NEW YORK, September 13, 2010

Alexandre Herchcovitch is no stranger to color. In fact, you could say that color is more like a trusted and reliable family member in the Brazilian designer's house. For Spring, he approached it in a pure way, making it his sole focus. The show began with dresses in single hues—intense Kelly green and fuchsia amid black and peach. Each look was a full study in monochrome, from a swirl of paint in the hair to lips to shoes.

Herchcovitch then gently worked up to blending in Mondrian-esque pixelated squares, which were pieced together, not printed, along with dégradé washes. The sole print looked like big splotches of paint, but worked nicely in a pastel palette. The boxy coats and jackets, stand-away dresses, and cigarette pants had a sixties vein running through them. This felt very ladylike and elegant—particularly after last season's punk-babushka mash-up—even as it walloped the audience with its strong visual impact. How will this collection appeal to the hipsterati who filled the show and keep the buzz around Herchcovitch's name?

It's unclear, but you can thank this confident vision for bringing some brightness to the neutral-heavy week.

Authorship : By Meenal Mistry

BEACH STYLE

Female writers and their fashionable expressions

Writers and fashion! Some pieces on this page are designed by female writers. The swimwear and sandal wedges are the creations by a fashion editor of 'Elle' magazine, and the bag with the Mae West quote about the self-image of a woman and how it is constructed out of her relationship to men, is designed by a female who has released her knowledge about the 'Ex' even as a book.

Fashionoffice collected some additional pieces for a beachwear style like a shark teethes ring, sunglasses in coral form, and a sun protective stick from a line that was founded by a female pioneer of the beauty business in 1930.

fig.:

Sunglasses MJ 369/S in organic coral form by Marc Jacobs, SS2011.

Swimsuit with stripes and bikini in khaki by Tila March for La Redoute, SS2011. Photo: Lou Doillon (daughter of Jane Birkin) photographed by her sister Kate Barry; (C) La Redoute. Tila March (founded 2006) is the label by 'Elle'- fashion editor Tamara Taichmann, who has created for this summer beachwear and accessories for the French online retailer La Redoute.

Shark ring in yellow gold by US designer Luis Morais, seen in April 2011. Luis Morais began designing in 2000, because he couldn't get what he wants.

Shopping bag in yellow by Los Angeles based designer, author of a book about 'Ex', and mother of four children Heather Belle, seen in April 2011. The text on the bag - front and back, beginning with "I used to be Snow White, but I drifted... It’s not the men in my life that count, it’s the life in my men." is a quotation by the American actress, writer, and sex symbol Mae West (1893 - 1980). You can read the full text from the bag on Heather Belle's website heatherbelleco.com.

High-protective sun defense Stick (SPF 50) 'Eight Hour Cream' by Elizabeth Arden, comes in May 2011 into shops. The stick is developed to protect the skin on lips, nose, ears; for all skin types.

Sandal wedges in camel and black with metal closure in vintage look by Tila March pour La Redoute, SS2011.