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Jill Stuart's Sensual Vision
Written by: Eri Kim
Photos by: Dimitrios Kambouris-FWD
New York, Sep 21, 2001/ FWD/ --- Jill Stuart presented a quiet, beautiful collection at her showroom Thursday,
drawing on her strength to strike the right balance between girlish and sexy.
After an instrumental rendition of the national anthem opened the small show, attended by buyers and editors
including Vogue's Anna Wintour, models in white lace dresses with ivory insets layered over white leggings and
slips came strolling out.
The silhouette was narrow but the soft fabrics lent a light flow. Stuart's mixing of lace with heavier cotton
jackets and vests saved the looks from being overly romantic or embarrassingly girlish. One outstanding accent
was a pair of lace-up sandals with straps designed as leaves, trailing all the way up the calves. Stuart also
presented Edwardian blouses and jackets, both with high collars and puffy sleeves.
A bit more street were the pastel-hued looks of the next group, like cargo pants with straps around the legs
in soft green or lilac; and baggy flat-front cotton shorts in gray, paired with oversized peasant blouses.
Accessorizing the simple outfits were ethnic-inspired big belts with bells and other ornaments.
Though most of the looks worked with the general theme, some seemed out of place at an otherwise focused
collection: A combination of hot pants with a wool vest and cotton shirt, for instance, looked contrived.
Winners were Stuart's patchwork skirts, blouses and dresses, all flatteringly cut. Instead of going for the
outright hippie look, Stuart chose tiny pastel patchworks around the hems and waist of a skirt or the cleavage
area of a dresses, which were mostly black.
The designer also showed a winning black suit - a little bigger cut, relaxed but sexy. Last was a combination
of a black voile shirt and skirt, which was also worn like a suit. It was the perfect item to close the
collection, full of clothes for the grown-up woman who is a dreamer.
Unlike Stuart's show last season, where the items were neither here nor there, this time the designer hit the
right chord.
Jill Stuart Fashion
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