Diane von Furstenberg is nothing if not a savvy businesswoman, but for Spring she had pleasure in mind. She dubbed her show Under the Volcano and in her program notes said it was about "the fantasy of escaping to exotic islands, and the wilder shores of love." And why not? Every working girl needs a vacation—and a vacation wardrobe. That's exactly what von Furstenberg delivered, to the exclusion of much else. There were T-shirts and wrap skirts in an oversize abstract butterfly print, a sack dress beaded with beach glass at the neckline, a tent gown in sunset hues, and a plunge-front maillot for good measure. In keeping with the escapist theme, Spring was an explosion of color and pattern.
But should her fans need to take a meeting, she did offer a few suits, although they were hardly of the pinstripe variety. One short-sleeved white linen safari jacket was paired with full trousers, and another in a raucous print on raw silk came with a matching full skirt. If you have to be in the boardroom, von Furstenberg seemed to be saying, you may as well be the center of attention.
