Most baby boomers recall the elegant red Adolfo dress Nancy Reagan wore to her husband's first inauguration. Four years later at Reagan's second inauguration, Nancy wore a blue Adolfo creation.  Today, the red dress is displayed at the Reagan Library in California and blue dress, at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.  Having these dresses forever preserved in history reinforces Adolfo's status as a fashion icon.

While the Adolfo name still conjures an image of the couture apparel that launched his business in 1962 when he catered to a high-profile society clientele including Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis, Nancy Reagan, and Betsy Bloomingdale, his current, more moderately priced designs continue to enthrall today's woman. "Adolfo fills a niche in the marketplace for affordable brand name product with elements that meet a couture taste level, " states Paul Wattenberg, managing director of Adolfo's licensing group. Adolfo himself says that he doesn't  necessarily design to meet the hottest trends. With accessories in particular, he explains, "The fashion pendulum swings from one end to the other, but my design s continue to be classic---with injections of

fashion-forward details where appropriate." Handbags and small leathergoods licensed by Swoboda International feature classic Adolfo styling enhanced with discriminate fashion details. For Spring 2001, the best-booking styles are in soft pastels and a selection of materials including straw, raffia, nylon and microfiber.

As for the embellishments, "Spring's designs are all about being ladylike and pretty," says Adolfo. "For example, instead of beads and embroidery, we're showing flowers on straw handbags with fringe detail. Confetti is a tweed-like group I'm especially partial to. It's made in straw but looks like chenille."  In scarves, also licensed through Swoboda, styles revolved around watercolor floral and classic status prints. Made in Italy, the hand-rolled and hemmed silks have a high-end look but are affordable at $12 wholesale. Similarly, the handbags provide affordable fashion at wholesale from $14 to $16.