HIGH SOCIETY

Art is found in many forms. For Terri and Cassandra Rosenthal, the mother-daughter duo behind Carasan Designs, art takes the shape of form-fitting knits and sleek-designed silks suited for the bold, urbane sophisticate. Their creations are stunningly vibrant, with colors borrowed from Impressionists' palettes and often inspired from the rich cultural heritage of faraway lands. Carasan is in short, wearable art pieces for the cultural connoisseur.

The refined line is mainly dominated by one-of-a-kind handmade knits. But if your imagination trails off to grandma's knitted mittens and other typical crocheted-creations, you would be sadly mistaken, (even though it was in fact Terri's grandmother that passed down the haute couture le gène). The story of the Carasan seed starts off a bit like a Charles Perrault fairytale. At the turn of the 20th century, it was Terri's grandmother who designed inaugural gowns for high-end department stores, often inviting Parisian designers to the States to specially tailor their dresses for the most precious of occasions. When Terri's daughter, Cassandra was born, it was she who inspired her mother to bring the generations of design full circle. Together the two knitted and sewed a tale of distinguished design borne out of generations of couture-style quality.

From chunky collars to ruffled hemlines, the workmanship combines European tailoring with theatrical displays of artistry. Though it is the knits that often take center stage for the Carasan collection, it's the silks that captured the attention of this editorial. Carasan's natural, hand-dyed silk designs come in rich color creations and fairy-tale cuts that are fit for nymphs and naiads. The fluid forms glide gracefully along the curves of the body; they not only compliment a woman's figure, but accentuate all that is sexy, as if made for Venus de Milo herself. Windswept hemlines, typical to the ones seen in the Carasan knit collection, fall delicately along the wrists and ankles like hepatica petals. When wearing Carasan, I can't help but think of Gustave Courbet's famous quote, "The beautiful is in nature…Once it is found it belongs to art, or rather the artist who discovers it." If this is true, then it is Carasan that has uncovered the most sensuous form of art - one that is carried by the wearer like a second skin, a second soul.

The young Cassandra says that Carasan will never be for the mass market. "It's [very much] like buying art," she states. "Our line is for free-spirited and self-assured women who are youthful at any age and want to wear high quality, one-of-a-kind designs." Terri continues, "The Carasan line is one that transcends time. The Carasan woman is the soul of a Victorian socialite born into the body of an urban artist." Deciding to buy a timeless piece from the refined line is very much like buying a work of art. And when purchased, the way we carry it, the way we cherish it, is both a reflection and expression of the inner life of the artist that we keep deep within us.