Rachel Antonoff’s little black shift with lace back….BRING IN THE MODEL!

When faced with the weather forecast and dozens of fashionistas headed to Art Basel in Miami this week, pals all around town told me, “Rachel Antonoff!” She’s being touted as a new designer “it girl.”  With 82 F/ 28 C staring me in the face, Miami calls for little cocktail dresses, but this bird’s success remains an anomaly. WHY?

Yes, she ravages thrift stores for old lace finds. She loves ballet (to her credit) but then gives inane explanations like, “I love a girl who has to wear a costume to work and ballet dancers wear costumes to work.” Yeah, hon, they also spend seven hours a day in sweaty, smelly leotards too, working the body, the instrument, which brings me to my next point.  Antonoff — who has sold her often mini ruffled skirts and dresses at Barneys for $250-$500 a pop– sometimes scores with a tapered black lace number that served as the centerpiece of her latest collection. She also created a rather nice white shift modeled by Sudanese beauty, Alek Wek (**Wek, who stands six tall, is an odd choice for waif-like dance inspired looks). Most of the time, Antonoff drapes her clothes on ordinary, slumpy girls. They look more like your nanny or worse, pub lasses. As much as I’d like to give Antonoff props for hiring her friends for her look books, I’d bet some catalogue models out there would jump for the chance to pout in her little numbers. The dresses are cute, but unlike ballet, the fantasy’s just not there. KATE MOSS NEEDED!