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Jill Stuart can cut a fun and flirty frock with the best of them; her new Resort collection is an exercise in romantic occasion-wear. The lineup s standout, a peony-colored A-line tea dress covered with laser-cut petals, had its red-carpet debut earlier this week, when the designer herself wore it to the CFDA Awards. It was between that one, she told us, and a pretty knee-length number done in an iridescent foiled gauze. The Bling Ring s Katie Chang looked age appropriate in a graphic Fall ’13 look at a photo call in Cannes, proving that Stuart s frocks appeal to a wide range of customers. Chang is about the same age as the designer s three girls.

One might assume you d have to be a teenager to pull off this collection s matching crop top and bloomer shorts, but Stuart stressed that similar bandeaux have consistently sold out since she introduced them a year ago. Retail-friendly pieces are what a commercial season like Resort is all about.