White House Social Secretary at Carolina Herrera

MAKING THE ROUNDS: With President’s Day a national holiday and the first family off back home in Chicago, White House social secretary Desiree Rogers took the chance to head to New York and attend her first New York Fashion Week.

Rogers, who wore a Carolina Herrera gown to the inaugural balls, sat in the front row at the designer’s show Monday morning and later raved about it to WWD: “The fashions were amazing. I do like her work, but this collection was very different from what I have seen in the past. I particularly liked the dresses for daytime that were a classic silhouette, but had a bell sleeve and were a little shorter, just below the knee. Those are easier to wear than the long ballgowns.”

Rogers was in Manhattan for the day and also hit Donna Karan — by which time she’d changed from a skirt into black pants (“It’s really chilly here,” the Chicago native said), and Thakoon, where she warmly embraced Ikram Goldman, owner of the Chicago boutique Ikram, who is considered First Lady Michelle Obama’s unofficial stylist. The two women exited hand in hand as they crossed over the rows of benches. “I don’t like this part,” Rogers said. “But I’m good, I’m good.” Goldman was greeted with more than a few camera flashes and tape recorders at Thakoon and earlier at Maria Cornejo. She declined comment about Obama. The new mother of twin sons was equally evasive about any retail expansion plans. Asked if she will open more stores, she said, “I don’t know. I never thought I would have twins.”

Meanwhile, Rogers headed back to Washington first thing this morning. She’ll then no doubt dive right in prepping for one of the first social functions of the new Obama White House, the Governors’ Ball on Sunday, which will have an expanded guest list this year. And given the stimulus package, no doubt all the governors will arrive hat firmly in hand.