The front row wedged tight with actresses, heiresses, princesses, and the Dellal women immediately had the antennae twitching. What has Daniella Helayel been doing to snare such a constituency? One thing was immediately obvious: She hasn t been making too many demands on them. The Issa show offered a random grab bag of easy, fluid shapes in light, floating fabrics. The parade of girlishly sweet white dresses at the finale were Helayel s "lucky" dresses—her best-sellers—and they looked prepped for partying on Copacabana come New Year s Eve. That s what Issa is all about—feel-good clothes for the live-fast set.
A broderie anglaise smock top, a royal-blue peasant dress, or a poufy-sleeved chiffon gown with an elasticated neckline somehow suggested something Zorro s gal pal might wear. Issa s roots are, after all, Latin. But Helayel also laid on an international gloss: a white halter-neck jumpsuit, a silver silk skirt with a banded knit top in the same shade. And was that the skort beloved of Marc Jacobs? As Helayel made her way down the runway at the show s end, the Issalites cheered. The secret of her success may simply be that she lives their life, knows their needs—and that s a business right there.
