Like any designer who counts customers (from buyers on Seventh Avenue to browsers on Main Street), Tracy Reese had more than artistic vision to consider when designing her Spring collection. "I asked myself, 'What does a woman really need in her wardrobe right now?' " she said before the show. " 'And how do we make these clothes more versatile?' "
Her solution was to temper the girly separates with sportier elements. Working in a cheery palette of tangerine, cerulean, and lemon inspired by the painter Pierre Bonnard, she added elastic hems to skirts, for example, and paired jackets with bright side-zip leggings. For the girl who just can't justify the purchase of another dress to be worn only once or twice, Reese put together a slew of mix-and-match options with enough special details to keep things interesting.
