The New York Yacht Club was a fitting location for Luella Bartley's show, what with the nautical blue-and-white striped sweater, navy blazer complete with family crest, and rope-trimmed short shifts on the runway. One tank dress was even emblazoned with what looked like a white lifesaver on its back. There were also tiny tennis skirts and tight jodhpurs, plus plenty of V-neck sweaters, oxford shirts, and seersucker jackets for lunch after a morning playing doubles. The Luella girl will at least be looking sporty this spring, whether or not she drops anchor or touches a racquet.
It wasn't all fun and genteel games on Bartley's runway. Carmen Kass, for one, worked a black cropped suede jacket and a jet sequined pencil skirt, which appeared later on in emerald green paired inexplicably with a button-down in baby pink. Stovepipe jeans and graphic tees, meanwhile, were inspired by the Velvet Underground and Nico in the late sixties, whose song "Sunday Morning" played on the loudspeakers as the crowd filed in. Bartley's message wasn't exactly incoherent, but it was definitely confusing… and perhaps a little on the young side for her spendy price point. What did look focused, however, were her accessories: spectators, peekaboo patent pumps, high-heel loafers in primary colors with contrasting piping, and of course, her bags. Some came decorated with bright plastic charms to match her gotta-have-one heart-shaped cuffs.
