Moving into the bohemian quarter

Fashion Week ended Friday with a few of Gwen Stefani’s favorite things: tough chicks, bouncing hot rods and glistening snowflakes. The runway debut of the pop star’s L.A.M.B. clothing line was a slickly produced spectacle that felt more like a music video than a conventional fashion show. There was even a product tie-in from record label Sony, which bankrolled the $1-million event.

Guests shuffled through fake snow to get to their seats while listening to a prelude of tunes from “The Sound of Music.” The show began when a fog of dry ice rolled onto the runway and canvas tarps magically lifted to reveal cherry red cars with models already in the driver’s seats. (Stagehands hopped inside to keep the cars bouncing throughout the show.)

Naomi Campbell led the charge of sexy track suits and tank tops screen-printed with chain and snakeskin designs -- all worn with heels or L.A.M.B. sneakers and Rastafarian knit caps. Hourglass-shaped skirt suits were tricked out with scalloped edges and bows that brought to mind the handiwork of Stefani’s favorite designer, John Galliano. Red carpet gowns came in sweet wisteria floral or Rasta-striped chiffon prints, and casual cotton tank dresses were emblazoned with the L.A.M.B. logo spelled out in gothic letters. Instead of their typical blank expressions, the models were all attitude, strutting to Stefani’s forthcoming song “Orange County Girl,” even as they stopped to fiddle with Sony’s latest gaming gizmo, the PlayStation Portable.

Stefani’s husband, musician Gavin Rossdale, snapped photos, while Nicky Hilton, Ashanti, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Faith Hill watched from the front row. When Stefani took her bow, she did so without Zaldy, her head designer. She walked the length of the runway with arms outstretched, hamming it up for photographers and even stopping to kiss Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour on the cheek.

After the show, which was held at the midtown concert venue Roseland Ballroom, chatter among many seasoned fashion watchers was negative. “Stefani jumped the shark,” someone complained. “She bowed to big bucks,” another added. “It was one big Sony commercial,” and on and on.

But Dina Relkin of the Tobe Report, a trend forecasting service with hundreds of retail stores as clients, couldn’t have been more impressed. “The clothes are legitimate and the fact is, they’re selling,” she said. “Stefani knows how the girl who likes her wants to look.”

There’s no question that the week finished with a maximal moment that underscored the power celebrity exerts on fashion today. But the bigger news is the birth of a new bohemianism, inspired not by the multicultural cribbing that brought peasant skirts, tunic tops and beaded sandals to every street corner, but by the pure artistry of minimal design.

Designers got rid of all the sparkle and junk, working instead with the more nuanced themes of movement and volume. They experimented with shape shifting on swayback jackets, bubble skirts and wide-leg, high-waist pants. Embellishment was spare with raffia or crochet embroideries, and prints were quiet. And no, denim isn’t dead. There were lots of jeans on the runway here, with Zac Posen, As Four and Imitation of Christ launching new denim lines, and Ralph Lauren offering beautifully embroidered styles for those who want to pay even more for true blues.

*

A season’s dresses

But mostly, spring is all about the dress -- 1960s-era baby dolls, swingy trapeze shapes and shapeless sacks, muumuus and nightgowns -- in silk chiffon, silk jersey, cotton eyelet or washed linen, with bra tops, tiers of Chantilly lace, delicate ruffles or deep side pockets. They often appeared to be more befitting a bedroom than anyplace else. And though they may seem flattering, they can be deceptive. Because when wearing a shapeless dress, one has to expect to be mistaken for someone who is expecting.

The week crystallized at the Donna Karan show, one of her best in years -- where the trends were translated for a more modern, mature woman. Inky blue or black stretch jersey slip dresses ballooned out and tapered in at the hem, belted in front, with free fall backs. Voluminous tops were offset by skinny tube skirts and pants. A swingy hopsack linen jacket was cut full and round, with a Peter Pan collar and a bow plopped in front. A kimono-style suede jacket was fastened with a sash, the back left to hang straight.

Karan said in the show notes that she was inspired by modern art, so there were trench coats with Miro-like geometric patterns and dresses with abstract brushstroke prints. Jelena Behrend’s silver geometric mobile necklaces were the perfect finishing touch.

