Spring is in bloom at N.Y. Fashion Week

NEW YORK— Spring fashion began to take shape in the opening days of New York Fashion Week — however loose that shape may be.
Flirty frocks are mostly short with swinging hems. Some designers have gone so far as to describe a few dresses as "sacks" — and stylists, editors and retailers have also used that word more than once.
Eyelet fabrics embrace the best of the season's lighthearted spirit, while the favorite colors are black and white with pops of brights instead of traditional warm-weather pastels.
However, scores of designers have yet to preview their lines before the shows wind up Friday, so there's room for other trends to show up on the catwalks.
• Marc Jacobs: Jacobs previewed his desert-colored collection around an oasis he created in a Manhattan armory that was filled to capacity Monday.
Many of the models had on baggy genie pants. They worked when worn with an off-the-shoulder silk jersey T-shirt and thick sash but came off as cartoonish with a smock coat.
A tulle tweed bomber jacket in cream with a cashmere tank and jeans was a wearable outfit, and a dressier bomber with rows of white tulle and a black ribbon around the neck worn with tuxedo-style tulip pants passed as a black-tie look, especially for the designer's edgier fans.
In fact, some of Jacobs' best looks were the fanciest: A silver-blue sequin-covered dress had surprising movement for a beaded dress, and a red sequined polo paired with linen shorts that looked like a full skirt split in half certainly was fashion-forward — something the crowd has come to expect from Jacobs.
Other standouts included an ombre dress that went from a white neckline to a black hemline and a strapless appliqued jumpsuit with those genie bottoms. It sounds kookier than it looked.
• Luca Luca: The high points of Luca Orlandi's collection were the feminine dresses he is known for. An emboidered tulle and eyelet dress in white dotted with red was soft and delicate. A long, black organza dress had an outer layer of gold bursts and an under layer of dots and was something special.
A strapless white gown that had a black tie around the bust floated down the runway.
But Orlandi also showed some too-big, too-baggy, too-unflattering tent-style dresses.
• Proenza Schouler: "Young" and "sophisticated" aren't terms you often hear together, but when you're talking about Proenza Schouler, the words are a natural pair.
Their runway was a parade of sexy stripes Monday afternoon. Tight skirts alternated horizontal panels of color; the most noteworthy one had rows of yellow, white and gray beads. It might not be easy to wear, but it was beautiful to look at.
It was the same thing with the bra-style tank tops, which have become one of Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough's signatures.
The great coats were another story. The quilted black swing coat — which was also offered as a cropped jacket — could be worn by women of different ages, shapes and styles as long as they have a thick wallet.
Among those applauding at the end of the show were Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher.
• Oscar de la Renta: De la Renta is a favorite of first ladies past and present, and for spring 2007, he seemed to have Jacqueline Kennedy on his mind.
The shift dresses and portrait-collar skirt suits seen in his show were shapes rooted in the early 1960s, yet de la Renta kept them modern with interesting fabrics and embroidery. One recurring print was a Georgia O'Keeffe-style floral, sometimes in bright red, other times in bright blue.
It could have been a coincidence that the first few outfits on the runway were in red, white and blue, but in his notes, de la Renta acknowledged that his show was taking place on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
"Five years ago today, as I was preparing for the opening of the spring show, tragedy struck us all. Today, we honor the memory of those who died. As I present this collection, I still strongly believe in the spirit of America and the great generosity of its people," he wrote.
Embroidery is de la Renta's hallmark — and he didn't disappoint. A navy-and-white embroidered dress, a yellow embroidered ballgown and a form-fitting, cream-colored embroidered-lace gown had that de la Renta touch.
Bubble skirts are another de la Renta hallmark, but he probably should have skipped them this time; they were too pouffy, too dramatic and seemed out of place.
• Carolina Herrera: For a designer who wrote in her notes to ignore the trends and dress for personal pleasure, Herrera hit many spring themes head on — but with a difference. Her trench coat — a feminine one in a black-and-white floral — captured the mood for next spring yet would be just as lovely many years down the road. And she freshened up toile by inserting tiny faces of Marilyn Monroe into the usually stately print.
A short shift in a red-and-white hydrangea jacquard fabric could be worn anywhere and anytime, and a beige eyelet strapless sundress with a hint of metallic shine could be the "go-to" dress of the season because of its flexibility, wearability and elegance. Herrera also included a series of dresses made from rows of embroidered ribbons in a triangular pattern that was completely unique.
• Max Azria: With his new signature collection, Azria tried to walk a fine line between cool and casual. Sometimes it worked — as with a striped button-front dress in a breezy purple-and-white gauze with embroidered pockets — but even breezy summertime dresses need shape and some of Azria's didn't have any. Others, while intentionally wrinkled, were too wrinkled to wear anywhere but the beach. —Agencies