Word: pleats
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...style. Using the seamstress' mannequin as his sculptor's block, he fashions clothes from the inside out. In London he learned bespoke tailoring from Koji Tatsuno, and today his cut is tellingly clean (the French say d?pouill?), from the topstitch seam of a Napoleon jacket or the diamond pleat of a corset dress, to the fluted sleeve of the Anna coat from his most recent collection. "He understands subtle things that add something to the wearer's experience," says Somerville, "as well as being flattering and beautiful and classic." No wonder dedicated wearers include such style icons as Naomi Campbell...
Depending on whom you ask, however, Valvo may have been the flavor of the past decadeand counting. His less expensive Collection line is the top eveningwear seller at Neiman Marcus, for instance, while his higher-end shutter-pleat dress has pulled in more than $4 million in sales. Making time for his runway show: Neiman Marcus Group CEO Burt Tansky, Saks vice chairman Ron Frasch and Bergdorf Goodman CEO Jim Gold...
Valvo's attitude toward glamour is democratic. His dresses have Vera Wang grace, Narciso Rodriguez sexiness and the intricate detailing and embellishment of Valentino couture. His careful construction makes such high styles suitable for a variety of body types and sizes. The shutter-pleat dress, for example, consists of bias-cut strips of fabric stitched together to create a de facto corset. "They're miracle dresses," Valvo says. "Put the body in there and--shoop! The bias expands and controls. Everyone ends up with this amazing hourglass figure...
...days later, I am walking through town in my green full kira when it occurs to me that hey, it’s rather breezy back there. Sure enough, I reach my hand around and I feel bare thigh. Apparently I pulled too much material to make the pleat in front, because I am mooning the good people of Thimphu. In a panic, I grab frantically for the edge of my kira—but what only this morning was a cloth with huge, unmanageable edges, is now miraculously devoid of any edge. I cling with sweaty fingers...
...Harvard students do evince a striking degree of maturity (or prissiness, depending upon your point of view). April Fools’ Day after April Fools’ Day goes by without anyone’s noticing I’ve short-sheeted their bed, much less retaliating; when I pleat meeting agendas into paper footballs, my peers fix me with icy stares instead of making little uprights out of their forefingers and thumbs. Students run extracurricular activities with an intensity more appropriate to the governance of small countries. Already this fall, seniors have donned conservatively-cut suits and trotted...