My top 5

I was recently asked to name my favorite designer. Now, I have a hard time with this question every time someone asks me because I simply have too many favorites. Therefore, I have decided to share my top five.\nThe number one choice for me is Ralph Lauren. His spring 2008 collection was one of the best I have seen in a long time. I enjoyed every outfit sent down the runway. Lauren never disappoints and is the epitome of American glamour. His fall 2008 collection was equally as satisfying. While every other designer was playing it safe for the fall season, Lauren decided to pull his collection off of slopes of Aspen, sending ski-inspired getups and gowns down the runway. I am always surprised and satisfied with Lauren.\nThe next two were hard to put in order. Both houses have been so influential that it would be unfair to name one over the other. So, it is a tie for number two with French houses Chanel and Dior. There is such history tied to each house, and so much change has occurred in the fashion world because of these two empires. Christian Dior brought back the dress after World War II with his New Look, while Coco Chanel was a trailblazer for modern “Sex and the City”-type women, making not only beautiful clothes, but also having the type of personal life of which most women only dream. Consequently, their current designers aren’t too bad either, with John Galliano continuing the history at Dior and Karl Lagerfeld keeping Chanel hip, classic and chic all at the same time.\nFilling in my fourth slot is the house of Versace. The family and fashion house has such an interesting and amazing story, plus, it has been so intriguing to watch the evolution of Donatella Versace’s designs in the past few years. After the Italian house’s inception in 1978, Gianni Versace built what can only be described as a fashion powerhouse, which he maintained until his murder in Miami in 1997. Since then, his sister Donatella has retained the position of creative director, making the Versace name synonymous with sexiness, power and luxury. The house’s signature evening gowns continually garner critical acclaim while still remaining works of art.\nThe fifth and final spot on my list goes to the one and only Marc Jacobs. Perhaps the most promising young designer of our time, rivaled only by Balenciaga’s Nicholas Ghesquière, Jacobs has taken Louis Vuitton from a luxury goods retailer to a true fashion contender. Jacobs manages to maintain Vuitton’s image and history while still incorporating his own perspective, a task at which he is outperformed only by Chanel’s Lagerfeld. Jacobs also has his own line, in which his own perspective is firmly planted, and continually starts trends and movements while remaining himself. \nFashion is fickle, but in the end, as with life, it all comes down to finding the one (or five) person (or people) who will never let you down. Stick with what you love and what works, and you will never be let down.