Plenty by Tracy Reese

Plenty

Now that everyone from Alicia Silverstone to Jennifer Lopez has been photographed in her clothes, young women can't get enough of Reese's flirtatious feminine chic. Last year, her line racked up $13 million in sales, a 25% increase from the year before. "It's been kind of hard-core lately," the 40-year-old says with a laugh.

In person, Reese is the anti-fashionista: She's fabulously put together, but it seems effortless. She clearly loves fashion, but what she talks excitedly about are her passions for vintage stores and flea markets, museums and architecture. What really strikes you is her enthusiasm. Her huge appetite for life is a good thing, especially now that her business is growing so fast. "When you have this kind of opportunity, you have to go for it," Reese says. "It's hard for me to just sit back. I'm all in it."

"All in it" means a range of things, from continuing to cater to her celebrity clientele to launching a fragrance and a collection of Indian-style silk pillows, blankets and linens. Reese, who also designs a funkier, lower-priced line called Plenty, is more than just a passing trend. "Her clothes are wearable and pretty, and it's what people want," says Andrea Linett, creative director of Lucky magazine. "She's the sleeper hit of the season."

Part of Reese's appeal is that her clothes are designed to make the average woman's body more attractive. In the world of fashion, where a size 8 is deemed "large," Reese's designs are more than just fashion; they are sartorial salvation, both accenting a woman's curves and hiding the parts that are bulky. Skirts are hemmed at a modest length, because, Reese says, "I have chubby knees." She wants women to try on her outfits and feel beautiful, not like they need to go on a crash diet.

In her show this week, Reese's line will focus much more on silhouette, although the vibrant prints and colors she's known for -- shocking pinks, electric oranges, and greens and blues as deep as the ocean -- will remain the driving force. "I think a woman's clothes should have a little feminine detail: a ruffle here, a curve there," Reese says. "So the clothes are going to be flirty."