When Diane von Furstenberg came out for her bow, she handed out small American flags to people here and there in the crowd as a way of marking September 11. Optimism was the message of her Spring show. There were clues aplenty in addition to the stars and stripes: Nina Simone on the soundtrack crooning "Feeling Good," with its chorus of "It s a new dawn"; the collection s title, Beginnings; and, naturally, the clothes themselves. DVF opened with a series of all-white looks: a gauzy pantsuit, a lace frock, a drapey kimono dress cinched with a utility belt. Her prints, which were legion, were positively exuberant. She focused mainly on florals: green and royal oversize Marimekko-style bursts on a sleeveless white dress, smaller white buds on a blood orange jumpsuit, Wedgwood patterns on a sweatshirt and knee-length skirt. The variety of pattern was remarkable, if not a bit overwhelming.
Still, there were things other than those prints to grab your attention, and we aren t talking about the designer s usual starry front row, which included the éminences grises Oscar de la Renta and Valentino. Von Furstenberg gave no short shrift to menswear-inspired looks. For the girl who prefers not to say it with flowers, she showed crisp, tailored jackets with button-downs and Bermuda shorts. Walking down 14th Street yesterday, one heard a tour guide stop, point to the Diane von Furstenberg headquarters there, and call it "the DVF empire." The point is, something-for-everyone diversity is this designer s strength.
