CAROLINA HERRERA
954 Madison Ave.
212-249-6552

A woman’s business suit must balance serious tailoring with just the right amount of femininity; too much one way or the other and you risk looking like either Diane Keaton in Baby Boom, or Melanie Griffith in just about anything. If there’s anyone in New York who can cut that fine line, it’s Carolina Herrera. She’s a designer, but she’s also a businesswoman, so she’s had direct experience with the tricky concept of an elegant power wardrobe. Her pencil skirts are demure but not dowdy, and her jackets have just enough shoulder emphasis to make the point, but not so much that you’ll feel steroid-enhanced. Pick something in a can’t-go-wrong classic like gray, black, or pinstripe, and you’ll have it for life, but Herrera’s exceptional color sense is a good reason to go outside your comfort zone.