There s always a place for foiled-terry sweatshirts in a Norma Kamali offering, and those weren t lacking in the designer s Pre-Fall collection. But among her biggest coups? Compression pieces. The godmother of activewear introduced a handful this season, true performance garments with an undeniably graphic appeal. They came in the form of stretch tops and leggings, bearing glossy black X s across the torso or encircling the legs, respectively. The basic principle is that the pressure being applied can improve posture or shorten recovery time after a hefty workout, among other benefits; a happy incidental is that they may make you look svelter. But for all the hard-core workout gear, there were plenty of the lounge-y pieces for which Kamali is best known, the sort to take you from brunch to the shops to Pilates, like pinstripe-and-terry combo blazers. Burn-out terry was a particular favorite here and made for surprisingly sexy sheer maxi dresses and crop tops. Indeed, risqué reigned with this lineup—a curve-hugging jumpsuit with a plunging, crisscrossed back; others with generous cutouts over the abs, sides, and back. Ladies, start your engines.
