Deciphering the runway collections shown during New York Fashion Week requires understanding (and appreciating) just how carefully most high-end designers cater to their clients: they know their tastes, their lifestyles and their wardrobe needs, and provide them with stylized reinterpretations of tried-and-true, familiar classics. Naeem Khan certainly fits into this category, and that’s not meant in a negative way. His gorgeous clothes are made for social women like my friends Michele Herbert and Francine LeFrak, who consider Naeem a “go-to” designer and, as a result, always look fabulous!

And as you might expect, I’ve run into Naeem in many of the same places his clients frequent: in Palm Beach (at Larry Herbert’s swish 80th birthday party); all around New York (attending various charity events); and once, at the Beverly Hills Hotel, with Bergdorf Goodman’s Linda Fargo (he’d been asked to design a wedding dress for the fiancée of a big Hollywood mogul). The man certainly knows where his customers are, and what they’re doing!

Susan heads backstage after Naeem Khan’s show

There were plenty of hits (and a few misses) in this collection, but there were also some real show stoppers, including a gold-beige gown (perfect for gala events); another gown with black paillettes that glistened as the model glided down the runway; and a very pretty, transparent “tee shirt” with velvet polka dots (which I’d probably pair with something other than the long black skirt shown with it). But my favorite look in the défilé was a greige felt cape with tribal appliqués. This piece seemed so versatile–you could quickly dress it up or down–and it struck me as a fab addition to any stylish woman’s wardrobe. Naeem Khan is all about glamour, even for day. That’s an idea I appreciate!

Photographs by Stéphane Israël