Travel often inspires Lubov Azria, and a recent trip to Barcelona conjured images of Catalan artist Joan Miró's surrealist mosaics. "We were inspired by the playfulness of his work and the use of color," said the designer. Azria riffed on those pieced-together works, printing vintage lace dresses and embroidering cotton jacquard blazers and skirts. She also worked hard to emphasize the push-pull between masculine and feminine ideas. An oversize bomber jacket, for instance, was done in black satin with a lace accent, while a strapless military-pocket dress was worn over a blousy crocheted top. Azria has a way of tapping into trends without being super-obvious about it. This collection made good use of skirts worn over trousers and bohemian flutter dresses, two looks that could have read as overdone if they had not been so deftly handled.
