For a growing number of fashion obsessives, a desire for archival designer pieces has eclipsed the seasonal pull of snapping up whatever just came down the runway. Shopping vintage has obvious perks: It’s better for the environment, it’s generally more affordable and it guarantees a certain level of inimitability. And with nostalgia levels at an all-time high, owning a piece of history—whether it’s a John Galliano newsprint dress plucked from an episode of Sex and the City or a signature ’90s Jean Paul Gaultier printed mesh top—is akin to reliving a moment in time rather than just cosplaying it through reimagined takes.

It tracks, then, that the growing fetish for officewear—think skirtsuits, tailoring and the ubiquitous Hailey Bieber-inspired oversized-blazer-and-jeans combo—would lead us directly to a renewed obsession with Donna Karan, the original corporate baddie who changed the game for working women in the 1980s and ’90s with minimalist armour that helped them shatter glass ceilings and look fabulous while doing

Karan was born in Queens, New York, and studied at Parsons School of Design until she dropped out in 1967 to join Anne Klein, where she ascended to head designer after the eponymous founder’s passing in 1974. In 1985, she debuted her first Donna Karan New York collection, which was centred on the concept of “seven easy pieces”; it was a versatile capsule wardrobe comprising a bodysuit, a wrap-skirt, a tailored jacket, an LBD, a white shirt, a cashmere sweater and a leather jacket that would serve the day-to-night needs of those on a quest to have it all. Karan did her own test drives, often reflecting personally on her size-12 frame—a rare-for-the-era nod to size inclusivity. “So many women find assembling the right clothes bewildering today,” Karan told a reporter at the time. “They’ve discovered fast ways to put food on the table, but they do not know how to get their wardrobes together easily.” She served up a simplified formula, and it worked.

As Karan continued to grow an empire (she later launched her younger, more affordable DKNY diffusion line and a hugely successful collection of fragrances), she became even more focused on the female form, emphasizing it through sensual, flattering pieces that were often made up of sturdy stretch materials, such as elastane and viscose, that hugged curves like shapewear. A master of sexy power dressing, Karan became one of the titans of American fashion—and one of the only women in the industry leading a brand.

For Brooklyn-based designer reseller Marie Laboucarié, of Nina Gabbana Vintage, Karan’s pieces represent a pioneering, female-centric approach that is as relevant as ever. “What I like about Donna as a designer is that she’s a woman for women,” says Laboucarié. “She is all about comfort but still wants women to be elegant in their everyday life.” Laboucarié’s Donna Karan archive is being snapped up by a new generation of millennial working women who prefer its timeless practicality to the flashier archives of Roberto Cavalli and Versace. “With Donna, you know you’re going to be comfortable and it’s something you’re going to want to wear at the office and when you go out for dinner,” she says.

Karan stepped down from her role in 2015, but the “Donna-ssance” has continued beyond an appreciation for her originals. In February, Donna Karan New York announced a relaunch of the brand with a collection of ready-to-wear inspired by those pioneering seven easy pieces and a campaign starring the likes of Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Liya Kebede and Shalom Harlow. (The brand was acquired by American conglomerate G-III in 2016, and though Karan is not involved, she has given Donna Karan’s new home her blessing.) In an incredible twist of style circularity, some of the current team’s source material was found in Laboucarié’s archive, itself com- prising pieces from Karan’s original design team. What’s old

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