Flowers, slightly trampled, at NY Fashion Week

[September 14, 2009]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Designers at New York Fashion Week had a new tactic to woo back wary customers: flowers.

Those lovely symbols of spring renewal emerged through rain-drizzled gloom on Sunday on Mercedes Benz Fashion Week's fourth day. But that doesn't mean everything was roses -- the floral patterns looked like flowers after the rain, a little worse for wear.

Muted florals were blurred like they had been caught in a downpour. The sense was one of transition: Spring is coming, but not undaunted.

Retailers should be satisfied with the pops of color, something they want to draw customers into stores. Yet the colors aren't so bright they require sunglasses -- designers are aware of the gloomy context, too.

DEREK LAM

It was time for Derek Lam to have some fun, so he turned to a bit of retro carnival atmosphere.

His spring collection was a departure for the designer, who is known for sophisticated and elegant clothes. He went so far in his notes as to describe them as a little "tawdry," borrowing details from summer fun destinations.

Tawdry, though, seems to be on a sliding scale: For Lam, there still needs to be luxury -- and his customer is that woman who prefers glamour to gimmicks. She got what she was looking for in a wheat suede jacket with a leather back, worn with a jade-colored corset that had black strips of boning.

The palette and prints were all over the place -- greens and blues, purple and gold, oversized island florals and star prints -- the kind of mix you'd see along the boardwalk.

DKNY

Trees grow in Brooklyn and flowers grow in Greenwich Village, at least on the DKNY runway.

Donna Karan called her collection a "city garden party." In this urban setting the florals aren't all pretty and perfect, though. She favors prints for spring that are either a casual doodle or an exploding sequined peony.

The show kicked off with a black-and-white scribble-blossom skirt suit that was trim and fitted, one of several professional looks offered in this line that normally caters to a young woman's time off. Karan, though, has been quite vocal in recent months about the tough business climate and has said she's done what she can to adapt -- maybe that includes getting almost 24/7 wear out of clothes.

Some of the best suits were tailored blazers with shorts and, don't be scared, bright pink bike shorts that she called "Smoothies" underneath. True, not a look for everyone, but with the right attitude and figure, this was a modern twist on an old standby.

VICTORIA BECKHAM

Victoria Beckham knows fashion, not just how to wear it but also how to make it -- and that's pretty impressive.

Beckham could have staged one flashy New York Fashion Week show previewing her spring collection. But the style star and wife of soccer player David Beckham chose to personally show her line about a dozen times Sunday to small groups of editors and retailers, explaining the construction of each piece and what she liked about it.

Her signature fitted dress now has a lower neckline, stronger shoulders and capped sleeves; the fold-front dress has a shorter hemline just above the knee. Several dresses also feature banding, which is emerging as a trend during Fashion Week.

A flared-skirt dress, still with a very slim bodice, is something a little different, Beckham said, and she hopes it will be a permanent addition.

"The tight bodice holds you in, which is never a bad thing," she said. She added, somewhat amazingly, that she second-guessed wearing the same outfit as a model because models have such slim figures -- as if she didn't.

LELA ROSE

The skies cleared and it was like Lela Rose made it happen. Her spring collection was upbeat, wearable and, dare we say it, pretty.

She drew inspiration from the waves, surfers and scuba divers of Venice Beach, Calif., with colors borrowed from daybreak and sunset. There were a few pieces, including a green one-shoulder dress with rows of vertical blue laser-cut fabric, that mimicked the rolling tide.

Rose showed a knack for chic daytime dresses (actress Mariska Hargitay was wearing one in the front row). A sea-glass blue cotton dress with an open neck, drawstring waist and zip front would have been perfect on this Indian summer Sunday in New York.

VIVIENNE TAM

The butterfly that had a large part in the new Vivienne Tam spring collection made for a bohemian moment that seems rare these days as the industry seems singularly focused on breaking out of the retail-sales rut.

But Tam's light, delicate touch on the runway is most likely an easy-to-sell look. That probably wasn't an accident: Tam seems to have no problem mixing the art of fashion with the business of consumerism. She opened her show with a brief video commercial for technology company HP. Models carried butterfly-decorated handheld computers like clutch purses.

You know what? They looked good, a seamless fit for the clothes that gave a modern twist to the hippie.

The butterfly prints she used were feminine but not too delicate or corny. They worked best on printed silk jersey dresses and blouses.

CHADO RALPH RUCCI

What's makes a Chado Ralph Rucci black cocktail dress different from the countless other lovely black cocktail dresses presented at New York Fashion Week? It's all in the craftsmanship.

Rucci, the only American to be invited to show Haute Couture in Paris under his own name, is a stickler for details, resulting in fine clothes that need to be seen, felt -- and probably even better, worn -- to be fully appreciated.

For evening, Rucci's interest in the human body was brought to a handful of artsy prints -- prints that would be hard to imagine at a socialite gala. A museum opening party, perhaps?

BENHAZ SARAFPOUR

Behnaz Sarafpour tied up her spring collection with ribbons, bows and a little lace.

The tan georgette ribbon dress shown as a finale made for effortless eveningwear, and above-the-knee pleated dresses with knots of ribbons at one shoulder were perfect for cocktails. But on two lace dresses, hot pink and yellow ribbons looked like afterthoughts -- neon prison bars on otherwise very wearable outfits yearning to break free.

A better bet were crepe de chine pleated shorts, with a wide, swingy feel. Also on trend were blue georgette dresses in a wispy feather print that fit nicely with the muted florals seen on other runways.

LUCA LUCA

Luca Luca brought sunshine to Fashion Week with a spring collection of yellows, pinks and blues.

The pieces shown Friday at New York Fashion Week were fashionable and wearable, with dresses in loose silhouettes to flatter almost any body type. And we do mean dresses.

There were one-shoulder, jersey, cocktail and strapless dresses made from fabrics ranging from silk chiffon to cotton. Creative director Raul Melgoza said his inspiration was a blooming flower, a leaf -- things that seem simple but have many intricacies.

"People want something they can wear for a lifetime, but that still has some novelty to it," he said.

[Associated Press; By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL]

Associated Press writers Lisa Tolin and Megan K. Scott contributed to this report.

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