Photo by Miguel Medina /AFP/Getty Images
While belts and brooches are often the central focus of the first lady's accessories, we've seen Mrs. O employ equal savvy in experimenting with a wider range of style accoutrements as well. One such example is the distinctive violet and green print scarf that Mrs. O wore as she toured the Eiffel Tower with her daughters last summer. The scarf later proved to be the work of New York-based label Prova, which, in turn, added an exciting, up-and-coming name to the first lady's ever-expanding fashion repertoire.
Prova, which translates to "to try" in Greek, was started by Irini Arakas in 2005, and first focused exclusively on jewelry. Before starting her design venture, Ms. Arakas worked at Vogue as a fashion writer and editor for seven years. When Ms. Arakas launched Prova in May 2005, the line began immediately selling out at esteemed stores such as Barneys and Kirna Zabete in New York, and Ikram in Chicago. In Fall 2008, Ms. Arakas expanded with the launch of the Prova scarf collection, featuring scarves crafted from vintage and limited-edition silks and beaded glass fringe.
In recent months, Prova has been riding a wave of concurrent successes. Sally Singer named Prova scarves a favorite holiday item in the December issue of Vogue, the New York Times prominently featured Prova in a story titled "Statement Scarves", and to start the year, Ms. Arakas received a Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation award for accessories design.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to catch-up with Ms. Arakas as she was putting the finishing touches on her Prova Fall 2010 collection.
MT: You recently won an Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation award for accessories design. Congratulations! What was your reaction? What does the award mean to you?
IA: First shock, and then excitement quickly followed.
It’s such a great award to win because it provides emerging designers an opportunity to showcase their wares to a much larger audience. It provides us with a tremendous amount of positive exposure, and also to have your work recognized by such an influential and esteemed panel of judges is ace! Marylou Luther is one of the judges and is, in my eyes, a fashion god. I was a fashion writer for many years, so I just bow down to her.
MT: Please tell us a bit about the inspiration for your upcoming Fall 2010 collection.
IA: The inspiration comes from so many different sources. I was really into Buckminster Fuller a handful of months ago, and I think the mid-century glitter balls I use in my necklaces look like mini geodesic domes. All the scarves I design are always print and color driven. I have this wonderful doodle print for fall that reminds me of one of my favorite Creative Growth artists. His name is Dan Miller.
MT: And will you give a few more hints of what we should expect to see?
IA: Star mobile earrings, brass howling monkeys, Venetian hand-blown glass beads, white coral and black pyrite.
A sneak peek from the Prova Fall 2010 Collection
MT: I read (in Mark Holgate's piece for Vogue.com) that you designed your own prints this season. How was that?
IA: Printmaking is great fun because the possibilities are endless. I love the challenge of mixing prints and colors and getting it right. For me, printmaking is a lot like listening to music in that if something is out of key, you spot it immediately. That’s how I feel about patterned textiles. I can spot the Arethas a mile away, and I just tune out the other, less successful ones. I find it’s a lot easier to hand pick a great print than it is to make one by hand, but I love the challenge. This season I dipped a toe into the printmaking pool, and next spring I will probably make a bigger splash.
MT: Is there a common thread or synergy between your collections of scarves and jewelry? Or do you see them as quite distinct from one another?
IA: When it comes to designing scarves and jewelry, my approach is the same. For me it is always instinctual, and the minute it starts to feel forced, I stop and begin again. I just want to make things I am proud of, and that women feel like they have to have. There is a lot of fashion detritus in the world, so much stuff out there to consume. I try and focus on making very special and unique pieces that a woman will want to hold on to and wear for many years.
MT: What is happening behind-the-scenes in your last minute preparations this week?
IA: There is an Ecco Domani fashion show on February 15th at the tents at Bryant Park so I am casting and fitting models, and coordinating with a DJ to mix the music for the show. There are all these fun fringe elements that I never expected to be a part of! As an accessories designer, I never imagined showing my collection on a runway at Bryant Park. I am very excited.
MT: Is there a Fall 2010 Prova piece you would love to see in the first lady's wardrobe?
IA: I don’t want to give away too much but hopefully one day very soon I would love to see the first lady in a Prova dress.
Update: You can see more of the Prova Fall 2010 collection here.
Saturday, June 25, 2011 at 2:14 PM 
