NEW YORK, Sep 22, 2002/ FWD/ --- There weren't any literal stars or stripes in Donna Karan's signature collection presented in the designer's showroom Friday afternoon, but a patriotic mood was evident throughout.

Even before the first model came out, the partisan atmosphere was apparent in the program notes.

Coats were "fit for a new First Lady," looks "celebrated America's spirit," and the clothes themselves "pay homage to women who make America strong."

Nobody came out waving flags, but the whole collection, which, by the way, was a coherent one with plenty of winning and wearable clothes, harkened back to the post-World-War-2 era when there was a unified national opinion of what America stood for and where it should be heading.

Karan opened with a gal in drum majorette style black canvas shirts and shaped jacket, and finished with a selection of polka dot dresses reminiscent of Pearl Harbor.

This is not to say that Karan's clothes looked old -- far from it.

Judged by silhouette, sex appeal, detailing and color choice this was a strong, modern season for Karan, who strode out beaming at show's end, still limping slightly from her ski accident.

What were freshest were the broad-shouldered jackets in fine jersey and corded crepe, the slinky jumpsuits, wrap dresses in a liquid polka dot that were snazzy yet authoritative and a wonderful stretch linen dress with Kandinsky-like print.

Out went the spiritual ruminations of recent Donna Karan seasons; in came the search for certainties in a nosediving economy.

In truth, Donna's aesthetic is fully in line with the retro trend sweeping American fashion as designers look back to the '50s, and a post-hippie world devoid of major cultural divisions.

With the U.S. poised to go further into an "open-ended" war, those days seem like rosy ones indeed.

Donna Karan

Donna Karan