NEW YORK, February 4, 2007 – To open, Erin Fetherston asked her friend Zooey Deschanel to croon the jazz standard “Dream a Little Dream of Me”—a fitting gesture for a clothing line with a misty, otherworldly quality that can scarcely be written about without the use of the word ethereal.

Inspired by the George Méliès film The Eclipse, a slightly kooky, turn-of-the-century vision of outer space, Fetherston dubbed her Fall collection “Wandering Stars.” She twisted the night-sky motif into delicately sparkling tulles, floaty chiffons beaded with tiny stars, and jacquard patterned with bright silver moons. A silver satin coat with a padded collar captured both the space-age and romantic leanings of the show, as did the sequined cloches worn throughout.

Though Fetherston revisited many of last season's silhouettes (like the love-it-or-hate-it romper, the bell skirt, and the puff-sleeved princess gown), she says she is experiencing a touch of trapeze fatigue. As a panacea, she nipped wool jackets and dresses in at the waist, then flared them out to a ruffle. It wasn’t groundbreaking, but it was nice to see an attempt at newness. Though the collection occasionally ventured toward the less-sophisticated side of girlish with a couple of Lurex pieces, it was a solid effort that will keep the growing Fetherston fan base more than happy.

– Meenal Mistry