Spotlight on Fashion Designer: Kay Unger

Meet designer Kay Unger, a New York-based designer, who has all the bases covered with her brands Kay Unger New York, and Phoebe Couture. Kay Unger has been creating beautiful designs since the age of 8, when she would cut up her parents’ bedspreads to make dresses (while they were asleep). Today, she uses sumptuous fabrics to create stunning designs that range from classic day wear to glamorous evening wear, and she has been featured in many publications.

After attending Ray-Vogue College of Design, Washington University, and later Parson’s the New School for Design, she apprenticed with Geoffrey Beene in the 1960′s. Shortly after that, she decided to develop her own line. And later, with business partners, she founded The Gillian Group, and sold her dresses under that label. When that venture ended, she started Kay Unger New York.

The Kay Unger New York line makes classic styles look sexy with eye-catching day and evening dresses and suits that have cap sleeves, cinched and bowed waists, and skirts that are short and sassy.

The Phoebe Couture line creates a little drama with its stylish and flirty dresses that have bare shoulders, frilly bottoms, or dramatic one shoulder designs for its evening wear collection.

So, whatever style you are looking for, it seems Kay Unger New York and Phoebe Couture has the dress for you.

Besides being the design guru for her two companies, Kay Unger is a mother, and cancer survivor who, while president of FGI, helped raise over $250,000 for cancer research. She is also a philanthropist. Kay was the first woman board member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and she is one of the founders of The Committee of 200, an organization that advances women’s leadership in business. And that’s not all, she is a current CFDA board member.

Some of Kay’s style mentors and elegant women she admires have been women with timeless style such as Jackie O and Audrey Hepburn. The designers she is inspired by are YSL, Dior, Valentino and Chanel. Her perfect celebrity to design for would be Kristen Davis (Charlotte) in Sex in the City.

Kay’s mission statement is: Respect our customer and make her feel fabulous by consistently making beautifully made feminine clothing.

When Kay was asked to describe her style and collection, she said, “The Kay Unger New York line is feminine, sophisticated and body conscious, and the Phoebe Couture label is fun, flirty and trendsetting.” In five years, Kay has plans to expand her brands to include a wider product assortment.

You may purchase her lines at Neiman Marcus, Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom. To view the Kay Unger New York and Phoebe Couture lines, visit her website http://www.kayunger.com. Keep up with Kay on Facebook and Twitter.

A. Finney is the founder and head designer at Andrea and Me and Me Too. Her firm designs funky women’s handbags, fashion jewelry, and home decor. Having worked in the legal industry for the past 20 years, she says her passion has always been to create beautiful accessories. She started her business in 1999, and in 2001 she won in the accessories design category at the Black Fashion Museum for her belts called Waist Accents. She uses a lot of vibrant colors to make statements with her accessories and art designs. Their motto is they make designs for women with “way too much attitude.” A. Finney can be reached at: www.andreaandmetoo.net

Photo credit: Orlando Behar.