Donna Karan gives strength to womanly clothes

NEW YORK There's more to seduction than skin and sin. Donna Karan's smoldering fall looks, presented Monday at New York Fashion Week, left the audience wanting more after they'd catch a glimpse of bareness from a back-closure keyhole opening or a slit on the back of a skirt.

Otherwise, there was very little that was overtly sexy and that's what was so tantalizing: The clothes draped the models just the right way and were made of slinky-yet-sophisticated fabrics, with touches of soft-looking long-haired shearling. Karan captured strength in the collection, which has emerged as a theme during the fall previews for stylists, editors and retailers, but there was also a womanliness that not every designer has embraced this season.

Strong shoulders, helped by shoulder pads, were contrasted by tightly belted waists, and hemlines ran long.

The crowd that gathered at Karan's downtown studio, who were treated to live piano music by Eric Lewis, included White House social secretary Desiree Rogers, who had one of the best seats in the house next to Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour.

The palette was Karan's favorite dark, rich colors that she says she sees every day in her hometown.

.story-ad {

width: 310px;

float: left;

margin: 0 10px 10px 0;

padding: 4px;

}

- Advertisement -

OAS_AD('x22');

"Embracing a new reality, empowering a woman with strength and security, inspiring her senses, touching her soul ... For me, it begins with reflecting on our core essence, as we forge into the future with creativity and confidence and a renewed love of Manhattan, our city, our home," Karan wrote in her notes.

The overall look worked for day or night, but it was the evening outfits that really stood out, especially a liquid-looking espresso-colored silk-viscose gown with open shoulders and a navy fan-style corset paired with an espresso-silk skirt that moved so easily down the runway.