above: Emilie Rubinfeld commands the room in true Carolina Herrera fashion—with elegance, grace and confidence.
EMILIE RUBINFELD embodies the Carolina Herrera brand—effortlessly elegant, glamorous and beyond chic. She is everything you’d expect the president of a global fashion house to be.
Rubinfeld has spent more than twenty-five years at the forefront of luxury fashion, building brand marketing and communications strategies for industry giants like Akris and Giorgio Armani. Today, as President of Carolina Herrera, she’s steering the storied New York fashion house into its next chapter—honoring its heritage while meeting the demands of a rapidly evolving marketplace.
Rubinfeld led the brand through a significant leadership transition when Herrera retired seven years ago, and designer Wes Gordon took over as creative director and designer. She has expanded the fashion house brand’s reach while ensuring it resonates with a new generation of luxury consumers—a balancing act that requires reverence for heritage and boldness in reimagining what a fashion house can be.
Even though she runs an international fashion house, Rubinfeld chose to raise her family in New Canaan. She grew up in the town with a father who worked in the city, so the commute was familiar to her: “I appreciate leaving New York City and an hour later pulling into an enclave that feels worlds away. Being near my parents and sister was important to me.”
We caught up with the New Canaan native ahead of New York City Fashion Week to talk glamour, personal style and her mission to make the world dress up just a little bit more.
How did you begin your career in fashion?
I went to New Canaan High School and then had a liberal arts education at the University of Michigan, but when I was younger all of my jobs were in retail. Growing up, I didn’t know that you could have a career in fashion if you weren’t an artist or a designer. I had an internship at Calvin Klein, and learned that a fashion business includes multiple departments, including public relations, marketing and sales. All those components affect the business, not just design and sketching.
How would you describe the Carolina Herrera brand?
Carolina Herrera is synonymous with elegance and bold femininity. The Carolina Herrera fashion house stands for beautiful clothes, and we do that today with unabashed confidence. Women want to feel elegant and beautiful, and there’s a draw more than ever to dress up and wear nice clothes. A telling moment occurred during the Covid pandemic, when there was a lot of noise suggesting we consider a casualization of the collection. Would women ever return to wearing dresses and more formal clothes, or was the casualization here to stay? We decided to stay true to who we are, and as soon as the world opened back up, we couldn’t keep a dress in stock! It was a great lesson to stick to what you do best and not try to be something that you’re not.
Highlights from the Carolina Herrera Spring Collection.
Walk us through the design process
We begin thinking about the collection months in advance, developing a strategy and business plan. Our creative director and designer, Wes Gordon, focuses on inspiration and starts thinking about color, fabrics, sketches, and prototypes. We meet collectively to brainstorm with team members from different departments about the collection and how it will come to fruition. We analyze every single item of clothing that’s going to be in the collection, so when it comes to actually showing it, all the heavy lifting has been done.
How does the business side affect the design process?
We analyze the creative output through a strategic lens. How can we take this vision and turn it into a business that achieves and exceeds our objectives? Where will it be made? What’s the composition, the pricing and the end purpose? What kind of units do we think we’ll have, and how do we take a single prototype and make hundreds of them? There’s something to be said about the industrialization of that product, and we’re talking luxury women’s clothing.
How many collections are created each year?
We create six collections a year, which means that if you come into our stores, or visit carolinaherrera.com, there will always be something new to delight and surprise you. We show our two main runway collections as part of the New York City Fashion Week, which takes place in September and February.
How do you get ready for New York Fashion Week?
Leading up to the show, Wes does the model casting and fitting. In our hallways, you’ll see a parade of 60 models presenting themselves to see if they fit in the show. Wes is also the creative director of Carolina Herrera makeup and decides on looks for that. In the last show, he loved the idea of a very dramatic eye, which allowed him to showcase a new eye pencil. He’s really conducting a symphony and putting all these pieces in place.
Backstage at the Carolina Herrera Madrid Fashion Show, Creative Director Wes Gordon (above) and the atelier finesse final fittings, adjust jewels and shape the vision for the runway..
Take us behind the scenes on the day of a fashion show
We have anywhere from 200 to 400 guests, and there are never enough seats! The guest list includes top clients, friends of the house and buyers from the world’s most prestigious stores. Then you have that next layer of magazine editors, influencers and celebrities. We arrive at the venue early to do rehearsals with the models. It’s fun because they’re all in their robes, getting hair and makeup done, and practicing their walk. The choreography of a show is crucial because you want to ensure models are following the rhythm of the music, while also maintaining an appropriate distance between each other. Wes conducts press interviews while also ensuring the models look great and the makeup is perfect. It’s his big game day! Backstage, our pattern makers, and designers, are making last-minute adjustments. I’m backstage, and then move front-of-house to start welcoming our guests, editors, buyers and clients. The show is typically only 12 to 14 minutes long, and we feature anywhere from 35 to 55 looks. What I love about it is that during the show, we’re center stage globally as a brand, and it’s our one shining moment!