Vera Wang’s vision of the new bohemian was inspired by the colors and prints of the seemingly incongruous French Impressionists and the heroines of the Old West. A romantic black taffeta blouse was belted with thick brown leather over a tulle undershirt and skinny pants that buttoned at the ankle. A flower brocade cape jacket resembled your grandmother’s housecoat, worn over an oyster moire bustle skirt, while a “night dress” with a big lolling collar came in a striking nocturnal shade of “Matisse blue.” The artist’s leaf print turned up on a cotton damask pant and his scribbles on a chiffon blouse. The collection was rich and beautiful, but too much of a costume drama to make it relevant to most women.

Ralph Rucci has been exploring the intersection of art and fashion for years in his Chado line. A designer as well as a fine artist, he had his first gallery show in San Francisco in May. His double-face crepe suits and shifts, inset with contouring strips of metallic leather, look right now more than ever. A rain jacket came decorated with broad gold brushstrokes. And eveningwear was lighter -- a silk chiffon gown in an ombre print resembled a tiger’s eye, and a black silk tulle design was embellished with impressive brown alligator scribbles.

Boudicca designers Zowie Broach and Brian Kirkby are known for conceptual clothes with a hard-edged glamour. This season, they presented their best and most wearable collection yet, darkly romantic but not severe, with a touch of geisha. A cooler take on spring’s ubiquitous white cotton eyelet was the designers’ version in black leather, fashioned into an A-line skirt worn with a black blouse and a leather obi belt. One of the season’s most intriguing shirt dresses came in stiff black cotton with short puffy sleeves, the front of the skirt cut into strips of various lengths.

*

Tropical is topical

Derek Lam’s vision was much lighter, with tropical overtones. Wearing demure baby doll dresses and orchid leis, the models resembled young brides recently arrived at their honeymoon destinations. A white laundered linen jacket with layered peplums and a gray cardigan with a silk polka dot back looked fresh, but a tweed trench coat seemed cumbersome and heavy (unless, perhaps, Lam’s brides were coming from cooler climes.). Like a sentimental jewel, a shell pendant was suspended from the neckline of a linen apron, worn over a frilly white skirt, and a flower lei print was burned into a swingy black velvet dress. The final look was a knockout, an Empire dress with a creamy white tulle bodice, and a skirt with fan-pleated organza ruffles as delicate as pastry layers.

Lauren’s version of pared-down was the French nautical look, in a palette of navy, cream and white. But a white cotton skirt laced up the sides, a red officer’s jacket with gold embroidery on the sleeves and a blue-striped broadcloth gown with the bodice left unbuttoned to reveal a white eyelet petticoat were a bit of a yawn.

Denim pieces were more interesting, including a Mandarin jacket in a creased and aged wash, and a pair of patchwork wide-leg jeans.

The concept for Linda Loudermilk’s eco-invasion show was a good one, with environmentally friendly sponsors, bongo drummers and a surfeit of sustainable fabrics such as bamboo jersey. It’s a shame that her clingy dresses with shredded hems, logo-embellished blouses and asymmetrical skirts were so languid and out of the fray. Bamboo suits in peach, vanilla and sage plaid were more accessible, and had a nice crisp look.

But for this invasion to be a success, the self-proclaimed founder of the luxury eco movement needs to design clothes that are more luxe than loopy.

*

Softer side

Zac Posen may be beloved by starlets for his va-va-voom glamour, but this season he got in touch with his softer side, showing girlish dresses that were short and sweet but in many cases overly designed. An orange-stripe gown with a dropped waist, a ruffled hem, micro-pleated skirt and an open back was too much to take in at once, while a green chiffon off-the-shoulder number embroidered with gold lame resembled a teddy. Then there was the unfortunate pair of white denim lederhosen. It was enough to make one wonder how Posen decides to put an end to his fanciful feast and declare his creations finished. Perhaps it’s when every square inch is buttoned, beaded, pleated and embroidered.

Fueled by hype, his star has skyrocketed in just a handful of seasons. Backed by music mogul Diddy, he has celebrity pals, a larger-than-life persona and a Crest smile. But it may be a case of trying to go too far too fast. After all, he ain’t no Hollaback hit maker.