This season, BCBG’s Lubov Azria took her cues from Elvis Presley, both during his star-spangled Vegas era as well as the Nashville country music scene where he began his career. Azria’s interpretation of the King’s jumpsuit—shortening it into one of the most popular cuff cuts of the year, the cropped flare—was a perfect choice for right now. The length showed up in several pieces, including a ranchero-type denim jumpsuit and red cotton twill pants with studded seams. Azria’s dress shapes also looked like wearable hits. In addition to her signature baby doll frocks and long, sweeping bohemian silhouettes, there was a denim take on Spring’s runway mainstay, the slip dress, Azria’s fabric choice lending a welcome dash of durability to the typically slinky item.
Elsewhere there was plenty of BCBG’s favorite adornment: fringe. Eyelash fringe traced a red varsity stripe on a pair of sleek wide-leg track pants, while nubby bits of the decoration outlined a huge star on a white sweater, eventually scattering down the arms to hang off the sleeve edges in mini tassels. For a jolt of movement, long, hairlike fringe was tacked onto the arms of a star print dress—an ode to Elvis’s fringed white jumpsuit. While some of the adornments had a little too much of that Sin City flash, the subtler nuances were easier to imagine making the leap into customers’ closets. Tiny nods to cowboy garb like the saddle-stitched front pleats on white cropped flares and the smile pockets (and slit sleeves) on collared shirts weren’t hokey, but rather a cool update on staple pieces.
