Cruise Lines : Los Angeles and N.Y. Resort Collections Show Casual Outfits Sophisticated Enough for the City, Right for Most of the Year

Resort collections used to be for a small group of rich women escaping the cold by going to Palm Beach or Palm Springs or off on a cruise.

Today’s resort clothing is a mix of urban and beach garb. It has increased importance in the fashion industry and warrants the same kind of formal showings formerly reserved for the fall and spring seasons.

“These clothes are not just for resorts anymore,” explains Geoffrey Beene, one of the many designers who showed his collection here last week. “The wools and jerseys are town clothes. Resort is really just a way of getting a jump on spring.”

Designer Donna Karan agrees. “These are buy-now, wear-now clothes,” she says. “The fabrics are seasonless. You can pick pieces to add spice to your winter wardrobe. Or the pieces can become your winter wardrobe if you live in a city like L.A.”

“No one knows what the resort season really is,” adds designer Michael Kors. “Is it resort, cruise, spring? I don’t know. It’s beach into city into evening. It’s stuff to wear in August, November, January, April. There is no reason a woman in New York or L.A. couldn’t put things together that are perfect eight months out of the year.”

Here’s what’s making news in New York resort collections:

Raised waistlines on shorts, pants and skirts; Empire looks in dresses and evening gowns. Menswear patterns printed on cotton and linen. The nostalgic Hollywood lounging pajama. The sweater with short shorts. The sweater with chiffon. The large, long shawl worn as a skirt or evening wrap over a short skirt or dress. (Above-the-knee lengths are everywhere.)

More News: Bare dresses, bustiers, bandeaux, sweaters under blazers. Short-sleeve sweaters, wool gabardine shorts, gauze drawstring shorts, strapless jump suits, wrapped hips with side ties.

Fabrics: Lightweight knits in cashmere and wool jersey, crisp cottons, wool gabardine, linen, washed silks, crepe de Chine, chiffon, taffeta and lace.

Patterns: Stripes, polka dots and checks.

Colors: Urban neutrals of navy, black, tan and pale gray. Carnival brights of chrome yellow, hot pink, lipstick red, clear turquoise, parrot green and vibrant purple. Pretty pastels such as soft pink, pistachio, periwinkle, melon, banana.

The overall mood of the collections, from Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta and others, is one of sleekness, versatility and fun. Sophisticated dresses, jump suits and separates work in the city or at the shore with just a change of shoes.

“It’s a nice balance between true resort and city clothes,” concluded Sonja Caproni, vice president, merchandise, for I. Magnin. “These are really clothes for today. They are very important to the Californian.”