I think the "designers you don't get poll" is fantastic so I thought I would do a spinoff. This may have already been done.
The designer I love is Nanette Lepore. I don't own any of her clothing because I could only afford maybe a couple of pieces a year which would take my entire shopping budget for the year. But I do love to look at her stuff on NM and nordstrom. It is dreamy.
i'm a bit of an anglophile, i love luella, phoebe (philo), and am starting to fall more for stella -- her earlier stuff didn't under her own line didn't do much for me, but i really think she's grown and matured. i also love orla kiely stuff. i think my obsession with the brits stems from the fact that they make great clothes that aren't overly cutesy or fussy. i also like development (philip lim) stuff. other than that i focus more on brands than specific designers, and usually fixate on certain ones each season.
Armani...and Dolce & Gabbana. I don't own any of it, and am not likely to, but the Italians know how to fit me, and IMO their clothing is just SO beautiful.
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"Good taste shouldn't have to cost anything extra." - Mickey Drexler
The only one that stands out in my mind is Tracy Reese - I ALWAYS love her stuff. I'll see something & think "I want that" and then see it's hers...I have never seen anything that I didn't like well, not in mags or whatever. I'm sure if I dug I could find something ugly.
Other than that, I can't afford the designer stuff so I try not to focus on it too much...
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Who do you have to probe around here to get a Chardonnay? - Roger the Alien from American Dad