NEW YORK — Autumn leaves might be starting to fall from the trees in Bryant Park, but signs of spring are abundant in the tents constructed here for Fashion Week.
On Tuesday, halfway through the spring shows, the trends were clear: diaphanous fabrics, billowy sleeves, ruffles, metallics, sparkly trims and pops of tropical color will prevail.
The bottom line: Femininity rules.
Designers don’t seem to be worried that the tough economy might make women inclined to wear serious, no-nonsense uniforms. The fashion creators are turning out clothes more likely to show up at garden parties and charity galas than the office.
Carolina Herrera said her collection contrasted the “ideas of Botticelli’s ethereal woman and the Russian Constructivist’s crisp simplicity.”
The Botticelli woman was evident in the ruffle-necked double chiffon gowns, in such striking colors as marigold and teal, while Herrera’s cigarette pants and tiered and textured blouses spoke to the sleek side of her message. Not every woman is going to go for her striking colors and prints, so Herrera also used plenty of black-and-white combinations.
Monique Lhuillier’s gentle, airy collection could be summed up by two looks: a vibrant red chiffon gown with a single, billowy sleeve cuffed with shimmery embroidery and a short turquoise halter dress embellished with gold trim at the waist and neck.
The designer has a light touch. The glittery bits are refined and subtle — no Las Vegas blaze of beads for her. The silhouettes seem to drift around the body like a sheer veil and the colors include enough pale neutrals to satisfy fans who cringe at the words “canary yellow.”
Marc Jacobs is always listening to his own muse, and this time an American sensibility and boldness ran through his line, a metallic thread linking it all.
Gleaming fabrics have made a fashion statement for some time and don’t appear to be going away soon, but Jacobs’ way of mixing metallics with plaids and tweeds, leather and cotton prints was uniquely his own. To the dramatic strains of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” the designer sent out 53 looks that were costume-like on the runway — particularly considering the pancake straw hats perched on heads caught up in simple braids — but the ensembles could be broken down into wearable pieces.
Channeling another mood was the Halston collection, presented at the Museum of Modern Art, on live mannequins draped against lounge furniture. The models wore such iconic Halston pieces as a jumpsuits and scarf dresses in hot colors like tangerine and poppy.
There was a 1970s vibe to the presentation and set, which was inspired by the townhouse where the late designer lived. Gray carpeting, white walls and a multi-level room provided the muted, modernist backdrop for clothes you could envision worn by latter-day Bianca Jaggers and Liza Minnellis.
Suzanne S. Brown: 303-954-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com
