So Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week went and saved the best for last!

After a week-long fashion marathon of designers showing their prowess at one-upping each other for the most inventive and wearable Fall ‘09 line out there, I saw the most wonderful show of the season. Wonderful because the Ports 1961 collection offers something for every woman — from structured coats for the more grown-up ladies, to deconstructed, mix-it-yourself basics worthy of the young and hippest and even to ballgowns and golden dresses worthy of Slumdog Millionaire cutie Freida Pinto on Oscar night. Wonderful because the warmth and passion of the line-builder at the helm of Ports 1961, Tia Cibani, infused the presentation and transformed the otherwise sterile environment of the Promenade at Bryant Park into a midnight party at a fantasy palace in Mughal India, complete with live music, exotic-looking models and spectacular clothes.

The show was truly the biggest treat of Fall ‘09 Fashion Week, to those few lucky enough to have witnessed it first hand. Every single look that was shown on the runway was quite simply phenomenal, complete with beautifully sexy hair by Aveda Academy and perfectly sensual eyes with soft, pouty lips by MAC’s Pro Team. While each piece would have been impeccable on its own, the accessories — such as two-tone suede pumps, jeweled long suede gloves and luscious carpet bags — made the outfits look finished and wearable from the runway straight to the streets, or that special event, without having to miss a beat! Oh and that splendid, exotic dhol beat was provided by Red Baraat Festival! playing a medley of Indian cinema favourites.

Before the show, I had an opportunity to catch up with the attractive Ms. Cibani, a truly global soul of Italian heritage, born in North Africa, brought up in Canada, who moved to NYC just a couple of years ago from China, where she lived and worked for many years. Her history and background are as interesting as her collections, always journeying back to the idea that this world of ours may be large in size, but it is invariably and unquestionably interconnected. She has described the Ports 1961 line as a ‘luxury brand within a global village’ and dedicates each collection to a different spot on earth, with this season’s theme globe-trotting back to regal Mughal India and the legendary empress Nur Jahan.

CHIC TODAY: You are way ahead of the times — and right on the times — with Slumdog Millionaire mania sweeping the world. What inspired you to take your Fall ‘09 collection to the Mughal Courts of India?

TIA CIBANI: At the time when we were considering the new collection and what we could be inspired by, it was when the economic crisis first hit. So we felt rather than do something sober and somber we really would rather do the opposite, stay joyous and celebratory — do something colourful and rich. I think India for a Fall/Winter theme is probably unpredictable and I like it for that reason. I would not have done it for a Spring/Summer theme, since it’s more expected then. It was all really timely, since my chief designer is from India and she was key in developing the collection along with me. We both just zeroed in on a special time in India when the arts, the architecture, the food, the gardens, the perfume-making were all at their height. And we ended up being one another’s muse.

CT: You dress some of the most stylish women in the world, such as Debra Messing, Sienna Miller and Lucy Sykes. Who represents elegance to you?

TC: I think Lucy is lovely. She’s a mother of two, she’s a career woman, she has a handsome husband and they get along fabulously. To me, she’s perfect. She’s a Brit who lives in NYC, she’s very global and I would say Lucy is the ideal woman. Because she’s also very real, she has a real life and all the struggles of what we go through every day. Sometimes, a woman who may be a ’stage presence’ actress may not convey those struggles as openly… But Lucy is my friend, I know her on a personal level, I see her as the stylish woman, I see her as a muse and as an inspiration. And of course, my sister Fiona, she too is an elegant woman, always an inspiration. I take from many of the women around me, like the president of our company, Jacqui Wenzel, I adore her and she’s another layer of that same woman that I would like to represent. I think it’s many women in one, in the end.

CT: Now you have a store in Los Angeles, as well as one in the Meatpacking District in NYC. Which is your favourite city?

TC: Actually, my favourite city on earth is New York. No doubt about that! LA is lovely and I love to visit. I am getting to know it better, while we were building the store as well as building our recognition there, it grew on me more and more. In the beginning, I thought it was all about Hollywood and glitter and glamour. But I found an earthiness to LA that is under the radar and found it very charming to be around. But New York is definitely my absolute favourite. I am really thrilled to have our two stores in the two cities because LA and NYC are truly made up of the taste makers and influencers of this country and I always think that if we can win them over, the rest will soon follow.

Top image courtesy of Style.com © Marcio Madeira