Last season at BCBG Max Azria, it was difficult to see past the Helmut Newton-esque leather harnesses shown with each look. With their new pre-fall collection, designers Max and Lubov Azria are getting back in touch with the label s softer side, and it wasn t just because they nixed the bondage styling. Sensual georgette ruffles (a major Spring trend) fluttered along the neckline and sleeves of mid-length dresses with nipped-in waists. That silhouette had a distinct 1940s feel, as did the cropped wide-leg trousers and flowing godet skirts here. While the Azrias touched upon the decade, they were careful to keep things modern. A black and white, flouncy miniskirt shown with a boxy coated leather jacket was totally twenty-first century.
