LOVENIA

SPRING - SUMMER '09 \ FALL - WINTER '08 \ SPRING - SUMMER '08\ INSPIRATION \ LOVENIA \ ABOUT HEIDI

"I approach my collections by considering color, shape and proportion," says designer Heidi Handler. Of her third season for Lovenia, Handler cites "the surreal light of Nice at twilight" for inspiring her to line pale pink mousseline with gold silk charmeuse for a ruffled cocktail dress. "The effect is liquid," she says.

The volume of Cristobal Balenciaga's gowns from the late 1950s also influenced Handler this season. "I continue to explore the drop-waist, 'good-time girl' proportion of the Roaring Twenties, but am also drawn to the movement of longer dresses with draping and pleating details," she says. "For me, they evoke nights of dancing in grand ballrooms."

As for whom she pictured when whipping up these billowy confections, Handler says: "I looked to the cool confidence, the ethereal beauty and the femininity of Jean Harlow and Scarlett Johansen."

Timeless silhouettes are a Lovenia hallmark, as is Handler's selection of the best European fabrics: Cashmeres and linens from Italy, silks and laces from France, and cottons from Switzerland.

"Quality and originality are very important to me. I love to add elaborate, hidden details that only my customers see — like the hand-painted flowers on the silk lining of my dress coat. But I also have a very practical side which doesn't allow me to go too over-the-top," she says. "These dresses are pure glamour, but there's a modern ease about them, too. When I want to be surreal, I paint!"