AP News, September 12th, 2007
You'd think over the last two decades, Tommy Hilfiger had done everything to a navy blue blazer that he could. It is, after all, the staple of his preppy style.
But he showed the New York Fashion Week crowd on Wednesday that he's got a few more tricks up his sleeve.
The first look of his spring collection was a double-breasted women's version in coarse cotton gabardine that was worn over silky pajamas in navy-and-white stripes. (The jury is still out on whether the PJs were sleepwear or '70s-style glam loungewear.)
The jacket, with brass buttons, was a slimmer, more chic version than he offered in the past. He also did a slim-cut, laced-jersey tunic and a double-breasted A-line coat with bracelet-length sleeves _ both in navy.
There were navy jackets for men, too _ the best of which were lined with a retro Palm Beach-map print. The same colorful print was used for a pair of ladies' silk-scarf shorts.
"The spring 2008 collection is inspired by the best in American fashion from the late '60s and early '70s," Hilfiger said in his notes to the stylists, retailers and editors attending one of the last shows after eight days of previews for next spring. "It is a celebration of this country's golden age of American iconic glamour."
Hilfiger said he had Grace Kelly in mind when he updated the shift dress by accessorizing it with a scarf and two-tone heels, and that he aimed for sporty elegance with several outfits with a nautical edge, including a trench coat made from sail cloth.
A striped silk blouse with a ruffled round neck and flutter sleeves, worn with a wrap skirt, did indeed have a seafaring feel, but it was more for a passenger of the luxury Queen Mary 2 ocean liner.
He closed his show _ and essentially Fashion Week _ with two elegant white dresses: one with tuxedo ruffles down the front and one with a bow at the base of an open back.
