DESIGNER Tracy Reese, enjoying the spotlight after Michelle Obama wore one of her dresses at the Democratic National Convention, showed her latest collection that she said is made for women who share the first lady's confident sense of style.

Reese, one of hundreds of designers unveiling their spring lines during New York Fashion Week, showed easy-to-wear shift dresses, sleeveless tunics and softly draped cropped pants.

Her colours were bright - tangerine, periwinkle blue and beach-glass green.

Reese said she felt "blessed" when the first lady wore her dress of raw silk jacquard in a luminescent mix of hot pink, rust and copper with an accent hemline of silver and blue.

Obama wore the dress when she delivered her speech at the Democratic convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Reese's clothes are aimed at women with a similar sense of strength and femininity as the first lady, the designer said backstage before her show.

"She's got a clear vision of how she wants to look, so we're just hoping that we're hitting the mark," she said.

Reese added that she and the first lady had similar body types, which she described as "curvy, small waists, more hips".

The dress Obama wore is not yet available for retail consumers, but Reese said she planned to rush it into production.

The first lady has worn Reese's designs about 15 times publicly.

• This article was first published in the printed newspaper and eEdition on 11 September 2012. Click on this link to view the eEdition