Who is Norma Kamali?

Years and years ago, I bought a pair of sunglasses. I remember picking them out of a whole counter full of other sunglasses, and while handing them to me, the sales lady added with a serious tone:

"These are Norma Kamali, you know?"

I took the sunglasses from her, smiled and put them on, and while looking in the mirror I had two contrasting thoughts going on at the same time in my head:

The first one would say: "Wow, these are Norma Kamali sunglasses!", while the second one would respond: "Norma who???"

Long story short, I bought the sunglasses.

Now, this was a time when Google wasn't around yet, so I couldn't readily Google "Norma Kamali", and for many years I just had this idea that I owned these very special sunglasses made by this mysterious yet so very important designer I had never heard of.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Norma was a nobody. All I am saying is that I had just arrived to the US, and I mostly knew Italian designers back then, and maybe Calvin Klein and Donna Karan.

Fast forward 20 years. Now I know Norma!

And there is something about her that is different, that sets her apart from the other designers, even if I can't quite put my finger on what it is.

Could it be the overall sexyness of all her collections?

I think that even if we don't see much NK around, every time there is a need for a sexy outfit (especially if it's a bathing suit), everyone knows to call her (sometimes I feel like there is a much more wicked side to Norma that she is almost afraid to show):

Madonna has worn Norma Kamali numerous times.

Jennifer Lopez picked Norma Kamali 

when she had to shoot her sexiest video ever

Rihanna wears Norma Kamali for breakfast...

...because she can!

Let's just say that if I suddenly became rich and famous, and I could sing, and I had a killer body... and I had to make a music video with other hot people and if there was going to be a lot of hotness thrown around, you could bet all your money that my stylist would choose Norma Kamali at least for a couple of different outfits.

Another thing that is different about Norma is that she really exists and seems very much involved with her brand. I mean, think about it...

Calvin Klein is not really involved with his brand anymore. Moschino, Gucci, Versace and YSL are all dead and a million other people have been designing these collections now. But not Norma. She is still at the head of her company and it looks like she behind every new turn the brand takes.

From the "Shop Like a Celebrity" idea, where you can try before you buy (meaning they will ship you the item and you don't have to pay unless you decide to keep it), to the ALL IN ONE dress:

Norma never stops thinking ahead, this is a lady that doesn't sit still for one moment, and is always looking for the next best thing. 

Her age and beauty are also fascinating factors. At the time of this writing, she is around 67 years old and looks like this:

My mom is about the same age, and I can tell you that she doesn't look this young. And if we can't compare Norma to my mom because it wouldn't be fair to my mom, let's compare Norma to another big fashion designer who is actually a year younger than Norma:

Diane! Too. Much. Sun. 

Norma looks so good that I'm almost tempted to visit her Wellness Cafe and see if I have the courage to try out some of her products...

In any case, I still own those sunglasses, and even if I now know who Norma is, I still feel just as special when I wear them (and they are much easier to pull off than Rihanna's bathing suit).  ;)