Razor-Sharp and Rustic on the Runway

During Fashion Week, the largest of the three tents at Bryant Park — tagged, quite simply, “The Tent” — is an expansive space with what appears to be enough seating to accommodate an entire class of first-year students from the Fashion Institute of Technology. For the uninitiated, a glimpse at which designers stage their runway in the main tent is a quick way to tell the difference between fashion’s establishment and its newcomers.Anna Sui and Vera Wang are firmly in the former lot. Ms. Sui is the Detroit-born New Yorker who moves as easily in the music underground as she does in the fashion world, and Ms. Wang is the Chapin School-educated former Vogue editor who earned her stripes designing and selling bridal gowns. The two designers showed their spring 2009 collections this week, sharing the tent space. Of course, the collections were wildly divergent, but there was no shortage at either show of masterstrokes and the devoted followers who appreciate them.On the Vera Wang runway, there was not a bare neckline yesterday. The label’s namesake designer created a striking collection and matched nearly every piece with dazzling statement jewelry that sometimes made it hard to focus on the clothes. There were audible gasps as models emerged draped in necklaces of tanzanite crystal, rose opal, and black cameo strung on crystal pearls. But the jaw-droppers only enhanced the embroidered tank dresses layered under transparent veils of silk organza.Ms. Wang kept her palette largely to black, navy, forest greens, and a handful of jewel tones, showing voluminous jackets paired with chic black lurex leggings and fitted silk pants. Jeweled “motorcycle” chains, as the show notes described them, were worn wrapped about the waist, giving a hard edge to the high-minded ensembles. Chunky, white patent ankle boots gave the looks that extra kick. As a pulsing rock rendition of “I Want Candy” closed the show, I could only think, “I Want Vera.”At Anna Sui, the designer took her collection south of the border, with ruffle skirts and tunics with eye-catching prints, including busy paisley, grassy rosebuds and sprigs, and juicy red tomatoes. Ms. Sui is at her best when she is mixing and matching those seemingly contrasting prints. And the models, who were skipping down the runway in moccasins on Wednesday, seemed delighted to be rocking the well-arranged ensembles.Structured cardigans and soft silk blouses in ultramarine and lime patterns were paired with flirty linen skirts covered in “sun faces” of lemon and plum, and tied together with turquoise plaid organza sashes. Then just for fun — and Ms. Sui knows how to have fun — the designer showed the looks in reverse, shifting the sunny prints to the sashes and the watercolor plaids to the skirts.If there were missteps, it was perhaps in Ms. Sui’s suggestion that New York gals, in particular, will adopt the more literal interpretations of the Southwestern theme. It’s hard to picture some of the more rustic tunics and mariachi-inspired fabrics looking fashionable on, say, Gansevoort Street. Still, Ms. Sui didn’t look solely to the ranch for inspiration: Flirty hopsack minidresses and silk linen shifts that featured clusters of hydrangea or green cherries were must-buys.

Razor-Sharp and Rustic on the Runway

Razor-Sharp and Rustic on the Runway

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