Esteban Cortazar showed his Spring 2009 collection for Emanuel Ungaro in Paris last week. This was the second collection for the company, which is owned by Asim and Isha Abdullah of San Francisco.

It wasn’t a flashy show of runway theatrics — the clothing was sexy, colorful and very wearable.  One industry observer said that the stores will like the collection because buyers because the upbeat colors will “entice customers next spring amid fears of a U.S. economic recession.”
Photos via style.com

Well, they finally did it. After three previous tries, the San Francisco ownership of Emanuel Ungaro seems at last to have found the right designer to take the house into the future. Reviews from Esteban Cortazar’s first collection, shown yesterday in Paris, have been stellar.

New York magazine said “Ungaro is hip again.” Fashioninsider.com said it “seems that Cortazar will have a bright future at Ungaro.” The Times of London said the collection has an “understated glamour, but also refreshingly modern.” And the influential critic, Suzy Menkes of …

Women’s Wear Daily has given us the first glimpse of Esteban Cortezar’s collection for Emanuel Ungaro, which will be shown in Paris on the 27th. It’s one of the most hotly anticipated shows of the season, and if this beautiful dress is any indication of what’s to come, it’s going to be a hit. I mean, is that skirt not absolutely divine?
The 23-year-old Colombian designer said, “My designs have always been about unapologetic femininity that is pure and totally natural… I had that aesthetic growing up. I’m Latin …

A friend of SFluxe points out that the sexy red sequined dress Catherine Zeta Jones wore to last week’s premiere of her new movie, “No Reservations,” was designed by Peter Dundas for Ungaro. The venerable French label is owned, as you know, by Isha and Asim Abdullah in San Francisco

The dress is from the Fall 2007 collection, and was also worn to a fashion show in March by Kristen Bell. I’m not exactly sure who Kristen Bell is either, but she looks great in the dress!

With the new popularity …