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Interview: Luca Luca Brings Us a Modern-Day Power Girl Fairy Tale

By Fawnia Soo Hoo

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

  • Don't tell PETA, but this olive leather fox trimmed cape on the left is divine.
  • NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 10: A model walks the runway at the Luca Luca Fall 2011 fashion show during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2011 Official Coverage at Lincoln Center on February 10, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Imag
  • NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 10: A model walks the runway at the Luca Luca Fall 2011 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Stage at Lincoln Center on February 10, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for IMG)
  • NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 10: A model walks the runway at the Luca Luca Fall 2011 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Stage at Lincoln Center on February 10, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for IMG)
  • NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 10: A model walks the runway at the Luca Luca Fall 2011 fashion show during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2011 Official Coverage at Lincoln Center on February 10, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Image
  • NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 10: A model walks the runway at the Luca Luca Fall 2011 fashion show during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2011 Official Coverage at Lincoln Center on February 10, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Image
  • Luca Luca creative director Raul Melgoza, right before the show
  • NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 10: Model Irina Pantaeva attends the Luca Luca Fall 2011 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Stage at Lincoln Center on February 10, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for IMG)
  • The original supermodel Carol Alt
  • Tinsley Mortimer in Luca Luca and black tights

"I created this woman who was whimsical—that was running through the woods—but still very true to the Luca Luca woman who's still strong, who's still feminine, but at the same time confident and adventurous," explains Luca Luca creative director Raul Melgoza in describing the inspiration behind his upcoming woodsy and equestrian-inspired Fall/Winter 2011 collection.

That sounded like a bold autumnal fairy tale to us and judging from the 31 looks on the runway, it definitely was a power girl wonderland. We couldn't help thinking that Little Red Riding Hood went to college, started a successful media career and along the way, ate the Big Bad Wolf and turned the rest of him into a modern leather and fur-trimmed cape, a plush boxy coat (with fuschia riding pants, no less) and fluffy silver tufts to embellish a sexy pewter lace cocktail dress. This Red also hits the party circuit in a bold and fitted fuschia wool jersey dress and, for formal occasions, a modern Maid Marian-esque deep yellow-hued evening gown with leaf embroidery and and black chiffon overlay. She'll save the jacquard utility belt (don't call it a fanny pack) and suede pants for the weekends.

Celeb sightings in the front row included reality TV star and socialite Tinsley Mortimer, original supermodels Carol Alt and Irina Pantaeva and Petra Nemcova, who the paps could not get enough of. Plus, backstage, makeup artist Gucci Westman was a celebrity in her own right, giving media interviews while touching up the models.

We have to admit that we were a tad disappointed that there was nary a Real Housewife in sight, unlike last season when Sonja Tremont-Morgan regaled us with her tales. In tribute, we asked Raul if he has any guilty TV watching pleasures. "I guess I do watch American Idol," the designer sheepishly admitted. "Especially now with the new judges just to see how they interact and if they're interesting to watch and I think that they're doing a great job." So how about J. Lo in some Luca Luca? "Fantastic, Raul concurred. "She's a Latin woman, so there we go."
· Catching Up With a Real Housewife of NYC at the Luca Luca Show [RNA]
· All Fashion Week Coverage [Racked]
· Luca Luca [Official Site]

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