Olympus Fashion Week Reviews - The Best Collections for Spring 2007

The end of Fashion Week feels a bit like a hangover after a long bender; you know there were many enjoyable moments from the past few days and nights but they're blurring together in a slightly confused haze. The Spring 2007 collections displayed in New York at Olympus Fashion Week provided plenty of fun, excitement and impressive designs, but the sheer number of shows can bewilder any observer. If you tried to follow all the shows, here's a hangover cure: a summary of the most acclaimed shows that stood out from the crowd with unique creativity and fabulous style.

Anna Sui

Although it was one of the later shows at Fashion Week, Anna Sui's collection made a big splash as one of the most exhilarating of the entire event. Sui channeled the punk rock look of the '80s into a bold yet feminine style. Animal prints, loud stripes and colorful paisley decorated babydoll dresses and bubble skirts, all with high hemlines. Yet peeking crinolines and netting softened the screaming patterns and colors. Ripped fishnet tights and crescent-shaped, pirate-style hats exuded toughness, but they were offset by ruffles, eyelet fabrics and rosettes on skirts and dresses. Erin Skrypek of fashionwiredaily.com captured the contrasts, maintaining, "Wild is what Sui does, but peel away the punk rock styling and in Spring 2007, you'll be able to see her softer side." Chunky necklaces and shredded fabrics contributed to the urban punk look, but Sui's collection showed an unmistakable femininity as well as a hardened edge.

Marc Jacobs

With a playful and poetic setting of a bright green, meandering runway amidst a blue "sea" of candy, Marc Jacobs' show was destined for distinction even before the first model appeared. His clothes matched the dreamy surroundings and were hailed as a beautiful departure from his classic grunge-inspired style. Creamy whites and beiges dominated the color scheme, and while white was the most prevalent color for spring, his use of it was called "maybe the best of all" by Amy Larocca and Harriet Mays Powell of New York Magazine. His collection created delicate, draped layers using mesh, lace, gauze and even light cashmere for tops, skirts and dresses. Pastels, metallics and touches of black punctuated the show with drama, while his t-shirt dresses epitomized class and comfort. The defining look of this collection, however, was his harem pants, which were reminiscent of MC Hammer. These puffy pants transformed the bubble trend so popular for spring and resulted in a relaxed yet inventive style. Described as "wonderfully exotic yet also downtown credible," by Godfrey Deeny of fashionwiredaily.com, Jacobs' collection exemplified the best of the Spring 2007 trends.

Vera Wang

Intense and refined: these are the words that best summarize Vera Wang's collection from Olympus Fashion Week. Dark colors dominated the clothes, capturing the designer's somber mood. (Her father passed away the morning of the show.) Black, dark gray and navy shimmered in metallic fabrics, while layered blouses and tops in netting and chiffon created an airy texture. An array of skinny pants and bubble skirts kept this collection in tune with the general spring trends, but Wang introduced styles of her own. Wrap sweaters over tunics and lots of tulle skirts and accents gave it a balletic feel, and her floor length gowns, always her specialty, were gorgeously elegant. A glistening, light gold dress was particularly lovely. As Nicole Phelps of Style.com succinctly stated, "it all looked beautiful."

Diane von Furstenberg

Entitled "All About Eve," this collection certainly embodied the visceral quality inherent in the tale of the first woman. The show opened with her classic wrap dresses but also displayed relaxed shapes like tunics and smocks. There was a form and style for every woman in this presentation. Bright colors and patterns, from black to fuchsia to gold and every color in between, infused the entire collection with vividness. Chiffon slipdresses, playful oversized prints and well-placed pieces in bright white were also included in the show. Deeny claimed this collection "captured DVF's strengths of elegant simplicity and classy panache." Those attributes were present in a large variety of categories: shift dresses, floor-length gowns, bubble skirts, tight leggings and even raincoats, which debuted at this show. With a range of pieces and hot trends, like bubble skirts and layers, while still standing out in bold colors, the DVF show defined the creativity and excitement of Fashion Week.

Philip Lim

Philip Lim was a rather unknown quantity since this was his first-ever runway presentation, but he definitely impressed the veterans. His entire collection was white, except for two metallic blue dresses and two floral pieces. White was the defining color of Spring 2007, and Lim's show captured this trend with stark purity. He also juxtaposed simplicity and complexity, like a basic shirtdress embellished with rosettes and a sheer ruffled blouse over slim slacks. The whole collection displayed Lim's versatility as a designer by using a range of shapes and styles, including t-shirt dresses, strapless dresses, jackets, pants and vests. Although it's impossible to predict if he can continue this success, he made an excellent debut with this fluid and elegant show. Phelps maintained, "More so than most young designers working today, Lim knows how fashionable women want to dress."

While Olympus Fashion Week was filled with beautiful collections and inspired designs, these aforementioned designers truly embodied the best that New York's fashion world had to offer. An elegant and exciting spring awaits!