Spring Forecast Calls for Sexy, Tight, Playful
After Sunday’s California Collections Preview presented by the California Mart, it is clear no woman should leave home next spring without these basics:
* One slip dress decorated with sequins or embroidery.
* A go-everywhere ankle-length tank dress with a high neck--and, for the very fit, a slit all the way to the hip.
* A touch of fake Mehndi, or body art, stenciled on a corner of a garment, or, for the more adventurous, a complete “tattooed” body quilt.
* An all-white ensemble with a transparent top, tailored trousers and a knee-grazing shantung coat.
Now, color the Asian fabrics all in exotic and sensual shades such as celadon, sage, thyme, kiwi, coffee bean, copper, bronze, honey, azure and lavender.
More influences from the Far East include various interpretations of bamboo and wood-block prints. Or even wood itself, as in the trompe l’oeil pine and mahogany fabrics in Anne Herlihy’s Plain Heir collection.
Despite the occasional ray of hope from a few grown-up designers, including Herlihy’s sophisticated pine and mahogany sheath, trousers and jacket, the Mart forecast predicts an endless summer of sexy, tight, transparent, youth-driven clothing that could never make it to the office.
Respite from the swarm of young-fashion locusts came from Isda & Co. Designer Isda Furnari stayed true to her Shaker-inspired philosophy with dignified mature pieces such as a thyme satin-linen shirt worn over a pistachio-colored tank top and honeycomb-colored pants.
Vera Cristina by Vera Devletian continued the tiny wave of elegant, gently sexy clothing. Using muted tones described as lotus, forest and honey, the designer combined a short silk-chiffon sarong skirt with silk-knit, draped-neckline tank top. Her dramatic combinations included a short skirt in a silk-crepe woodblock print decorated along the hemline with small buttons that appeared again as two rows of decoration on the back of a flowing duster.
Josephine Loka by Kellie Delkeskamp used earth vegetable tones to create a “meeting place between couture and India.” Her take on sequins--and faux body painting--included a cotton T-shirt with sequin trim worn with a long cotton-voile embroidered skirt. Michelle Mason’s sequins took the dressier route with a transparent shell worn under a charcoal-colored, wool-blend coat and matching cigarette pants.
The Fleure de Peche collection by Carilyn Vaile was youthful but not so young it ruled out anyone older than 18. In fact, it contained one of the day’s ideal column dresses--a simple, long tube.
Kirstin, founded this year and designed by May Cook, emphasized fabrics with texture and subtle prints. She also managed to pull off some of the best layering of the day. In a nod to Japan, she put a powder-blue, gray and black tie-dyed lace sleeveless top over a powder-blue lace dress worn over a blue, gray and black long lace skirt.
The evening’s gala runway and awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel featured five California companies--BCBG by Max Azria; Mark Wong Nark by Tom Mark; Poleci by Janice Levin-Krok and Tom K. Nguyen; Roxy by Lissa Zwahlen and Julie Aversa; and William B.--in the Designer of the Year category. Poleci took the honor, showing an all-white collection notable for a camisole top worn with a new version of the car wash skirt--short and trimmed in Lucite strips.
Eduardo Lucero took top honors in the Rising Star category, a competition that this year included A. Crispen by Anke Crispen; Josephine Loka by Kellie Delkeskamp; Lola by Holly Fiene and Jamie Kamezawa; and Trina Turk. Lucero’s winning pieces featured a stamped black leather bare-back camisole top worn with hip-hugger cigarette pants.
