Vera Wang name-checked Jane Birkin and Yves Saint Laurent circa the late 1960 s at her pre-fall presentation, but the influences weren t all that literal. On the one hand, she was interested in the offhand way that Birkin wore, say, a Paco Rabanne chain-mail dress in the same manner as a boy might toss on a dusty old T-shirt. And on the other hand, she was turned on by YSL s predilection for putting women in pantsuits and tuxedos. Not unlike on her Spring runway, many of Wang s looks featured a tailored coat or jacket and a short, wispy dress. And we do mean short. The micro hemlines of shifts were balanced here by ribbed socks that sometimes extended over the knee or by thick rib-knit shorts that gave the collection a sporty undertone.
When Wang wasn t tossing boleros or vests over dresses, she was layering them with sweaters for that boy-girl feeling. A bubble-skirted frock in a colorful kaleidoscope print and a cropped cardigan buttoned up the back rather than the front was among the collection s most striking pairings, second only to a bias-cut, cowl-neck dress in the same print topped by a charcoal wool car coat. For the most part, though, the designer s evening numbers were all woman. Their bold colors and stretchy silk charmeuse fabrics should serve Wang well with awards season around the corner.
