Influential International Style: Kate Lanphear
I firmly believe that the best fashion finds happen randomly-- especially when you're not looking for them. So it was that I milled around a Vogue fashion week party several months ago and started talking to a stylish woman who carried one of the most beautiful and unique handbags I've seen in a while. When I inquired, Khirma Eliazov replied that she'd designed the bag herself as part of her eponymous line of leather accessories. She then invited me to her fashion week trunk show, where I proceeded to be completely bowled over by further pieces rife with her signature top-quality leather and delightful attention to detail. Erma, as she's known, credits her first job out of college as an accessories assistant at Mademoiselle with what she laughingly calls her "obsession" with accessories. After stints as a stylist, brand manager, and freelance market editor for, among others, Harper's Bazaar, Elle Accessories, and, yes, Vogue, she decided to follow her heart and create a collection that is "beautiful, timeless, different, and, most importantly, functional. Everything about this line surrounds luxury at an attainable price point." Cited as a designer to watch by WWD and toted by fashion 'it' girls like Behati Prinsloo, check out the Khirma Eliazov slideshow to see just why she's one to keep an eye on, and visit her site for more details!
