Spring fashion open days of New York Fashion Week

Spring fashion is beginning to take shape in the opening days of New York Fashion Week however loose that shape may be.

Photo: Spring fashion open days of New York Fashion Week

Flirty frocks are mostly short with swinging hems. Eyelet fabrics embrace the season's lighthearted spirit, while the favorite colors are black and white with pops of brights instead of traditional warm-weather pastels.

However, scores of designers have yet to preview their lines before the shows wind up Friday, so there's room for other trends to show up on the catwalks.

Oscar de la Renta: De la Renta is a favorite of first ladies past and present, and for spring 2007, he seemed to have Jacqueline Kennedy on his mind.

The shift dresses and portrait-collar skirt suits seen in his show Monday were shapes rooted in the early 1960s, yet de la Renta kept them modern with interesting fabrics and embroidery. One recurring print was a Georgia O'Keeffe-style floral, sometimes in bright red, other times in bright blue.

It could have been a coincidence that the first few outfits on the runway were in red, white and blue, but in his notes, de la Renta acknowledged that his show was taking place on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

"Five years ago today, as I was preparing for the opening of the spring show, tragedy struck us all. Today, we honor the memory of those who died. As I present this collection, I still strongly believe in the spirit of America and the great generosity of its people," he wrote.

Embroidery is de la Renta's signature and he didn't disappoint. A navy-and-white embroidered dress, a yellow embroidered ballgown and a form-fitting, cream-colored embroidered-lace gown had that de la Renta touch, reports AP.

Bubble skirts are another de la Renta hallmark, but he probably should have skipped them this time; they were too pouffy, too dramatic and seemed out of place.