Style.com

Anne Klein

NEW YORK, February 9, 2007
By Laird Borrelli
Anne Klein was a pioneer of American sportswear who, in the seventies, pushed the idea (it's hard to believe it was ever rebellious) of mix-and-match separates for a workforce of women heading to the office in Charlie, and to Elaine's in a blazer and slacks.

This season marked the debut of the much-admired Isabel Toledo as the designer of the brand with the lion's-head logo, and there was a palpable feeling of goodwill in the room. If the collection didn't come out roaring, it did purr along apace, with solid pieces like a navy cashmere cardigan with an asymmetrical closure and a camel robe coat.

The Klein DNA was most directly obvious in a suede tunic and pant. Toledo's concept for Fall was "couture haberdashery," and it was well captured by several pleated dresses and a red cord coat-dress with a peplum. The sophistication of these looks perhaps spoke more to Toledo's own refined aesthetic than to Klein's more emphatically casual one. "I feel like a scientist in a lab," Toledo joked of her alchemical attempts to create new Anne Klein gold. Her debut can be seen as a useful experiment, with the promise of new invention to come.

Follow us on Twitter

Loading...

Style File Blog

may 24, 2012

Shopping alert

On Our Radar: Dalila Barkache

05:05 PM
You might have already caught jewelry designer Dalila Barkache (and her exquisite taste in clothes...

Trend tracking

Tropic Thunder

02:05 PM

more from the style file blog ›
Subscribe to Style.com today!