The bodysuit made famous by Donna Karan made a comeback on the runway in the strong fall 2011 BCBG collection, where sheer white turtleneck versions were layered under long crepe dresses with pleated or paneled details.

Earth tones were broken up with flashes of the "emberglow" orange Pantone has named as one of the top 10 colors for this round of shows.

Obviously, the Los Angeles-based contemporary label designed by Max Azria caught the 1970s fever we saw on the runways for spring. The long looks were grounded with hard clutches and great-looking high boots with chunky heels.

But will women really go long? Not one of Azria's front-row starlets (Kelly Rowland, Taraji Henson, Ashanti etc.) was wearing anything below mid-thigh.

"Sometimes, it's more sexy to wear long," the designer said backstage. "And some women have problems with their legs."

Not these ladies, Max.

-- Booth Moore

Photo gallery of the BCBG 2011 fall runway collection

Photo top: Looks from the BCBG runway collection shown during Fashion Week in New York. Credit: Associated Press and, last photo, Stan Honda / AFP/Getty Images

Photo bottom: Clutch bags and boots form the BCBG runway collection. Credit: Associated Press

 

As the New York Fashion Week schedule grinds on, it's easy to let some of the earlier show coverage slip through the cracks and often one can get to the point where the potential blog posts and trend coverage are queued up in the brain, waiting patiently like planes on the tarmac at JFK.

The spring-summer 2011 BCBG Max Azria runway collection, which showed in the Lincoln Center tents on Sept. 10, was one we didn't want to slip away unmentioned. Effortless, weightless, timeless -- pick your "-less" and you could find it in this easy, breezy roundup of versatile dresses that ranged from a silk seersucker dress that nearly touched the floor, to a one-shouldered crepe dress that grazed the top of the thigh.

But the one thing they all shared was a kind of fluidity; the lightweight silk and linen pieces --- some laser-cut ...

At Herve Leger, bandage dresses are pretty much all that's ever on offer. This season, Max and Lubov Azria tricked out the second skin garments with sporty lacing details, or Mugler-esque tail fin pleats at the hips, which struck a futuristic sci-fi note that could play well with the Rihanna/Beyoncé rock-star type.

-- Booth Moore in New York

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Photos: Herve Leger's fall 2010 show in New York. Credit: Peter Stigter and Jonas Gustavsson / For The Times

The urban tribal aesthetic we saw last season at Proenza Schouler and Balenciaga is starting to turn up in the fall collections in New York this week.

First, it was at BCBG Max Azria on Thursday morning, where neutral-colored, draped silk dresses in geometric cuts were shot through with blocks of vibrant blue and yellow.

And it continued at Cynthia Rowley, where models had bright color woven into their hair and the band Preacher and the Knife struck a tribal beat.

 
From edgy to ethereal, these hair and makeup looks from New York’s Spring 2010 runways shows were some of the most inspiring or wearable.

Rodarte’s dark and webby dresses called for a hairstyle that was just as intricate.  This may not be one to try at home, but the style was full of texture and looked almost sculpted.

Hair stylist Odile Gilbert created something daring enough to rival the Rodarte sister’s futuristic creations.

Keep reading to find out how she got the look:

Not since the Olsen twins’ merch first hit Wal-Mart shelves has the store been affiliated with such a dynamic design duo. Miley Cyrus is partnering with Max Azria to do a clothing line for Wal-Mart. The pop star is reaching to her “rock 'n' roll roots” and turning out a collection of tops, pants, T-shirts, shoes and accessories all priced under $20 and available in Wal-Mart stores in August.

Along with housing the teen star’s new line of clothing, Wal-Mart will sponsor the “Miley Cyrus Live in Concert” tour -- which makes sense since Cyrus is one of the store’s highest-selling recording artists.

The line will probably sell like crazy to tween girls who've worshiped Cyrus from her wigged days as Hannah Montana. They should start calling the place Miley-Mart.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

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Photo: Wal-Mart’s newest design duo: Miley Cyrus, left, and Max Azria. Photo credit: Wal-Mart

I can't stop thinking about the blue Max Azria dress Angelina Jolie wore to the SAG awards over the weekend--you know, the one she had the fashion daring to wear backward, revealing her ink instead of her cleavage? She's worn Azria's gowns to several big events, including Cannes and the VH1 Critic's Choice Awards. Although certainly not inexpensive, his designs are accessible (Max Azria is the runway collection counterpart to BCBG), which seems right for right now. The ink-blue silk georgette SAG awards dress ships in March and will cost $798.

Jolie is one of the few celebrities who has developed a signature red carpet look -- drapey, goddess-like dresses that show off her tattooed shoulders, natural hair, minimal makeup and jewelry. Some have criticized the look as dowdy, but I would call it self-aware.

Jolie has to know how difficult it is to take her seriously with all the tabloid drama that follows her around. Which might have something to do with her no-nonsense style. She's using clothing to control her image, telling us she's transcended fashion and won't be at the whims of whatever designer or jeweler happens to be the highest bidder. What she will do is experiment with styling tricks, surprising us by wearing something in a different way, backward even. (Hey, there's a reason Little Edie from "Grey Gardens" became a creative muse for the ages by wearing a tea towel on her head.) That alone sets Jolie apart from the starlet pack, giving her integrity as an actress and mother, instead of just a mannequin.

And even if she didn't know she was wearing the dress backward, something tells me she doesn't really care anyway.

What do you think of Angelina Jolie's style?

-- Booth Moore

Photo: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

Hurricane Hanna hit New York on Saturday, the rain came in sheets, and still the glossy editors wore their stiletto sandals and booties, God bless 'em. Me, I wore my Havaiana flip-flops and almost lost one when I stepped into a puddle up to my ankles trying to steal a cab ahead of the teetering flock on the corner of 21st and 10th Avenue.

Luckily, trucking around in the soggy weather was worth it. The shows have been good, and from the handful I have seen, it seems to be all about the body for spring. Maybe it’s the Olympics, or fashion's
never-ending love affair with the 1980s, but skin is in; skirts are short and tight.

Up-and-comer Alexander Wang has got the look down like nobody else. His show was in a garage-like space with concrete floors that his helpers sprinkled with water to create that hot and sweaty after-a-night-of-partying vibe. They needn’t have bothered. We could have all just shaken out our umbrellas.

Wang's collection was raunchy and fun -- an awesome mishmash of sportswear and the street, with a touch of "Miami Vice" in the form of neon pinks and aqua blues. Crockett and Tubbs ARE due for a fashion comeback. And I loved the quote he put in his show notes: “Anyone can get all dressed up and glamorous, but it is how people dress for their off days that is the most intriguing.”