New York-based accessories designer Malini Murjani was too young to wear Gloria Vanderbilt’s iconic skin-tight stretch jeans back in their ‘70s heyday, but she remembers how her mother – who was then the brand’s fit model – used to lie on the bed in order to zip them up. “She looked so cool in them,” she recalls with a laugh.

In fact, it was Murjani’s mother who initially came up with the idea for the Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. As she tells it: “My parents were in Paris, and my mom fell in love with these McKeen jeans, which -- unlike most women’s jeans at the time -- were actually fit for a woman. They weren’t re-interpreted men’s jeans. They hid the hips and flattered the body.”

Murjani’s father, who was in the family business of manufacturing denim (including Calvin Klein’s) and owned the license for Gloria Vanderbilt blouses, took the advice of his wife, and launched the now-legendary jeans. To this day, Murjani Corporation still owns the worldwide rights (the U.S. is the sole exception) to the Gloria Vanderbilt brand.

Obviously, design is in Malini’s blood. After graduating from FIT, the London native launched her own illustrious empire – a line of exquisitely artful handbags and belts pieced together from exotic skins (such as python and horse hair) and stones (like agate), and praised by every fashion bible from Italian Vogue to Harper’s Bazaar.

“I love contrast, and the idea of mixing aesthetics,” she explains of her collection. “I love wearing simple basics like jeans and a white tank top, and pairing it with some crazy, amazing bag or belt.”

Currently, Earnest Sewn boot-cuts are her jean of choice, which she wears with ankle boots or tucked into knee-high’s, and paired with a Chloe or Louis Vuitton blouse. Ironically, before we gave her a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans (which re-launched last season with a stellar ad campaign featuring Kate Moss, Gisele, and Daria Werbowy) she had yet to test them out. We asked her a couple key questions:

So what do you think about the re-launch of the GV jeans? “I think it’s really cool. It’s exciting to see something from the ‘70s and ‘80s make a full circle.”

What did you think of them? “It’s funny to wear them. You feel pretty retro with that swan logo. It’s kinda funky. The feel of the fabric is great; they’re very comfortable. And the dark wash is cool – I love the gold stitching as well. But the cut isn’t right for me. They fit well on the leg, but they’re too high-waisted. They make my butt look elongated. I guess if you’re not used to a high waist -- and I’m not -- it’s weird. I didn’t really feel sexy in them. I didn’t feel like Kate Moss or anything.”

Get Yours:

Gloria Vanderbilt jeans come in 3 styles: the classic “Audrey,” the capri “Andrea,” and the bootcut “Gloria.” All are $48. For a list of stores that sell them: gloria-vanderbilt.com

For more info on Malini Murjani accessories: malinim.com

What’s on Malini’s holiday wish-list:

Chanel tweed jacket, $4300, chanel.com for locations. “I’m not really a Chanel girl, but I would love to wear one dressed down with a pair of jeans.”

Garrard diamond angel wing pendant, $5200, available at Jeffrey New York, (212) 206-3928. “I tend to like the most expensive things in the store.”