Rachel Comey, who attended Miss Porter s School in Connecticut before studying sculpture in Vermont, could be described as a homecoming queen of the arty downtown set (one of the Marsden girls modeled for her Fall lookbook). And the designer s Spring show, staged at St. Patrick s Youth Center on Mulberry Street with live accompaniment by the three-piece band Barbacoa, had something of a prom atmosphere. After looking to the Amish for inspiration last season, Comey said she wanted the current collection to be "playful and a little bit naughty." High-waisted flower-sprigged shorts worn with pretty blouses and modest jackets still had a pinch of Big Love plainness, but bustiers paired with slim, cropped pants and dresses with lingerie details added a hint of Grease-style sauciness. Seemingly demure dresses had racy T-backs. The show, which focused primarily on texture, was somewhat repetitive and overlong, though it also offered proof that Comey is graduating to new levels of maturity.
