Thanks to everyone for the interesting to & fro on Michelle Obama’s wardrobe and Ikram Goldman. A number of people called this way of shopping with one boutique owner modern. It is certainly loyal, but women, whether they are homemakers with children or women with demanding careers, have been relying on specialty stores and personal shoppers for years. Alex A, I appreciate your account from Chicago. Most of us who follow fashion have had the good fortunate to know a lot of savvy retailers. Off the top of my head: Hattie Belkin, Linda Dresner and Lynn Portnoy from Detroit; the late Lynn Manulis of Martha; Ron Herman in L.A. and the super-smart Nina Garduno; Katy and Matthew Culmo in Austin, and of course Marilyn Blaszka and Dominic Marcheschi at Blake in Chicago.

Last night, I’m sure a few memories were made on W. 25th Street. The wind was blowing hard, the cars and taxis were double-parked, and people were streaming in and out of the galleries for the Thursday-night openings. Prabal Gurung, a former assistant at Bill Blass, presented his first collection, at the Flag Art Foundation. The place was jammed. Twenty models stood on a platform in Gurung’s elegant-looking cocktail dresses, boxy cashmere jackets, and silk faille tuxedos. His muse is clearly Saint Laurent. But alright: Gurung, a native of Nepal, keeps the attitude young and he knows about things like proportion and finishing. One of the top looks was a loose, tiered halter dress in silk chiffon embroidered all over in black beads. The shapely halter neck of the dress played against the open back.