RACHEL ZOE RESORT 2012

RACHEL ZOE RESORT 2012

Resort is Rachel Zoe's second collection for her namesake label, but a sophomore slump wasn't an option for this very determined stylist-turned-designer, TV personality, and first-time mom. "With Fall, a lot of what I was doing was staying in my comfort zone," she says. "Here, I'm playing with color, playing with prints, playing with proportion a little bit." The seventies-ish silhouettes Zoe has long been personally associated with—elongated trouser suits, glam belted caftans—are back, but this time in purple and peacock blue. Abstract animal prints also liven up sundresses.

Zoe is a big believer in the maxi skirt; hers come with a substantial slit. "It's not dowdy, but it's not overtly sexy either," she explains. And in camel, paired with an off-white openwork tank sweater and a tan leather jacket, it has a serious cool factor. Ruffled cocktail frocks, on the other hand, have a coyer sensibility, even at thigh-baring lengths. If it's not easy to picture Zoe herself in a flouncy strapless number in shocking pink, there's little doubt it'll find a home with one of her many fans. This multitasking entrepreneur seems quite at ease stepping outside her comfort zone.