Archive copy by Jenni Baden Howard

‘It was inspired by New York City itself and the same urban lifestyle that inspired the DKNY clothing collection,’ says Karan of the fresh, sheer, thoroughly modern concoction - dubbed an “urban floral” in perfume-speak - which makes its UK debut on Friday.

The new fragrance is Karan’s first for the DKNY line, which she launched back in 1989 as a younger, funkier and sportier spin-off to her signature collection.

‘DKNY was born as the result of my own personal search for the perfect pair of jeans, as well as clothes for my daughter, Gabby,’ explains Karan. ‘It’s for the modern urbanite on the go - she’s sophisticated but needs clothing that’s relaxed, comfortable and hip. It’s the pizza to the signature collection’s caviar.’

Eleven years on, the brand is a huge success story in its own right and the glass-fronted UK flagship store on Old Bond Street - complete with its own coffee bar, serving deli-style snacks and fruit smoothies - has become an obligatory pit-stop for hipsters on West End shopping sprees.

Karan sums up the mood of both the DKNY and signature collections for autumn/winter as ‘luxe, luxe and more luxe’. At the former, luxurious cashmere knits, sheer chiffon dresses and lacquered satin and taffeta eveningwear stole the show, while the latter featured elegantly tailored dresses and long, shiny red leather coats, accessorised by matching shoes and oversized, luggage-inspired handbags.

‘For me, the colour red symbolises the richest of the rich in terms of depth and pure passion, energy and sensuality,’ enthuses Karan. ‘And cashmere has always played a big part for me - it feels good on the skin and looks good, too.’

To complement the Donna Karan Collection there is already a soft, sensual Cashmere Mist fragrance - widely available on these shores - as well as an ultra-sophisticated signature perfume, which is more difficult to track down on this side of the Atlantic.

‘Fragrance is extremely important to me,’ says Karan. ‘Different scents can lift your spirits or relax and calm you. With the DKNY fragrance, I wanted to capture the feeling and energy that is so unique to New York in a sleek, sophisticated way.’

For the DKNY girl, Karan set out to create ‘a scent to go with her denim, something for the edgier, funkier, more “downtown” aspects of her personality’. This translates into a clean, uplifting scent which, along with the more conventional floral and “green” notes such as daffodils, waterlilies and freshly cut grass, includes an immediate hit of blood orange and chilled vodka and what’s fittingly described as a “white t-shirt note” in its base.

‘There are many traditional floral fragrances which are beautiful but rounder, more opulent and formal,’ explains Karan. ‘I wanted to create something with that same femininity but with a fresher, more urbane feeling.’ It works - the result is bright, breezy, and utterly feminine.

Getting the seal of approval from her daughter was, says Karan, crucial: ‘After all, Gabby is DKNY, she’s really where it all began.’

The Big Apple theme is carried through in the details. The tall glass bottle is shaped like a skyscraper and comes sleeved in a silver hologram foil, designed to reflect light, ‘just like a tall glass building with the midday sun reflecting off it,’explains Karan. The accompanying bath and body products are cleverly designed to create a full Manhattan skyline effect when placed side by side.

The advertising campaign, meanwhile, features model couple of the moment Esther Canadas and Mark Vanderloo - who first met on a shoot for a DKNY ad campaign - captured in a clinch during a New York City downpour (part genuine, part creatively enhanced with the help of hosepipes).

The line-up will be extended next spring, to include haircare products and more luxuriously scented lotions and potions for the body, enriched with the same skin-softening and nourishing plant oils found in the Cashmere Mist Bath & Body Collection.

‘Personally, I like to layer fragrances,’ says Karan. ‘That way, you can really get something different out of each layer. And the fact that the products have treatment benefits is very important to me because it all begins with the body. I’ve always loved to incorporate silhouettes that wrap and sculpt the body and we’ve been seeing a lot of bare skin in fashion lately. With all this baring of the body, why show off skin that is anything less than at its most beautiful? A fragranced body lotion should care for the skin as well as make it smell divine.’

To keep her own body in shape, Karan is a passionate advocate of yoga and Pilates. ‘When you are feeling good about yourself, when you’re in good shape and happy, it shows in your manner and your whole body language,’ she maintains. ‘Every morning, I do yoga with my yoga master who comes to the house. I couple this with Pilates and this works very well for me.’

As well as taking ‘long, restorative walks along the shore’ at her East Hampton beach house, after each collection Karan makes a point of escaping to American health retreats such as Canyon Ranch in Arizona - ‘I love it for the hiking and incredible scenery, I can really clear my mind there,’ she says - and the neighbouring Two Bunch Palms spa, a favourite destination with the Hollywood set which appeared in the movie The Player.

Right now, Karan is gearing herself up for the opening of the Donna Karan Collection World Flagship Store in New York. ‘It will be a dream come true,’ she says of the sprawling Madison Avenue emporium, due to open in spring 2001. ‘The store will be the embodiment of “living” style - luxurious, personal, sensual - a store of all the senses and all seasons.’

Beauty-wise, a capsule skincare collection is available in America, but Karan’s signature make-up range was discontinued some time ago, much to the disappointment of devotees. With the current trend for designers doing their own cosmetics lines - Calvin, Tommy, Giorgio et al - it may return.

In the meantime, fans will be able to get their latest fix of New York style from Friday, in the shape of the new fragrance. While others wax lyrical about being inspired by the exotic scent of faraway climes, Karan’s muse calls from closer to home. She’ll take Manhattan, every time.

• DKNY The Fragrance will launch exclusively at Selfridges, London, on Friday August 11; and will be available from Saturday 9 September at selected chemists, major department stores and perfumeries nationwide . Prices start at £29 for a 50ml Eau de Parfum Spray. All inquiries and mail order, tel: 0207- 629 1234.