OH BEAUTIFUL: After 28 years of living in the U.S., Carolina Herrera became an American citizen on Friday. Shortly after her naturalization oath ceremony, the Venezuelan-born designer said, “I have been here for many years, and I love this country very much. I love New York and everything about America. It was very emotional for me.” Moving as it was, the scene at the U.S. District Court Southern District was not quite what she had envisioned. “I thought there would be people there waving little American flags and at the end everyone would sing ‘America the Beautiful,’ but it was very businesslike,” she said. For the past month, Herrera brushed up on her American history in preparation for the mandatory naturalization exam. During the seemingly round-the-clock work weeks that go hand-in-hand with show season, Herrera had plenty of time to quiz staffers. “I was constantly testing people in my office [who often fell short with their knowledge]. I told them, ‘With this test, you would never become a citizen,’” she said. “Now I know more than they do.”

Due to a prior dinner commitment, Herrera had no plans to beat the band Friday. “It’s all right. I’ve been celebrating every day — I’ve been telling everyone,” she said.