The two big ideas floating out there in the fashion ether for Resort are ethnic and sport. Derek Lam nailed both of them with a great-looking lineup influenced by a two-and-a-half-week visit to Bhutan and Phuket in March. Lam is a peripatetic traveler and a native Californian, but he's a bona fide New Yorker now, so the tribal and diving motifs were on the subtle side. There was a color-blocked shift inspired by Tibetan prayer flags, a linen skirt embroidered in the manner of a textile Lam picked up in Bhutan, a scarf-print halter dress with Buddhist motifs, and hand-loomed sash belts. Scuba entered the picture via second-skin knits in white or vivid turquoise. Also in the mix: a sleeveless denim tunic with raw edges (denim is de rigueur for Lam) and a racerback tank and parachute pants set that had the look of one of his trademark jumpsuits. Crocodile handbags were new for the season. "The store on Madison was asking for them, so I thought, why not?" he said. Being in touch with what his city girls want is really paying off.
