Sometimes you get lucky and have one of those interviews that just makes your day - and that was exactly what happened the other day when I met LA-based Designer Robert Rodriguez and his business partner Nicola Guarna at Holt Renfrew.

We sat down, coffee in hand, to start the interview, and before long were all laughing and making plans for lunch! (yep, I could tell we were cut from the same cloth - no designer pun intended) It felt more like a social visit between friends than the typical first-meet Producer-Designer formalities.
As much fun as was had though, we did get some work done: After finishing his education at FIT in New York (where he received the Critics Award for Best Designer of the Year), he landed his dream position working for Christian Dior - when I asked him what he liked best about Dior, I got a quick and enthusiastic "EVERYTHING!". From past to present, Dior is his hands-down fave. Though, up there with Galliano, is Lanvin Designer, Alber Elbaz(and I think Nicola liked his bow-tie styles).

Courtesy of style.com

His love for Dior and the principles of Haute Couture are reflected in his designs, and has lead to a celebrity following that includes A-listers Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson and Nicole Kidman. We talked a little about the impact celebrities have on brand recognition, and this lead to the "Charlize Theron story." Several months ago she wore a Robert Rodriguez dress from this past spring's collection on David Letterman...

...and, as it turns out, Dave was quite a fan... he was, shall we say, quite taken by the dress (and I'm sure Charlize in it didn't hurt). Check it out.

After this appearance, they couldn't keep the dress in stock! A little celeb never hurts sales.
Anyway, we decided it was about time to hit the shopping floor and check out the clothes themselves...

So fall for Robert Rodriguez: some tweeds, some lace and bold colour - emerald green, and mustard yellow were the standouts.

Photos courtesy of www.robertrodriguez.com

And incase you're thinking things took a more serious tone when they got down to the business of showing the collection...

...um, not with these two. Excuse the blurry photo, but I couldn't get them to keep a straight face long enough to get a clean shot!

So, to sum it up, overall these are 2 fabulous guys, the Robert Rodriguez line has some great pieces worth checking out, and from what I was told Spring should have plenty of must-haves looks as well - maybe there'll be another Charlize dress in there.
... And finally, I leave you with some tips - something I'm going to try and do here on the blog when I get these chances to spend some quality time with designers...
- Don't be afraid to try something new
- Be eclectic, layer, and don't be afraid to wear colour - "colour is a beautiful thing"
- "Just be fabulous!" says Nicola (in a very faaaaabulous tone), oh and "do men wear bow ties in Toronto?"

Posted by KEREN