| Vera Wang inspired by ancient Rome
As the spring previews are nearing their midpoint, and dainty dresses, pleat and pintuck details, and colour-blocking are emerging as trends, Wang has showed a collection inspired by ancient Rome that did not fit neatly into any category. A sheer brown toga in silk jersey with a back drape, worn over fancy crepe de chine leggings, were an obvious reference to Rome, while a grass-coloured gown covered with tiny pleats that opened into a pool of silk tulle was a more subtle reference to the era's famous architecture. "Ornamentation this season, in true Roman style, is restrained and restricted to bibs of colourful, engineered stones and metal bouillon treat artfully cut into collars, necklaces and ornaments of leaves and flowers worn both on and off the clothes," Wang said in her notes to the audience.
Gilles Mendel Knows His Cool Customer
For the J. Mendel label's spring collection, shown Friday at New York Fashion Week, designer Gilles Mendel did everything he could to make it cool. He wasn't aiming for that leather-jacket sort of cool, nor was he necessarily striving for temperature cool since he showed fur on clothes that are supposed to be for warm weather. Instead, Mendel's line was cool in that grace-under-pressure way that his socialite customers appreciate. Many of them were indeed in the audience at the Bryant Park tents, as were celebrities Carrie Underwood, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and LeAnn Rimes. They had their choice of a sand-colored sleeveless coat dress, a white cotton pantsuit with lattice-style details and white python trim or a lavender satin-faced chiffon dress with ruching, more lattice patterns and feathers.
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