t was the wedding dress heard and talked about around the world. On September 21, 1996, when Carolyn Bessette Kennedy stepped out of that rustic church on the arm of John F. Kennedy Jr., it wasn't just the famous man on her arm that women were drooling over--it was that wedding dress. It was a white silk dress that was simple, elegant, classy, and unbelievably sexy. Sexy! A wedding dress? That was the part people couldn't get over. While most women end up looking like an over-frosted cupcake on their wedding day, Carolyn Besette Kennedy had accomplished what most considered impossible. She made herself look like both a princess and a temptress at the same time. And that look was created by none other than one of her best friends, Narciso Rodriguez.

That was almost a decade ago when Narciso (pronounced NAR-CEE-SO) was working at Calvin Klein where he and Carolyn became fast friends. Once word got out who had designed the dress, suddenly everyone wanted him and LVMH had him. It was considered a dream come true for a designer to work for such a prominent house as LMVH, and Narciso believed that he had arrived, but he also found himself living out of suitcases and at such a pace that he never had time for family or friends, and rarely knew what hotel he was staying at.

Narciso pressed on though, encouraged by the idea that he had finally "made it." Working for a large company does not always encourage independant thinking, however, and soon Narciso discovered what every designer fears--he no longer loved his work.

It couldn't have been more of a turning point and then the worst happened: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was killed in a plane accident and Narciso lost a very dear friend. When interviewed by InStyle Magazine (April 2005) Narciso said that the death of Carolyn was "a life-altering reality check." Suddenly life without friends, family and a love of his work didn't seem like such a great opportunity anymore. Narciso left LVMH and came home. Many deemed him foolish for the move, but his life experiences, both tragic and happy, had taught Narciso to follow his instincts, and those instincts lead him to create own design collection.

Those instincts served him well and women's fashion is the better for it. Instead of working for a committee, Narciso works for himself and is able to completely focus on his own line of clothing. He has perfected the look of women. Instead of dresses made for matchsticks, Narciso designs knowing that real women have curves and a bustline. He has said that his designs are "Latin" in style because Latin women have figures and are proud of that fact.