NEW YORK (AP) ? Pops of sunny, sultry citrine and sexy violet met up with muted sea tones on runways filled with flowers, both literal and reinvented, at New York Fashion Week’s spring previews as Day 3 kicked in Saturday.
Color is everywhere this time around, combined with plenty of flounce and peekaboo sheers.
“The violet color is very enticing and will be a must-have color for spring,” said Adam Glassman, creative director of O, The Oprah Magazine.
Jill Stuart’s easy femininity came in soft, sherbet tones and resort-friendly silhouettes reminiscent of the early 1960s ? with palm trees thrown in. The relaxed wear was inspired by a book on lingerie she found in Copenhagen.
Prabal Gurung’s digitized flora was dominated by soft purples, full skirts and pants cut tight. Where there are flowers, there are birds. Look to Adam’s runway for the winged motif in light pinks, purples and whites.
Happy color, color everywhere. Pantone had a beach party in mind when the color experts named the Top 10 shades for women next spring: tangerine tango, solar power, sodalite blue, bellflower, margarita, cabaret, driftwood, sweet lilac, cockatoo (think sea foamy) and starfish.
Barely there is khaki and other moodish colors. Even the blacks were upbeat ? though the music wasn’t ? on Helmet Lang’s black-and-white dominated runway splashed with only yellow.
There was nothing understated about Cynthia Rowley’s color muse. Her mirrored runway was about the “optical exuberance of gold” combined with “flash mobs of florals and animated shapes,” according to her notes.
After eight days of spring previews in New York, the big show moves to London, then Milan and Paris.
JILL STUART
Key for Stuart: “I wanted this collection to be a dream, a fantasy.”
It came against a backdrop of mint green, lipstick pink, tangerine and citrine yellow.
Stuart has significantly softened her look in recent seasons, moving away from the Stevie Nicks rocker look that had been her hallmark. The clothes on this runway seemed more appropriate for the next-generation Doris Day.
But there was something sweetly sexy in the drop-waist shifts, culottes and inverted-pleat skirts, too. Even the romper, which looked more like a cute mini shift until you got close to it, worked here. While girlie, they weren’t prim or dowdy, which is surely important to Stuart’s typically young customer ? someone like Emma Roberts, who sat in the front row.
Stuart picked up on two print motifs, the palm tree and flying birds, both of which reminded her of “happier times.”
CYNTHIA ROWLEY
No recession runway for Rowley. She’s ready for flash ? and flowers.
The outfits certainly had spunk; no shrinking violet is going to wear an Asian-inspired “bouquet” tuxedo jacket with second-skin leggings in a zigzag print.
From there, Rowley moved on to a mesh leather T-shirt with tight, tiny trunks, and a metallic sweater with gold shorts adorned with black appliques.
Rowley seemed to tap into her personal interest in surfing, pairing embroidered swim trunks with an orange T that had perforated leather sleeves.
Some looks had more of a balance of boldness and wearability, including a botanical-print dress with a henley-style neckline, and a gray sweatshirt-style top worn with a black skirt that teased the crowd.
Lindsay Lohan, wearing big sunglasses, sparkly high heels and a brand new outfit from Rowley, nodded approvingly throughout the show.
REBECCA TAYLOR
Limeade. Citron. Some of Taylor’s colors sound so scrumptious they should be eaten.
“There’s enough bummer in the world,” Taylor said backstage. “I just want girls to feel pretty and to feel sexy.”
The New Zealand-born designer said she was aiming this time for something “modern, ethereal and angelic.” The angelic part was evident in filmy dresses ? the “moonlight eyelet asymmetrical dress,” for example, looked like a vintage nightgown.
Dresses like that and the “moonlight pieced T-shirt dress” looked both comfortable and delicate, but there were pieces with attitude, too, especially a series of garments made of “snake leather” (not the real thing): A dress, an apron top, a bomber jacket, a pair of pants.
There was also a digital printed army jacket, paired with a citron-colored dress.
A henley dress with a wild roses motif was more wearable. All in all, it was a user-friendly and accessible collection for people who want to look, well, pretty.
“Yes, my clothes are happy clothes,” Taylor said. So sue her.
LUCA LUCA
Raul Melgoza likes flowers, and for his latest collection the Luca Luca designer turned to a master for inspiration: The late American painter Georgia O’Keefe.
Florals were a prominent theme in Melgoza’s spring line, particularly rosettes, which he presented in prints and in embroidery, in bright colors and in black and white.
The latter combo made for a stunning gown to close out his show.
On the more casual side, a periwinkle silk wrap blazer was paired with a berry-colored silk blouse and a rosette-print pant.
Colors were bright and whimsical, such as several numbers that combined royal blue and teal ? a royal blue seersucker wrap blazer, for example, paired with a royal-and-teal striped bustier. A lime green silk crepe bustier dress managed to feel both light and sexy.
This latest collection was based less on a theme than a mood, Melgoza said backstage.
“I really wanted to emphasize sensuality and femininity, and the female figure,” he said. “So, for example, I expose the shoulders, or add some sheer inset detailing.”
As for the florals, he said, “I looked at O’Keefe’s imagery. I wanted to present it in a modern way.”
