Walter Baker served up a savvy collection of commercial crowd-pleasers along with some edgier fare in moto jackets and boyfriend vests.

tags:

• walter review
• , runway reviews
• , fashion news
• , walter
• , wwd
• , fashion industry
• , new york fashion week
• , taupe
• , ready to wear
• , fashion show coverage

According to the show notes, “a play on proportions evokes the fresh sensibility of innate seduction.” Sexiness, certainly, was on Max Azria’s mind. There were plenty of deep armholes, plunging necklines and up-to-there slits. Yet, using his favorite fabrics, such as jersey and silk, the designer once again crafted a lineup of entirely wearable dresses. One couldn’t help but notice, however, the overt nod to Nineties minimalism (Calvin Klein and Helmut Lang come to mind) that rippled through the collection, as with a series of slouchy, color-blocked dresses in teal and mauve and a few very pretty sateen and silk shirtdresses. Azria did venture into hipper territory with billowy jumpsuits — a few just grazing the upper thigh — though it’s hard to imagine the girl who goes to BCBG for cocktail frocks climbing into those anytime soon.

tags:

• short sleeves
• , clothing
• , womens
• , gray
• , grey
• , dresses
• , slits
• , dropped shoulder
• , designer
• , wwwd

Nicole Miller’s affinity for far-off places is well-known by now. A different locale inspires just about every season, some more successfully than others. For spring, it was Haiti and its voodoo culture. She channeled the island’s spirit in colorful sequins, beadwork and prints, which worked well on asymmetric dresses and skirts — the less complicated the better. Even Miller’s most literal use of the Haitian motif, on a beaded voodoo doll print dress, had a certain charm. Still, for all of her fancy pattern play, the tailored sportswear, a striped boyfriend blazer paired with harem pants in particular, was the most spellbinding.

tags:

• mixed prints
• , gray
• , metallic
• , womens
• , fitted
• , orange
• , clothing
• , nicole miller
• , teal
• , asymmetrical

Comey’s real strength is her prints and patterns: Designed in-house, this season’s are both whimsical (like the “waxing-moon” motif) and versatile (the checked jacquard pieces).

tags:

• three quarter sleeves
• , dresses
• , geometric prints
• , brown
• , grey
• , gray
• , shorts
• , sweetheart neckline
• , womens
• , floral prints

You can count on Julie Haus for pretty dresses, but for spring, her collection had a more relaxed vibe, with separates such as casual shorts and a plaid coat worn over a loose T and skirt that was a perfect blend of slouchy and structured.

tags:

• spring 2009
• , clothing
• , cardigans
• , womens
• , shorts
• , structured
• , dresses
• , boatneck
• , coats
• , retro

The designer wowed her audience by tossing aside any niche notion of what Lela Rose is all about. She has eclipsed her rather prim party clothes with what one might call quirky sportswear. Dressed-up sporty? Certainly. And still hip enough to be perfect for those young ladies who lunch in the Meatpacking District. They would love her effortless mixes: thigh-high organza peplum skirts with offbeat printed tanks; perfectly cut cotton tweed shorts with a silk faille track jacket. The designer’s slightly hippie edge — think ikat, dip-dyeing and beads, all polished to a high shine of sophistication — makes this her best collection ever. The ease is evident, too, in her latest flirty signature dresses, among them the patch-embroidered cotton, drop-waist tank version and abstract plaid T-shirt shapes, which all reflect Rose’s newfound freedom.

tags:

• off-white
• , maxi dresses
• , grey
• , asymmetrical
• , gray
• , metallic
• , lela rose
• , sweetheart neckline
• , womens
• , fitted