Nanette Lepore was just honored at Youngstown University s spring commencement (her alma mater). It had her thinking a lot about her own college days. "I was remembering all of the art students and their influences, like Donald Judd," she said. Thoughts of Judd s op art lent themselves nicely to Lepore s Resort collection—which had her dabbling with geometry and color. Shades of "gumball green," shocking pink, and deep navy blue made their way into almost every piece, from a sheer fit-and-flare jersey dress with quarter-length sleeves to a cashmere baseball sweater with sporty mesh side panels and piping. "The customer is taking a break from dresses," she said. "So I figured it would be nice to have pieces that you can take apart and wear two ways." Case in point: a paisley patterned silk crepe top worn with a cotton skirt of the same print, paired to look like a dress. The same idea carried over to a silk navy and white striped skirt styled with a simple floral top and a wide belt, but the look that stood out the most was a pair of "ink-blot" cropped skinny pants and a vertical-striped chiffon shirt topped with an oversize knit jacket. Her customers won t miss the dresses.
