Flare, punk, pastels mix in fall fashion

NEW YORK -- Next fall, expect to see a lot of classic lines accentuated by 60's and 80's inspired details. These features and more are the centerpieces of designer collections presented at "7th On Sixth," a twice-a-year fashion extravaganza taking place in New York through Feb. 14.\nSince its creation in 1993, "7th On Sixth" has produced over 1000 designer shows. "7th On Sixth" was originally formed by the Council of Fashion Designers of America to organize, centralize and modernize the American Collections and provide a platform for American designers to become players in the global fashion business. \nIt was the first organization in America to offer designers a comprehensive program of state-of-the-art venues, along with an experienced production team dedicated to carrying out their individual visions, optimizing exposure through a wide variety of marketing benefits and advertising opportunities. \nThis year's Fall 2003 showcase features 70 American designers, who present their collections for spectators from around the world.\nKENNETH COLE\nDespite the early start -- 7 a.m. -- Friday saw a large turnout for the Kenneth Cole show. Kenneth Cole's collections always seem to stick to the basics, and still give people what they want. This year, the look was 60s mod with a dash of apresski. Many enjoyed the show and the idea behind the 'wearable designs'. \n"I thought it was great, and I liked that it was very wearable," said Susannah Cahn, fashion editor at Seventeen magazine.\nThe collection included a limited range of colors: black, gray, and white with splashes of green and yellow. The women's line included grey miniskirts with thick white stripes down the side; velvet trousers paired with a bubble vest and micro-stretch turtleneck, along with a gray and brown velvet miniskirt and jumper ensemble. The show also featured velvet blazers, chrome zippers on skirts, garments decorated with black and white color blocks, green scarves, and knee-high Chelsea boots in silver and black. The women's suit featured a short jacket with flare-legged pants in beige.\n"I like Kenneth Cole -- I like the white and black," said Oksana Bayul, Olympic figure skater, who attended the show. "I like it because it's all wearable."\nThe men wore slim-fitted denim and black paired with sweater-vests of the same colors. Cotton pinstripe shirts with green, blue, or black ties took prevalence. A model wearing white twill pants with a white belt constituted the surprise of the show. Once again, the 60s theme ran throughout the show -- the suits were 60s inspired with short jackets, skinny blue or black pants, and cotton shirts of the same colors. \n"I like his interpretation of the 60s," Cahn said. \nLUELLA BARTLEY\nFor her fall 2003 collection, designer Luella Bartley took a different approach. The theme was 80s punk-rock with a mix of Upper Eastside preppy. \n"The show as very British Punk, but vintage Armani at the same time," said Santa Versace, a freelance stylist, who attended the Bartley show.\nThe preeminent style was baggy. Models wore wornout baggy jeans paired with oversized bomber jackets. Other items featured at the show included worn-out overalls with striped black and white long-sleeved shirts, as well as pink satin pants with collared shirts and ties.\n"The look was young and fun," said Alev Aktar, fashion editor at the New York Daily News. "It looked like menswear tailored for girls."\nBartley used pink and black almost exclusively in her designs, tailoring traditional menswear articles for women. The show featured knee-length skirts in pink and black; black leather dresses with knee-high boots; scarves tightly wound around the neck with a knot in the back, and pleather semi-circle bags. \n"In a nutshell, it was borrowing your boyfriend's clothes," Bartley said.\nThe collection projected a fun and spontaneous image. \n"I was completely inspired by London," Bartley said.\nNICOLE MILLER\nOne of the most anticipated shows was Sunday's Nicole Miller show. Filled to capacity with spectators, the show featured classic lines in classic colors. \nThe color palette was limited to olive green, wine and black. The prevailing look was tight knee-length skirts and fitted dresses with antique gold beading or pintucks on the bodice and sleeves. The coats -- also with tucks -- were ankle-length parkas with fur trim on the collar and cuffs and came in purple and green. The accompanying boots included black knee-highs with thigh-high stockings underneath. The pants were mostly wide-leg and cuffed in tuxedo style.\n"I do a lot of vintage shopping, so I was really into the antique beading and feminine cuts," said actress Rosario Dawson.\nALICE ROI\nSunday's Alice Roi show presented one of the most colorful collections. The color scheme was pastel pinks, purples, blues and whites. The 80s inspired look projected a feminine image.\n"I thought it was wild," said Stephanie March from TV's "Law and Order, SVU." "It was very colorful and eighties inspired."\nThe skirts were puffy and short, paired with cashmere turtlenecks and woolen men's shirts. The dresses were mostly of the silk halter variety with puffy skirts worn over fitted trousers. Silk taffeta and organza blouses paired with fitted pintuck pants as well as full length skirts with horizontal metallic stripes in blue, gold and black were the show's highlights. \nFor her designs, Roi also used men's shirts with pink plaid and hands tooth. To add an interesting spin to her designs, Roi dressed her models in thigh-high black boots, creating a mix of girly and business casual. \nToday's shows include Bill Blass, Anne Klein, Marc Jacobs and Ecko.