It s pure coincidence that the Rolling Stones are in town, but Diane von Furstenberg s pre-fall collection has what she calls a "Mick in his Marianne era" vibe. "I ve always said I wanted to live a man s life in a woman s body," she continued. "This is all about London, the idea of a dandy." Masculine and feminine met in a tweed print dress inset with black lace, and the he-for-she thing continued on a plaid coat with shots of chartreuse as well as in the collection s graphic prints, which were all borrowed from men s ties. Biba got a name check when von Furstenberg was showing off a printed V-neck dress with parallel stripes of silver sequins down its front; another little frock with openwork detailing at the neckline was similarly bohemian in spirit. A woman can t wear the pants all the time.
Coats with color-blocked torsos and sleeves didn t so much harken back to Swinging London as they spoke to current trends. It didn t matter; they were one of the collection s major strengths.