Under the open sky of Plaza Mayor, models sweep across a breathtaking runway, bringing Carolina Herrera’s vision to life in one of Madrid’s most iconic spaces.
Tell us about your destination fashion show in Madrid
Last year, for the first time, instead of showing in September during Fashion Week, we went to Madrid. We viewed it as an opportune moment to celebrate the entire brand, which includes fragrance, makeup, accessories and fashion. We wanted to celebrate all the products in our portfolio and Madrid provided the perfect opportunity. We chose Madrid because Mrs. Herrera and her late husband Reinaldo were fixtures of Madrid society, and their daughter, Carolina A., lives there as well. I wore a beautiful print dress that had a lot of volume and exquisite craftsmanship in the bodice, and it was a spectacular piece I was proud to wear.
What is next for the brand?
We opened a new store in the River Oaks District of Houston and are relocating our Dallas store within Highland Park Village. We’re opening new stores in La Jolla, California, and the Miami Design District. The Miami Design District is a really spectacular shopping destination, as it beautifully marries luxury fashion with the artistic community. We’re a small team, so all of these projects take a lot of energy and focus and will be a big priority for the years to come. We are also launching a new handbag collection. What’s beautiful about this collection is that it’s Wes’s first foray into marrying an accessory product with the clothes. Our point of distinction in the collection is that these shapes are really for the lifestyle of the clothes; they’re whimsical, they’re novelty, they have color, but they’re timeless at the same time. And, of course, they’re beautifully crafted!
From perfectly fitted dresses to statement coats, crisp white shirts and sparkling knitwear, Carolina Herrera’s runway collection shows the timeless pieces Rubinfeld says every wardrobe needs—effortless, versatile and always impeccably chic.
THE EMILIE EDIT
Rubinfeld’s Must-Have Wardrobe Essentials
THE PERFECT DRESS
Make every occasion a dress-up occasion, whether it’s going to dinner in town or meeting a friend for coffee. Why not? Spend the money on a well-crafted, perfectly fitted dress and you can wear it forever. When you’re feeling unsure about what to wear, just put it on, and you’re done. I love to just zip up and go!
THE STATEMENT COAT
We don’t make many coats, but when we do, they are truly special. It could have beautiful floral embroidery on black cashmere or something equally dramatic. You can put it on over anything – even jeans and a t-shirt and look amazing. I’ll wear one on the plane so I can be comfortable and casual, but with my statement coat, I look pulled together.
A REALLY GREAT CARDIGAN
We’ve been making cardigans in beautiful colors in a perfect, feminine cut. I have a red one and I can put it over anything, add a bold necklace or fun earrings, and it’s like, Wow, you look great!
INSTEAD OF JEANS
Try a skinny pair of trousers—we have one called the Emilie —and you can wear them with a little kitten heel or with a pair of flats. They fit perfectly on your body, and when you pair them with the bright-red cropped cardigan, you look perfect.
KNITWEAR FOR EVENING
We designed knit sweaters and dresses in sequins. When a woman puts it on, she looks incredible, but she’s comfortable. If you’re traveling and need an amazing outfit, the sequin knit dress is it. It’s great for a winter wedding, a black-tie dinner or even dinner in a city!
THE ICONIC WHITE SHIRT
From the beginning, Carolina Herrera was renowned for pairing a crisp, white shirt with a ball skirt. You can dress the shirt up and wear it with a fabulous skirt, or you can keep it casual and pair it with skinny black pants and a cool necklace or a big pair of earrings. When in doubt, grab the crisp white shirt and you’ll look put-together!
NEW CANAAN FAVORITES
Coffe Spot
Zumbach’s
Restaurants
Gray Barns and Solé
Sweets
Gelatissimo
Shopping
I love the Linen Shop and the Whitney Shop for hostess gift giving. My daughter’s name is Whitney so Little Whitney, their children’s store always makes me smile.
Outdoors
I’m a big runner and enjoy Irwin Park.
Culture
My husband, being from Sweden, really appreciates the midcentury modern heritage of New Canaan, as do I. We live near the Glass House, and it’s special to watch the seasonal landscape changes. Phillip Johnson validated New Canaan as a unique community that blends the beautiful New England setting with a cosmopolitan link.
Education
As a New Canaan parent, I appreciate the school system and the educational community—both incredible.