I have posted before on how Kate Middleton — and for that matter Princess Beatrice — default to Issa dresses for smart occasions. Some (by which I mean Janet Ozzard on NYMag.com's The Cut blog) have described the reason for this Royal patronage as follows: "Issa is something a well-bred and not terribly adventurous woman can reliably wear to polo matches or garden parties (or a really big press conference).” Yikes.
But I am going to offer the following in defense:
1. I have owned two Issa dresses in my life and have never attended a polo match. I bought them because they are beautiful and comfortable and flattering on my fat days (which is obviously every day, such is my love for ice cream).
2. Kate Moss, Rachel Bilson, Naomi Campbell and Scarlett Johansson have all worn Issa and none are, to my mind, terribly well-bred or attending garden parties every weekend. And I say that with love, of course.
3. And Daniella Issa Helayel, the designer herself says, “I design clothes for people like me who think they’re fat, clothes that are meant to hide people’s defects and accentuate their good points.” And in order to achieve this dream, the cut needs to be precise and highly evolved. A dress this perfect does not happen by accident.
And I believe that, my readers, is a winning argument.