Though DKNY sells globally in cities and suburbs alike, the best part of Donna Karan s Spring collection seemed to address the perennial conundrum of what to wear for summer in this city. It s tough to strike a balance on those dog days: Go for comfort and you look as if you d rather be poolside, yet an attempt at polish can yield a sweaty mess.
Karan s answer is smart, unadorned silks cut loose and breezy, like dolman-sleeved shirts with drawstring shorts and mullet-hemmed slipdresses—both on-trend and practical, since there s nothing to impede a city strut. The adorable, white-soled, matchy-matchy wedges also had pavement-pounding appeal. And to cover up: a sporty anorak, a classic brass-buttoned blazer, or just a chic, wide-brimmed sun hat.
The black and white group that opened the show felt like a fresh idea for Spring, and the silhouettes cycled through various colors including a patriotic and peppy red-and-blue and a Marimekko-esque floral. Though for prints, the cooler option was a smudgy floral that could almost masquerade as an animal print.
No designer fetishizes New York like Karan. With her show falling on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, her usual upbeat paean to the city was, depending on your viewpoint, either poignant or slightly jarring, as models streamed in off the street against the backdrop of a yellow cab topped by a DKNY advert. But life and fashion must go on.
