New York Fashion Week: Peter Som’s quirky ladies

Peter Som has a way with color and print. You only have to recall the painterly black, white and blue halter gown he dressed Julie Bowen in for last month’s Emmy Awards to know that. Breezy, glamorous and effortlessly chic, it was one of the best looks of the night. This past spring, Som parlayed his aesthetic into an island-ready collection for Kohl’s department store, inspired by a trip to St. Barths with plenty of paradise prints. And before that, his colorful but ladylike aesthetic was embraced by the first lady herself, Michelle Obama.

But it takes a truly gifted designer to make a shirt-dress in a quirky rose print the color of puke green look as good as he did on Friday in his spring collection. “Olive factory floral” was how it was described in the show notes. It was worn with an olive double face cotton apron skirt tied to one side, (aprons are officially a thing on the runways this season, so get ready) and clunky-cool mirrored silver kiltie sandals by Christian Louboutin. That was look No. 1 of a collection so funky and fun, it will make you want to wear an apron too.

The look: Quirky louche lounge wear, with pop art florals, resort-ready stripes and a ‘70s kick.

Key pieces: Funky floral shirts and crisp shirt-dresses with aprons tied over them. Print trousers with the ease of pajama pants worn with long tunics over top. Olive and white floral shirt tucked into trousers in the reverse of the print; off-white rubber raincoat over tank dress; crisp white poplin shirt with a cascading black over green striped miniskirt; white poplin shirt-dress with black eyelet apron on top; strapless black tunic over gold lamé trousers.

The verdict: How fun it was to see Som let loose a little, while staying true to his roots. That’s no easy feat for a designer. The result was fashion that makes you smile.