1984. Soon after she worked for many fashion houses, including Arlequin and Perry Ellis as the design director for Women's Portfolio. In 1996, she launched her first solo collection that evoked "charm and glamour" and continues to design dresses with a distinctive flair and sexy styling. She started a couple different fashion labels, including Plenty and Frock, at a more affordable price range. Her clothing is carried by many department stores and most of her clothes are manufactured in the US. For the complete Tracy Reese experience, se owns 2 stores that sell her collections: one in NYC and the other in Tokyo. Her dresses are adored by many celebrities including Michelle Obama, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce. Her design vision that she continues to strive for is:

"We love pretty, we like beautiful, flattering, color! That’s what people come here for. There was a moment when big stores weren’t into that but our customer always was, and she was coming here."

Designer of the week Mara Hoffman!

Mara Hoffman born in Buffalo, NY is a New York based fashion designer.  She graduated from Parson's School of Design in New York City and studied at Central Saint Martins College in Arts and Design in London before launching her first ready- to-wear collection in 2000. Her designs inspired by nature, world travels, and fantasy creating one-of-a-kind prints.  Patricia Field, noted American costume designer and stylist, who has worked on the set of Sex and the City TV show, and the movie, The Devil Wears Prada, gave Mara Hoffman her first client base in NYC by featuring some of her dresses in her NYC boutique. Ultimately, the brand became more well known and expanded. From there, Mara Hoffman was able to launch her first swimwear collection in 2008, which she is most known for. In 2011, she was inducted as a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and has recently hit a record year of growth.  She continues to expand in the number of stores that carries her clothing and participates in both the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York for the Fall and Spring Ready to Wear as well as Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim in Miami.