Donna Karan Icons -- Did you make the list?

Donna Karan has recently launched a collection called Icons, made up of some of the greatest hits from Donna's earliest days reworked slightly for today. For those of you who might not remember, Donna's early fame came from what she called "7 easy pieces," a wardrobe to take working women from day through night. Many of those working women have since had to go elsewhere for the day bit as Donna's collections strayed further and further towards fashion and away from practical clothes. This pre-collection is a permanent addition to the collection and a smart move, though I do wonder what took her so long to get back in touch with her loyal fans. To make up for lost time, Donna sent a box containing pictures of the collection to 100 of the most powerful business women women in New York, London and Los Angeles earlier this month. Also enclosed was a letter from Donna inviting women to make an appointment with a personal shopper at one of their boutiques. And a giant white Orchid, just to make sure it didn't go unnoticed. Of course I was most curious to know who made the cut. Condoleeza Rice is out I guess as she's Washington, DC based. Although Oprah was in, and she's based in Chicago. In LA it was the list of usual movie execs, the Sherry Lansings of the world. Apparently, the working women of the world harbor no hard feelings. The collection has had 40 percent sell-throughs (percentage of amount shipped that actually sells at full-price) and "Saks and Neimans are screaming for more," said Patti Cohen, Donna's right hand woman. It is a lesson more designers should heed. There's a time and a place for fashion, but there's a continual need for clothes. □