LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Not So Basic. One look at the Fall 07 collections and you have to think back to when people were happy with a "little black dress," white pearls and gloves. Well, that look is back and a lot more. The little black dress has one shoulder, a balloon skirt and a touch of Etro, Missoni or Armani perfection. Even Chanel refuses to keep it quite so basic. And then there are the gloves - why we're even thinking about gloves in 100-degree weather is beyond me, but nevertheless, we'll be sure to see those cuties at the big, night out, black-tie events this season. And for sure the diehard fashionistas wearing them will avoid the hors d'oeuvres tray like a curse. As well they should. Anyone prepared to glove those sassy manicures with the bright hues of "never chip" polish will go to any length - and I mean up to the armpit-glove length - to pull off the latest look. Of course shoes are still front and center ("The Big Shoe," page 76) - only they're taller and much more powerful than the dress.
The new staggering platforms will add half a foot to your height and the glitter-glam, bedazzled heels are meant for high kicks on the dance floor. All this detailing is part of the new classic trend, something Gucci and Ferragamo have indulged in for decades. A little clasp, buckle or bow here or there has always been fashionable, but now it's all just gotten a lot bigger. Nothing is really confined in the new collections. It's more contoured, less sexy and a lot more sculptural, and those "show-my-legs-and-back" cutouts
can be pretty revealing.
I say black it all out with skinny tights, wrap sweaters, trenches and, believe it or not, a cloche hat. (Note to Floridians: Please lose the hats.) The good news is that this fall you can recycle half of your black wardrobe and nobody will know. The suits that cost you an arm and a leg two years ago have resurfaced and the forever-loving white blouse is here to stay. You just have to add the gimmicks to create your own character - belts, scarves and bags are saving graces for everything, but the big bag is the star for yet another year.
Colored croc is my favorite, but black with gold hardware has a statement that will outlast everything else.
So, with all the black as a backdrop, jewels have never been more en vogue. Big and beautiful shiny stunners (as shown in our feature "On The Rocks," page 90) are just way over the top in carat weight as well
as in design. These beautiful blings are showing up everywhere and the competition for "bigger is better" couldn't be greater. At Bal Harbour Shops and Worth Avenue alone, boutiques with names like Graff, Harry Winston, Chopard, Cartier, Piaget, Bulgari and Greenleaf & Crosby probably have more precious jewels on one block than the rest of the world combined. (Eat your heart out Bond Street). Nothing is out of the question - from 20-carat diamonds to hoards of pearls, rubies and emeralds. But the quest is for design as well, so the solitaire is well pressed to show off encrusted in pavé settings or dangling to cleavage lengths on ropes of diamond chains. It's all a bit avant-garde that in a time when war rules over our economy the Gatsby days return with a flourish. Somebody out there knows something I haven't quite figured out, but God bless the rich and famous. Us mere mortals will just have to bring out the single strand of pearls, don the LBD and wing it with just one fab diamond!

Esther Jackson
Publisher | Editor-in-Chief