ELIE TAHARI FALL 2012

Last night I was fortunate enough to attend the fashion presentation and disco-inspired fete for Elie Tahari's Fall 2012 collection. When questioned about his inspiration for this season, Elie burst with enthusiasm: "Truth! It's all about truth." And he means it.

In a world built on vanity, prestige and superficiality, Elie Tahari's new take on fashion was received by fashion editors, bloggers and buyers like a breath of fresh air. For those of you who don't know, Elie recently returned as Creative Director of his international fashion empire. And as one of the most involved and hard-working creatives in the industry, he is devoting every ounce of his energy, passion and genius to his Fall collection.

One of the reasons for his legions of devoted followers is his understanding of real women and what they want. So for Fall 2012, Elie said no to the formal show at Lincoln Center and the towering supermodels in favor of an interactive presentation in his showroom, complete with these real women as his mannequins. Models in a variety of heights and body shapes, posed, socialized and sipped champagne on a raised set, smiling eagerly for photographers and re-enacting the Elie Tahari lifestyle.

The line itself revolved around deep jewel tones of red, purple, pink and blue, sometimes paired in a single monochromatic look, other times mixed together to create a luscious vision of color-blocking. The pieces were Elie Tahari at his most luxurious to date: a navy fitted croc-embossed jacket; fur cuffs, collars and stoles in every hue; a charmeuse kimono-inspired blouse. The collection was beautiful, feminine and stylish but also wearable - a rarity at fashion week. You could also find those signature Elie Tahari career dresses, blazers and trousers, injected here with newnewss through an updated sleeve detail or mixed media. In other words, it was Elie, it was fresh and it was exciting. And after all, fashion is nothing, if it does not offer up something new.

Truth be told - Elie Tahari is back.