Perry Ellis's latest show was like a J. Crew catalog on a drunken weekend getaway to Miami. Creative director Jerry Kaye rendered familiar preppy forms in bright hues—mostly tones of lime and pistachio green, and lots of red splashes.
The dressed-up casual looks were generally winners: a mint cashmere cable sweater and light-blue snakeskin belt over a basic white cotton Henley shirt and denim trousers, or a tan printed-check leather jacket with pale-blue cashmere sweater, beige cotton shirt, and khaki trousers. It looked effortless: simple building blocks with luxe touches glimmering through. The South Beach prep school feeling extended to the more formal outfits, the best being a navy cotton vest, blue-and-melon striped shirt with white collar, berry-striped cotton trouser, silver silk tie, and tangerine belt. Over the top? Yes, somewhat—but the fitted silhouette and familiar forms kept it nicely pulled together.
There were some questionable deviations from the theme, like a black linen paisley notch-collar blazer over a white cotton shirt and trouser that evoked a latter-day Hugh Hefner. But the black-and-white and black-on-black looks couldn't dampen the colorful—and cheery—overall message.
