“It truly all started with Barbie,” says clothing designer Leigh DeLeonardo, “pointy boobs, high-heeled feet and all. I have a whole suitcase full of things I designed for my Barbie.” Today, when DeLeonardo sits down to sketch a new pattern, the only trace left of Barbie’s influence is her femininity. “I think in terms of body enhancing and celebrating the female figure. There is no such thing as a figure problem–we’re just all different.”
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In the late 70s, DeLeonardo left her hometown of Vienna, Illinois, to study fashion design at the School of the Art Institute. There she developed a lust for research. “I used to spend hours at the library poring over old Vogues and French magazines from the turn of the century on up.” These fashions made a great impression on DeLeonardo, who had come from a small town where, she says, “polyester was all the rage.”
It was the early 80s, when professional women were coming in droves to buy the “power suit.” “I’d be helping these women buy these suits that looked horrible on them–men’s suits, made by menswear manufacturers–they just turned the pants into skirts.”
Many of DeLeonardo’s garments have a retro look but are more streamlined and understated. She prefers neutral and somber colors and uses imported linens and rayon. Her signature tunic dress has three-quarter-length sleeves and opens loosely at the waist in tiny pleats. It can be worn as a dress or casually over leggings. Most of her suit jackets are based on the 40s-style silhouette that emphasized the shoulders and trimmed down the hips, using padding and sometimes corsets to create a V-shaped figure. Using the same basic design, DeLeonardo removed the pads and changed the cut so that the jacket is less restrictive. “We don’t need padding,” asserts DeLeonardo. “Our bodies are fine as they are.” She doesn’t care for jewelry, instead accessorizing the tips of collars with a single antique button or a tassel.
