Ladies First!

Photo for TIME by Alexi Lubomirski

The latest issue of Style & Design comes out on Friday and one of the main feature stories in it looks at women who are changing the luxury business. It's always so hard to compile those kinds of lists and inevitably, when I attempt it, I run into someone just before the issue comes out, someone who makes me stop and think “Darn! She should have been on the list!” Well, on Wednesday I had lunch with Moschino creative director, Rossella Jardini—in town from Milan to oversee the opening of the new Moschino boutique on West 14th street—and I had one of those moments. Jardini is a true fashionista who lives and breathes style. She has a fantastic look: deep tan, tight knot of hair, bright red cat-eye glasses, and some of the greatest vintage jewelry ever.

Moschino, NYC

When I saw her she was wearing these two rings, one by David Webb and the other by Attilio Codgnato, both white lacquer or ivory with diamonds. She was also wearing this jacquard sweater by some Japanese designer that she had picked up at Pupi Solari, a great store in Milan. The sweater was woven like a stocking, so fine. And it was lined in jersey. Jardini says she bought it because of the amazing quality of the fabrication. She not only has an eye for style, but she also appreciates beautiful and unique craftsmanship. She had just been shopping at the McQueen store and had bought a tiny purse constructed to look like the Union Jack. “I look at the quality, the uniqueness, not the brand,” she said. It's hard to find that kind of refinement and idiosyncratic style in fashion these days because so much of the business is driven by numbers and not creativity. I'm going to keep Jardini in mind as a kind of standard-bearer as I take in the runway shows this coming week.