After her fall show, with its simple materials, pared-down shapes and erudite poetic references, Behnaz Sarafpour could easily have been labeled an egghead designer. But her expanded spring collection showed she s not looking to spend her Saturday nights in the library.
Yes, Sarafpour has an intellectual bent, demonstrated this time by a group of distinctly Japanese, crisp black-and-white wool minidresses that wrapped and tied intriguingly. But she also demonstrated a playful side, via canvas jeans, dresses and miniskirts hand-painted with chromatic bursts of color, and gold chain-link vests worn over washed silk separates (shades of Paco Rabanne). A couple of smartly cut canvas pieces with generous patch pockets traced their American sportswear heritage directly back to Bonnie Cashin.
She may not be a bookworm, but Sarafpour has clearly taken one famous motto to heart. With a mere 25 looks, her finely edited show left the smiling audience convinced that brevity is indeed the soul of wit.
