The Resort Collections

Looking forward to Spring

Never mind booking a cruise to the Caribbean. These styles - formerly only for those taking winter cruises - can be experienced without the hassle of a travel agent. This year's resort collections are packed with clothes that can take you right through to Spring.

The resort collections were once a minor season of luxury beachwear. However, lately they have expanded to include all sorts of garments that would not necessarily be seen on the beach. Lightweight trouser suits, rainwear, and patent leather boots are the kind of item I mean.

Resort wear is a season in which American designers excel. There are many places in the US where it is normally warm during the winter months. The natives develop a sense of how to wear lightweight clothes without them being too casual. The timing of these collections falls between Autumn and Spring. This gives the designers a chance to soften the extreme styles that were on the runways in Autumn, then redesign them into more wearable pieces.

Curves were big news this Autumn and many designers are carrying that idea into their next season's collections. Donna Karan showed her "bodydress" in stretch silk that hugged the torso like a second skin. Over it was worn a jacket which molded to the bust and torso. She also showed swimsuits in white nylon spandex.

Richard Tyler, who is famous for his tailored wear loved doing this collection, turning a classic suit into a 'glamorous, 90's Rita Hayworth kind of suit'. "Demand for suits," he says, "is stronger than ever."

Michael Kors, jokingly describes his jacket as having 900 seams and darts. Very different from last year's tunic-like jackets.

C Calvin Klein updated last year's slip dress by widening the the shoulder straps and shortening its length from the ankle to the knee. Some of his slips were A-line numbers with a liquid movement in them, while others skimmed the bodyline. As well as the dresses, Donna Karan and Calvin Klein both showed satin skirts cut on the bias, worn with baby sweaters in cashmere and longer length cardigans.

Adding to the lightness and feminine feel were the sheerest washes of colours. Donna Karan used natural colours found on the beach. Calvin Klein chose white for his whole runway show, incuding his white cashmere tops and satin skirts. Ralph Lauren also followed suit, by using pale sequins on his t-shirts and tops, and silver stretch bodysuit.

Halter necks have returned from the Seventies, making an interesting feature on dresses, tops and sweaters. Glamorous backless dresses looking quite plain at the front, giving oomph at the back with criss-cross lacing detail at the back, showing off slender shoulders.

Isaac Mizrahi and Victor Alfaro brought back the wrapdress in their collections. Isaac Mizrahi's designs were reminiscent of the Sixties and Seventies, with op-art and hot pastel designs.

Make-up and accessories are also a big part of dressing this season, with a touch of glamour. Even Calvin Klein, known for his clean scrubbed look, dressed his models in high heels and red lipstick. Some of his shoes were of clear plastic, almost invisible - a look Michael Kors was also striving for. "If only we could manage to glue the soles onto the feet," Kors was quoted as saying.

Some of the accessory ideas seen on the runways:

Patent leather totes
Vinyl knee-high boots
Jackie O sunglasses