EXCLUSIVE: Kimberley Newport-Mimran Brings Pink Tartan To Fashion Week

It's been nine years since Niagara Falls native Kimberley Newport-Mimran founded her fashion label, Pink Tartan. After gaining acclaim for her line of sophisticated womenswear and starring as a guest judge on Project Runway Canada, Newport-Mimran made her Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week debut on Saturday. For her spring 2012 preview, she brought a taste of the French Riviera to Lincoln Center.

"I always like to start with the girl for the season that we build the show around," Newport-Mimran said. "And the girl is sort of a modern-day Brigitte Bardot this season. I like her, sort of a little bit sexy and very France, French Riviera, 1960s influence going on." Newport-Mimran does this with her collection of lycra knits, sexy shirt dresses and splashes of turqoise that give an easygoing yet refined appeal.

"This collection’s really about effortless chic too. It’s this girl that, you know, is in the Riviera area: she’s chic, so she gets dressed but she’s still got that little bit of casual edge to her. And she has a glass of rosé with her delicious little lunch, sitting by the sea somewhere," Newport-Mimran said. "And I think that when you get that in your mind, as to sort of building the character and building the collection so she’s really exquisitely styled, it’s really about sportswear."

Newport-Mimran's design background is in denim and menswear. Before starting her own label, the 43-year-old mother worked for Club Monaco and Caban. There she learned executing a perfect fit. "I like a nice juxtaposition between masculine and feminine dressing, so you’ll always see an element in whatever I do," Newport-Mimran said. "Whether it’s a shirt and it’s a little bit tailored, but it still has a sexy cut — that sort of wear is the brand, the direction of the brand."

Club Monaco is also where she met her husband, the company's CEO and Canadian fashion powerhouse, Joe Mimran. Now, he also works on the business end of Newport-Mimran's label. "We’re really separate but we’re a really close couple," Newport-Mimran said. "He’s got a wonderful eye and I always bounce ideas off Joe."

While the busy designer prefers to let the clothes speak for themselves, she did say she liked that the atmosphere would match the mood of the line and the woman wearing it. "My niche is designing from day to dinner, and clothes that you can travel with and clothes that you pack and clothes for everyday life that are put together in a sophisticated way."

As for last minute preparations, a hectic schedule and a quick turnaraound before she has to get the line ready for market, Newport-Mimran is busy. "I’m feeling it," the designer said. "I’ve got a sweaty brow, I’m telling you."