By Walter Greene

New York's premier female designer of color TRACY REESE was beaming at
her collection on Sunday afternoon. Not only did Tracy showed her most
amazing collection to date, but she was riding high off of her
endorsement from the First Lady of the United States of America
Michelle Obama, who wore Tracy's creation for her speech at the recent
Democratic National Convention. This is not the first time Mrs Obama
chose a Tracy Reese dress, but it was the significance and impact of
the convention, paired with the timing of New York Fashion Week and the
state of the young designer's business that fueled the positive
feedback of the situation.

"We did not know she was going to wear it until she stepped out," said
Tracy backstage after her show on Sunday. She said that her company's
website was about to crash. The dress; a simply cut silk jacquard,
sleeveless number, was cut close to the torso then flared gently into
a `below the knees skirt.' It featured a baroque pattern in an hombre
feeling of hot pink, rust and copper. Tracy said that the dress
accentuated the amazing figure of the First Lady as well as showed off
her beauty and strength. Earlier, the designer told Women's Wear Daily
that when she got the request to created something for the First Lady
to wear at the convention; "We did our best to come up with something
that fit the occasion."

Tracy expressed that seeing Mrs Obama in her creation was one of the best experiences of her life. "She looks amazing in our things and in everybody else's things for that matter." Apart from the First Lady, Tracy Reese has dressed several celebrities including: Beyonce, Vanessa Minnillo, Alicia Keys, Eva Longoria, Vanessa Hudgins, Kim Kardashian and Aisha Tyler. The Tracy Reese brand has expanded with her signature label, a bridge label and off shoots ranging from shoes and handbags to nail polish and hosiery. Tracy Reese has a showroom in New York's garment district and a store in the meat packing district - downtown Manhattan. Her clothes are also available in Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Scoop and Anthropologie.

CAPTION
1.First Lady Michelle Obama wears local designer Tracy Reese at the
Democratic Convention.

2. Tracy Reese