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"   Photo: April, May  Diane Sitbon was only a child when she first realized just how cool a leather jacket could be. &amp;quot;When I was nine or 10, my mother dressed me like a `little bourgeoisie&amp;#039; with smock dresses, hair bands, and velvet coats. I was not happy in these outfits\u2014I wanted to wear flight leather jackets and jeans to school,&amp;quot; remembers the French designer. &amp;quot;I always told myself that when I grew up, I would wear whatever I wanted.&amp;quot; Today, Sitbon doesn&amp;#039;t just get to wear whatever she wants, but she also gets to design whatever she wants. Since 2005 she&amp;#039;s helmed April, May, a Parisian label that manages to be both extremely feminine and effortlessly sexy. While her clothes capture French insouciance\u2014think jersey dresses with cut-out necklines, collar-less blazers, and geometric-print leather jackets that any woman would want in her wardrobe\u2014they&amp;#039;ve not had much face time in the US; after briefly launching in America in the mid-aughts, the recession had April, May focusing on Europe. Their fall 2011 collection marks their triumphant return. For spring, Sitbon&amp;#039;s design inspiration comes from her travels. &amp;quot;My woman has moved from Paris to Santa Fe and Austin. She has gone on a road trip and is still wearing leather and sexy hot pants and feminine dresses and would wear boots everywhere,&amp;quot; explains the designer. While the collection includes sequined band jackets and tuxedo pants, Sitbon asserts that she&amp;#039;s not jumping on the menswear-as-womenswear trend just yet. &amp;quot;I wouldn&amp;#039;t say [the collection] is less feminine, I would say feminine in a different way,&amp;quot; she notes. That Sitbon, an Esmod and Central St. Martins graduate, understands what real women want may come from her years of experience at that other ultra-feminine French label, Paul &amp;amp;amp; Joe. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s where I learned everything about running a business and trying to balance design with commercial appeal without compromising my ideas,&amp;quot; says Sitbon, who notes that in the years between leaving Paul &amp;amp;amp; Joe and starting April, May she also freelanced for John Galliano and ran her own accessories line. If her most recent collection is any indicator, Sitbon has done a good job of sticking to her core principals, which she seems to have established as a 10-year-old yearning for a not-so-stuffy jacket. The French designer admits as much: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s very hard for me to decide on [a favorite April, May] piece, as I absolutely love everything...but the leather is driving me nuts!&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a8157/april-may-brings-its-french-style-stateside-35756/>