Raika D.: Taking New York By Storm
By Heide Winkenwerder & Tom Massey
Photos by Javier Mateo

NEW YORK, Feb 7, 2004/ FW/ --- The line for the Raika D. show was long. Word had gotten out that Nicky Hilton, the younger daughter of Rick & Kathy Hilton of the famed hotel chain will be at the show.

Backstage, security was tight, again, because of Nicky Hilton and her parents, who were also backstage for moral support for their daughter.

When the older Hiltons came to the front of the house, there was paparazzi mayhem, as photographers scrambled to get photos of the famous couple.

Sitting just a few seats away from where the Hiltons sat, the crowd of photographers, taken, as a group looked the surf at Hawaii’s North Shore – coming in like triple waves as they shoot photos.

Security waited patiently until the last shot was taken, and then as a signal that the show was about to start, the house lights dimmed.

When the spotlights came on, Nicky Hilton was the first model on the runway. Wearing a black gabardine mini skirt, with lace inserts on the asymmetrical sheer top. With shades of blue and black, lace and other rhinestone details, the young heiress looked innocent and sweet.

And what followed literally took the runway by storm, like the title of her collection, “Eye of The Storm.”

Raika D’s use of rhinestones on sweaters with fur trim, the corduroy mini skirt with lace trim worn with a blazer with rhinestones, or the violet lace tiered mini skirt with cap-sleeved mohair skirt, the midnight blue lace rhinestone dress and fur-trimmed zip up cardigan or the midnight blue corduroy pants with fur trim rhinestone blazer are reminiscent of the Age of Renaissance, the golden age of art in Europe.

And there are the black gabardine pants, midnight blue cashmere sweater and chunky mohair shrug with crystals, which will surely be hits this coming fall for the young or young-at-heart with an edgy side.

Sexy, alluring, the collection is about femininity and a woman’s vigor and zest for life. All 46 exits personifies Raika D’s definition of luxury.

Closing the show, Nicky Hilton wore an iridescent blue embroidered taffeta fishtail gown making her look like exactly who and what she is – a young debutante ready to enter society.

Raika D.

Raika D.

Raika D.

Raika D.