Styles at Fashion

Styles at Fashion Week are sexy without showing too much skin

By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL

The Associated Press

BEBETO MATTHEWS

Fashion from Derek Lam Spring 2011 collection is modeled Sunday Sept. 12, 2010, during Fashion Week in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) 

Now you see fashion, now you don’t.
Illusion was one of the key trends to emerge at New York Fashion Week, which continues through Thursday. Strategic use of sheer fabric — here on sleeves, there on a neckline, overlay or skirt — gave the illusion of bareness without revealing too much. The look was naturally sexy, without being vulgar.
The light, airy feel of the clothes went with an optimistic feeling that prevailed at the spring 2011 previews.
Derek Lam
A soothing palette in shades of ivory, tan and parchment got boosts from quick contrasts in navy, black and a bit of indigo denim.
Silhouettes were lanky and easy. An embroidered poncho worn with a belt looping through the front side only would make a chic daytime dress, and a cashmere silk tank dress-sweater combination in oatmeal was the sort of no-frills look that a woman would reach for again and again.
fCarolina Herrera
Florals are flourishing at Fashion Week, and no one so far has done them bigger. With Herrera’s tasteful treatment, though, there was nothing ditzy, dated or dowdy on her runway, even if the bold flowers themselves were inspired by botanical plates from the 18th century.
A crisp white blouse was paired with a slim single-fold black pencil skirt with a daisy for daytime sophistication. A lotus-embroidered illusion blouse perfectly complemented a dramatic white ballskirt that featured a double Korean bow, her replacement for grosgrain ribbon this season.
Tommy Hilfiger i
Celebrity fanfare and a faux grass runway drew the crowds, and the clothes on the catwalk were, somewhat surprisingly, straightforward and wearable.
The look “is where rockabilly meets the country club set,” Hilfiger said in his notes, “with more than a touch of preppy. The twist is in the audacious use of color, mixed patterns and proportions.”
The designer offered eyelet tennis skirts, varsity-tipped sweaters, sunny halters and fitted, feminine button-down shirts. A sassy khaki-colored halter dress with a tie-style back was a nod to the trench trend.
Victoria Beckham
Now treated by the industry as a celebrated designer, not a celebrity, Beckham said her theme for spring dresses was a celebration of curves. She replaced corsetry with oval panels that she said would give the same flattering shape yet more comfort.

f Cynthia Rowley
Borrowing backdrops from the New York City Ballet, Rowley’s lovely, polished clothes were presented with scenes of “Swan Lake” and “Romeo and Juliet.”
The first look out was an otherwise simple taupe dress, but cutout dots like a Connect Four unit made it new and interesting. The same goes for all the transparent panels on sweaters and polos, and the colored pebble-like embellishment on shirts, shorts and a cocktail party-ready shift dress.
DKNY
This might be Donna Karan’s typically trendier line, but the spring collection borrowed from many classic wardrobe staples, including shirtdresses, ruffled blouses and trench coats.
Her trim blazers — many with peplums on the back — and tapered trousers also straddle precision and effortlessness.
Prabal Gurung i
The fashion industry seems ready to support this Singapore-born, Nepal-raised young man for the long haul. Top-name retailers and stylists, including Rachel Zoe and Ikram Goldman — known to work with Michelle Obama — gave him hearty applause.
Gurung took a bit of a risk on his third-ever runway, starting with colorblocked cashmere knits.
Z Spoke Zac Posen
Z Spoke doesn’t have the craftsmanship or drama of Posen’s signature label, but the playful prints would look appealing on retailers’ racks.

Leanne Italie and Lisa Tolin of The Asssociated Press contributed to this report.