Hotmail
Catwalk turns urban safari at Fashion Week
Designers feature khakis and tans and plenty of pockets
 | Slide show |
 |
New York fashion week Betsy Johnson, Zac Posen, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs and more spring collections. more photos |
NEW YORK - To your left, look at the exotic species “hungry model.” To your right, see the genus “overexposed celebrity.”
The catwalk turned into an urban safari as New York Fashion Week drew to a close on Wednesday, full of khakis and tans and plenty of pockets.
The only wildlife spotted was of the Hollywood variety: Jennifer Lopez added a little extra star power on Tuesday, debuting her JustSweet collection in the footsteps of Gwen Stefani’s and Nicky Hilton’s earlier shows.
Neutrals were prevalent throughout the eight-day previews for stylists, retailers and editors, along with candy-colored gowns that displaced the standard little black dress.
Not even evening gowns were spared from organic materials and landscape-inspired palletes. Donna Karan made the most of khakis and tans, while Zac Posen listed “wheat” as one of his muses for a collection inspired by the American plains.
One thing’s for sure: If you’re thinking of going on safari this spring, you can be very well dressed for it.
Zac Posen
Zac Posen, with his handbag line, new fragrance deal and long list of sponsors for his show, certainly has an entrepreneurial spirit. It seems, though, he also admires the spirit of the pioneers.
His spring collection, presented Tuesday night to an audience that included Demi Moore, Lucy Liu, Serena Williams, Martha Stewart and Sean “Diddy” Combs, honored early American settlers and “their insistence on simplicity and craft.”
In his notes, Posen explained that inspiration came from “’Days of Heaven’ (a 1978 farmland film), the Shakers, wheat fields of the Great Plains and the romance of the wide open sky.”
Believe it or not, “wheat” wasn’t the craziest thing on the runway. Posen interpreted it both literally — a minidress with a large bow and a gigantic crystal wheat brooch — and figuratively. Those results were much more wearable: a series of daytime khaki-colored outfits, including a trim pantsuit with a jacket that had oversized pockets and a belt around the waist, paired with a white tie-neck shirt.
In Posen’s world, pilgrims and pioneers also have occasions for fancier styles, such as a white cocktail dress with an oversized ruffled collar and pleated skirt — the pleats horizontal across the middle and vertical down to the hem — and a gown made of twisted ribbons that had tiers covering its full skirt and an exaggerated pouf on one shoulder.
Donna Karan
There’s a lot you can do to look sexy without showing a lot of skin. The dresses in Donna Karan’s spring collection were sensual thanks to their body-hugging stretch fabrics in skin-tone colors.
In fact, the top of the dresses tended to be either shirt-style, high-neck halters or off-the-shoulder, while the bottoms were ready for dancing — long and loose in jersey or viscose fabrics.
But, ironically, it was the almost nonexistent nude color that was so eye-catching.
She used the same palette for many of her daytime outfits, too, reinforcing the popularity of neutral colors, especially those in the brown family that mimic nature. Khakis and tans made sense for Karan’s safari-inspired looks.
An indigo twill coat dress looked quite refined, even though it looked like denim, while a linen gauze dress in light yellow with an exaggerated fabric rose at the base of its V neck was a refreshing ray of sunshine.
Karan paid attention to detail, which paid off in the clothes. A ribbon-embroidered lace skirt demonstrated fine craftsmanship, and a light gray dress that skimmed the body had a delicate flower embroidery worth a second look.
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
-
Rate Story:
View popularLowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM ARTS, BOOKS, MORE |
 Arts, books, more Section Front |
| Add Arts, books, more headlines to your news reader: |
Sponsored links
Resource guide