After 20 years as an accomplished, hard-working fashion designer, she got a big break. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Michelle Obama, wife of presidential hopeful Barrack Obama, tried her hand at hosting the popular morning talk show "The View." But what put Obama’s face on New York City newspaper covers and celebrity rags alike was not her hosting ability, or even the possibility of her being the next first lady of the United States.

It was actually a dress. A Donna Ricco dress.

A $148 Donna Ricco dress bought off the rack at boutique chain White House/Black Market, to be exact.

"I think it’s great that she chose it because it’s a typical Donna Ricco dress," says Donna Ricco of the famous "Obama" frock. "It’s exciting to be in this position. We are ready for the next step, which makes the publicity very exciting."

What followed was a media frenzy: The cover of The New York Daily News, an appearance by Ricco on "The Today Show," coverage in People, US, "Entertainment Tonight" and more. Virtually overnight, the black-and-white, empire-waist print dress all but sold out at the White House/Black Market boutiques. Luckily, Ricco assures, it was restocked in stores in September.

Behind the Hype

Ricco moved to New York City with her husband, Tom Puls, president of Donna Ricco Inc., in the ’80s. She grew up on Milwaukee’s South Side, graduated from Hamilton High School and attended UW-Milwaukee, majoring in fine arts. But she found her true calling as a student at Mount Mary College, where she graduated in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in fashion design. Puls and Ricco launched the label, Donna Ricco, in 1983.

"The hardest thing about leaving Milwaukee was leaving my family, especially when we started having kids," says Ricco. Today, Ricco and Puls share a Manhattan apartment near the United Nations with their three teenage sons, Marshall, Cooper and Dexter, and weekend at their home in Long Island, about two hours outside the city. The apartment is an easy commute to Ricco’s studio in the Garment District and showroom on Seventh Avenue.

In her studio space, alive with the sounds of sewing machines and chatter, Ricco says she’s working on many seasons all at once. "I’m taking orders for spring, approving print strike-offs for summer season, thinking about fall trends and holiday. I’m shopping and flipping through magazines, categorizing my ideas. That’s the creative part," she says. "But, there are also meetings, model fittings four times a week, approving samples from the factory, working with stores on their private label accounts ... And setting up the company for the future. I can’t do everything, but I’d like to."

In lieu of a full-fledged Fashion Week presentation, Ricco shows her seasonal collections at market, where stores visit her showroom to view her latest designs. "Right now, we are looking at our Web site, donnaricco.com, as a fashion show. Everyone’s invited, everyone can buy and everyone can wear it," she says.

While she’s creatively looking ahead to next summer, she recently finished her Spring ’09 collection ("Long dresses are a big trend and we brought them back with a vengeance for spring," she says.).

Also for spring, she’s created a first for Donna Ricco: A Signature Dress. Ricco is hard-pressed to hide her enthusiasm. "It’s a vintage floral print, and the flowers have a stained-glass effect spaced throughout the fabric. Within the print is my signature. We’re calling it my Signature Dress," she says. "I love it so much I am going to do it every season." She describes the dress as a long, belted halter. "Elegant and simple," says Ricco.

In the News

Michelle Obama may have raised her profile, but she certainly wasn’t the first celebrity to recognize Ricco’s talent. Comedian Chelsea Handler donned a Donna Ricco dress on her E! Entertainment Television show "Chelsea Lately;" her designs have been recognized on the pages of Life & Style, Lucky, Woman’s Day and Vogue. She solidified her TV presence with coverage on popular celebrity magazine show "Extra." Vanna White even wore Donna Ricco creations for two full weeks — one week in April and another last month — on "Wheel of Fortune." "She wears the clothes well, has great posture," notes Ricco.

"When the E! TV personalities announced the Emmy nominees in July, they were both wearing Donna Ricco dresses to interview the celebrities," she adds.

An ‘Affordable Pleasure’

While magazine and celebrity recognition isn’t unfamiliar to fashion designers, the fact they are embracing a mainstream, affordable price-point designer is. Ricco’s creations can be found at department store giants Nordstrom and Lord & Taylor, and locally at Macy’s, White House/Black Market and Fran Hill on Downer Avenue.

So, just how important is offering fashionable, reasonably priced dresses to Ricco?

"Very important. I’m a designer for someone who’s spending from $100 to $160 on a dress," says Ricco. "When my husband and I came to New York in the ’80s, I chose the price point and to design dresses because I could relate to them. It doesn’t have to be a $1,000 dress. I’d rather make hundreds of something than 10 of something. I’d rather walk down the street and see my dress on someone feeling good about herself. I still get excited when I see people on the street wearing my dresses."

For Ricco, having her dresses available to the masses is more than seeing her designs on the street, it’s a testament to her business model: Give women an amazing product at the right price, and they will buy. "It’s an affordable pleasure," says Ricco. "Everybody wants to look good and feel good, but it’s even better when it’s the right price and it fits well."

Dresses are also a quick and easy statement — no need for mixing and matching separates.

"It takes longer for me to put together separates," she says. "For me, dresses aremore practical and a complete statement. It’s like a painting. It’s done. No one can mess it up."

Ricco acknowledges that one thing that separates her from many of her design counterparts is she’s ultimately designing for someone she knows very well: herself.

"I am my own customer. I wear my own designs almost every day of the week, which is exciting, since I can spend more on shoes and handbags!" she laughs. "The woman I’m designing for is like myself. She has a lot on her plate. She likes more contemporary styling, but can’t find what she’s looking for in the Contemporary Department." A Fashionable Future

While dresses will likely always be the backbone of her brand, Ricco recognizes the need to offer a complete line. To that end, she created the Donna Ricco Collection, which offers separates and gowns.

"I design separates in my way," says Ricco. "I’ve learned so much about silhouettes and proportions that it made sense to expand the line into other areas. I realize we have to have an edge. It’s a designed line at a realistic, affordable price. You don’t have to break the bank, but you will look like you did."

Ricco is also busy positioning her company for the future. This includes a wish list of creating Donna Ricco retail stores, which may include shoes and handbags. "The Web site is a first step. I’d like to work directly with our customers."

To that end, Ricco extended an invitation to Michelle Obama to stop by Ricco’s showroom.

"Why did she get so much attention for that dress? Why did everybody have to have it?" asks Ricco. "We were in the New York Daily News three days in a row. They showed all the women in White House/Black Market buying the dress. That cemented the concept: A well-designed dress can be pretty powerful. Everyone loves to feel good in what they are wearing." M.