After her fall show, with its simple materials, pared-down shapes and erudite poetic references, Behnaz Sarafpour could easily have been labeled an egghead designer. But her expanded spring collection showed she's not looking to spend her Saturday nights in the library.
Yes, Sarafpour has an intellectual bent, demonstrated this time by a group of distinctly Japanese, crisp black-and-white wool minidresses that wrapped and tied intriguingly. But she also demonstrated a playful side, via canvas jeans, dresses and miniskirts hand-painted with chromatic bursts of color, and gold chain-link vests worn over washed silk separates (shades of Paco Rabanne). A couple of smartly cut canvas pieces with generous patch pockets traced their American sportswear heritage directly back to Bonnie Cashin.
She may not be a bookworm, but Sarafpour has clearly taken one famous motto to heart. With a mere 25 looks, her finely edited show left the smiling audience convinced that brevity is indeed the soul of wit.
