Color pops out on runways

NEW YORK -- It seems as if designers might have worked through their colorless funk. Those heavy charcoal grays, browns and blacks that have dominated runways for several seasons have been replaced with a mix of lighter, classic neutrals, such as light gray and taupe, and vivid blues, expressive raspberries and blushed pinks.

Merrill Greene, who is the creative director of Stylesight, a company that tracks emerging trends, said designers in the past were feeling the weight of what's going on socially and politically in the world. This fall, especially, is a somber season, with a wide palette of more moody colors, from dark gray to deep magenta, than we've seen in years.

For spring, however, they've moved beyond the powerful influences of the outside world to create a lighter, less serious take on dressing. The colors are fun, with bright pops of cherry red, royal blue, tangerine and lime.

"The spring '08 color palette perfectly reflects the cheerfulness of the season," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. "Stabilizing neutrals combined with pops of brighter colors to create unique, distinctive looks are the basis for a great spring and summer wardrobe."

Still, there are plenty of neutrals on the runways. A pale, silver gray seems to be among the most popular choices. It's one of Pantone's 10 top colors of the season. Each year the company asks designers what colors are dominating their collections and creates the list. What's even more startling is the chances designers are willing to take on color combinations.

Derek Lam mixed lime green and brown in a sweater and slate gray and chocolate brown satin in a dress. Michael Kors did a lemon and lime striped cashmere pullover. And Lacoste did a striped polo using red and turquoise.

Another change is bold wide stripes. No doubt, it's all part of the playfulness for spring. Kors went with preppy pink and green stripes in his vibrant collection of American sportswear. Lacoste, too, was about the stripes in tennis dresses, long sleeve rugby shirts and classic polos. Derek Lam created a dramatic halter dress in navy and bronze stripes.

Some highlights from the weekend shows:

* Michael Kors, who is sold in the Triangle at Vermillion, has been among the most playful so far, likely because so much of his collection, shown Sunday, was wearable, colorful, easygoing sportswear. He called the collection "strident sexy American style with a sporty edge" mixing a little romance and florals with bold stripes and athletic style clothing. That covered a lot of ground, from a lemon and white tennis dress to a luxurious, hand-embroidered gold bullion dress. One of the most fun pieces of the bunch was a rainbow striped silk jersey shift that just oozed spring.

* Diane von Furstenberg also was more carefree than usual, sending out a collection that was like so many others this week -- caught in the duality of relaxed and structured, with flowing dresses and blouses and several suits, including a white linen suit. If you're looking to invest in another DVF wrap or shirt dress for the season, you might want to stock up now. Von Furstenberg, whose signature wraps are sold in the Triangle at stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Scout & Molly's and Beanie + Cecil, included only a few in her spring collection, focusing more on resort island wear. After all, she said her collection was inspired by "an escape to exotic islands."

* Derek Lam took us to new heights with a collection packed with short skirts and sexy, sultry numbers. Stealing the show were silk georgette evening dresses cut daringly short and worn with sheer black stockings with seams running up the back. Lam, whose clothes are sold in the Triangle at Vermillion, still kept the working girl in mind with a tailored navy jersey pantsuit with a short sleeve jacket, a loose-fitted periwinkle blue wrap dress and a simple gray T-shirt dress.