Jill Stuart played to her girlish base for Spring with a collection of floaty dresses that jetéd straight from the world of the ballerina. Though Stuart has been known to get a little saccharine at times, there were, thankfully, no tutus here. Instead, the designer seemed inspired by a sort of ad hoc rehearsing-the-dancer look, with leggings worn under layered, fluttery chiffon dresses, and strips of tulle knotted around wrists and ankles. Garçon jackets worn over dresses also worked to ground the collection's dreamy quality and inject a bit of edge. Stuart pushed her theme with harem pants, the best worn casually with a drapey cardigan and jersey top. The look reminded some of Marc Jacobs a few seasons ago, but if ever there were a time to propose a tricky pant, it's now. It may be a silly cliché to think that every woman wanted to be a ballerina as a little girl, but we're guessing that Stuart will sell to a few who really did.
