DKNY served up stripes in spades for pre-fall. Whether horizontal on a casual jersey tank dress or zigzagging up and down in a chevron pattern on a flared skirt, the graphic lines tapped into the collection's "beach to street" theme. From a fashion standpoint, the most exciting bands here were on the models' shins. Each look was styled with leather gladiator sandals that buckled all the way up to the knee. That shoe hit on arguably the hottest footwear trend from the Spring runways, echoing styles seen at Altuzarra, Versace, and Tom Ford, to name a few. The sandal boot idea may not be new, but DKNY's contemporary customer probably won't mind waiting a few extra months to get the current look for a fraction of the price.
Moving back to the clothes, silk separates in saturated hues like punch pink and cerulean had a pajamalike ease, but felt a little predictable after enjoying several seasons in the spotlight. A slinky sleeveless dress in an abstract animal print reminiscent of camouflage had more of the city grit that is key to DKNY's DNA.
