A Touch of Tango in Greenwich Fashion
A fashion show that makes you forget freezing temperatures outside and inspires feelings of warmth, sunshine and hotter climates can certainly be called a success. And that's exactly what happened when I attended designer Susan Klope's show last Saturday in the showrooms of Carlisle/Per Se at 283 Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich, CT.
Susan Klope, who has previously worked with Elie Tahari, Bill Blass and Oscar de la Renta, and has lived in Florence, is now the head designer for the Per Se line (www.persecollection.com) of the Connaught Group.
She started the show off by presenting some of her latest creations still on their hangers and explaining what had inspired her to that particular design. Things got really exciting, when she came to jackets, skirts and pants in vibrant shades of green and orange.
My neighbor, a very elegant middle aged lady from Venezuela signed and said: "That's like a touch of tango in New York." "Can I quote you on that?" I asked. "But of course," she replied. "I'm buying these clothes now for years, and every time I get home with them, my friends want to tear them off me."
Everybody who knows even a little about fashion is familiar with Oscar de la Renta's colorful creations-- and it comes as no surprise that Susan Klope loves these colors too.
Klope creates a line of clothing that is extremely chic, full of life; it's couture, but affordable and wearable by women of all ages. To emphasis that concept,
she chose as her models a mother-daughter combo instead of professional models. Mrs. Suzanne Grua-McGrath and her daughter Lauren carried the task off with panache.
Both took the same individual pieces and then jazzed them up with their own particular accessories to reflect their personal taste. This duo, however, does have a fashion background. Mrs. Grua-McGrath was a style editor and television producer for Martha Stewart Living, while Lauren was a fashion feature writer for Teen Vogue. Now they write a fashion blog together, called "Good Bones, Great Pieces"
(http://goodbonesgreatpieces.com/blog/)
My personal favorite piece? A black leather jacket, adorned with an assemblage of leather flowers. Delicate and tough at the same time, this is a timeless piece which Susan, rightly, described as a collector’s item.
The price range is just right for recession fashionistas--that is, clothes that go for hundreds, rather than thousands of dollars. They are sold by appointment in the showroom only.
"We want our customers to be comfortable and to be able to get the best advice on individual pieces they can possibly get. We'll alter and accessorize until each client is perfectly satisfied and that can only be achieved by a personal consultant," Susan explained.
You are never too old to tango out of the Carlisle/Per Se showroom with a new, Klope-designed Per Se jacket or dress in your bag. You'll also have a smile on your face because you've managed to avoid breaking the bank.
For more information, visit www.persecollection.com.
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