By Walter Greene

Youthful energy, color, layers and functional fashion were some of the
key elements that drove designers' offerings for Spring/summer 2013,
during New York fashion week. The art of layering feather-weight
fabrics, giving it volume and fluidity came down the catwalks of most
designers. For the up coming season designers crafted clothes that
celebrated feminine allure. Everywhere there was something soft, flirty
and layered which gave a feminine flair to the garments sthat were
showcased. There is no doubt that the soft flow of feminine dresses and
ensembles will attract the female customers, who are all looking for
some new indulgence come spring/summer 2013.

At Tracy Reese, everyone was bubbling with excitement over Tracy's
dress, that was worn by First Lady Michelle Obama at the Democratic
Convention, just a few days before her showing. This certainly gave the
designer a big boost and she did not hold back in her spring/summer
collection. Known for pretty, elegant and ultra-feminine dresses, Tracy
added a big dose of `sexy' to her collection this season. Vibrant
prints and a clever mixture of fabrics were the order of the day.
Everything was relaxed and had a modern sportswear edge to it. Tracy
said her collection was sporty and feminine, where selections of
African traditional elements were mixed with romance. Her color story
began and ended with foliage inspired greens, cool blues, warm ochre,
tangerine and crimson - all anchored in black, white and versatile
neutrals. Her tribal beading on dresses and pants were outstanding.
Jolts of soft leather, soft serge and stretch crepe fueled the
collection which was light and casual in structure.

Menswear was also very much in focus for spring/summer 2013. The new
manstyle of the season is confident and strong with friendly flows of
color and energy. Menswear designers had a field day with easy fabrics,
jazzy prints and color blocking which took up a major portion of the
men's esthetic. Over at J.Crew, their menswesr designer Frank Muytjens
created a colorful collection of basically simple-to-wear men's
garments for the new season. He said he looked at the works of
Ellsworth Kelly for inspiration. This resulted in great blocks of
color, focusing on modern fabrics and sharp tailoring which appeals to
the global market that J.Crew is going after. The looks shown at his
installation during NY Fashion week were highlighted by bold color
concepts in lilac, teal, sea foam (the new color of the season) and
marigold. Men can look forward to a very colorful season come next
spring.

captions

The girls of Tracy Reese (Roland Hyde photos)

The boys of J.Crew (courtesy style.com)