Martha Madeiros at Bergdorf Goodman
754 Fifth Ave., 212-753-7300, Midtown East, Manhattan
Brazil's fashion industry may recall beach-inspired labels, but it also has a far more rarified side, as evidenced by Martha Madeiros. Already well-known back in Brazil after 25 years in the business, Madeiros is beloved for her delicate, handwoven, intricately patterned lace, which is made by some 250 villagers living along the São Francisco River in northeastern Brazil and worked into gowns and dresses that are wedding—or red carpet—ready. Madeiros' work now has a home in New York—in the fourth-floor Evening Salon at Bergdorf Goodman—so American customers no longer have to wait for months for her ultrafeminine designs. She opened at Bergdorf Goodman with a trunk show of some 40 key pieces in crowd-pleasing black and white, all crafted from her signature lace that literally takes a whole village to make.