Signature Looks

By Kate Betts Friday, Sept. 15, 2006

Kate Betts dishes the dirt on the new lineup for spring

• The Three D's of Fashion
For designers like Diane Von Furstenberg and Thakoon Panichgul, determination equals success- 9/11/06

• The Master of Mood
The Marc Jacobs show is about more than clothes. The designer reminds us that we shouldn't take fashion too seriously- 9/12/06

• Dressing like a Goddess
Several designers, including some runway rookies, are presenting romantic visions of what women should wear- 9/13/06

• Where Some Designers Get Their Ideas
This season collections had a wide range of inspirations, from 18th century painters to 1980s hipsters- 9/14/06

• Signature Looks
From Vera Wang's ethereal ready-to-wear layers to Zac Posen's glamourous looks for the red carpet- 9/15/06

• Creating the Mirage
Designers Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren have the skills to transport us to exotic locales- 9/16/06

Current Issue

•Photo Essay- How is Fashion Shaping Up?
Fur skirts? Winged sleeves? Six-inch platforms? Designers are anything but risk-averse when it comes to leveraging fall style

•Who's Got the Power?
Fashion designers may get all the glory, but they don't necessarily pull the strings anymore.

The ethereal lightness of Vera Wang's dance-inspired collection lifted day six of fashion week up, up and away. Wang has been working diligently on developing her ready-to-wear signature for the past several seasons and her message is now loud — or, I should say, soft — and clear. Wang's vision features an artistic type swathed in the most sophisticated layers of cashmere, tulle and chiffon. After the show, someone wondered how all these willowy frocks would look on a hanger in a store, but that's not the point of such a triumphant collection. The purpose is to deliver a message, a vision, and Wang has certainly done that with amazing skill and gusto.

Francisco Costa, the Brazilian-born designer who has filled Calvin Klein's very large shoes at his namesake house, has a futuristic and somewhat tough vision of fashion. For several seasons Costa has been struggling to pay homage to Klein in a sort of literal manner. But with this collection he seemed more confident to go his own way. Like Wang, Costa is working in the lightest fabrics, layering them over tank tops and carefully worked athletic-style corsets. But unlike Wang, Costa has a razor-sharp cut that can appear inchoate with the softness of his silhouette. Two sea-foam chiffon short dresses floating over tank tops were standouts.

Hopefully when Hollywood's Oscar nominees get the nod next year they will pick up the phone and call Zac Posen immediately. I don't know why more celebs don't wear his amazing entrance-makers on the red carpet. The guy knows how to cut a glamorous gown. The gold drop-waisted billowing number at the end of the show was statuette-worthy.