Luella Bartley is not one to dawdle. She gets a feeling for a season, she puts it on the runway, and then… bang, she's onto the next thing. Case in point: While her spring collection was packed with bubbly, body-conscious fashions inspired by athletics, fall's line is aimed at serious urban hipsters who have the lyrics to "Clash City Rockers" committed to memory.
In a season where clothes are getting shorter and tighter, Bartley pulled a 180, showing supersize boyfriend jackets over ripped-up Levis, generous overcoats and full-cut pinstripe trousers with platform winkle pickers. (There were, admittedly, some slimmer looks, like fitted sweaters and knit dresses ornamented with big toothy zippers, and slim knit pants tucked into socks.) Lest anyone forget that she has a taste for fine things, Bartley added some luxury pieces, like an army duffle coat augmented with fur and worn over a black and gold bias-cut dress. For those seeking traditional sex appeal, meanwhile, there were satin minis and a black pencil skirt cut tight enough to be a girdle. Bartley even has a new handbag line, making it possible for loyal customers to carry a piece of the designer's inimitable aesthetic at all times.
