Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany s ("the quintessential movie about New York chic," Douglas Hannant called it, backstage) was this uptown designer s rather unsurprising muse for Fall. Well-trod ground, surely, but he paid homage with a light touch. Several simple daytime dresses looked like two pieces instead of one; the camel and gray-herringbone shift that opened the show was so subtly constructed it almost fooled the eye. "If it s going to be elegant, it can t scream," Hannant pronounced, and so he kept embellishments few and well judged. A slinky jersey sheath in black had just a dusting of sparkle at the neck, while some pieces sole moment of drama came from shots of eyelet tulle that exposed the wearer s back. These were wear-forever looks whose clean-lined charm, like Miss Golightly s, won t date anytime soon. A smart investment, in other words, despite the Fifth Avenue price tag.
