Celine

PARIS, October 4, 2007
By Nicole Phelps
Ivana Omazic may finally have figured out how to rebrand a label that didn't have much of an identity to begin with: Keep it simple. In the past, she's resorted to various gimmicks—accessories overload, tiger prints, transparency (OK, she might've been onto something there). But for Spring, these were all swept away. In their place was an unfussy focus on cut and shape.

Her two motifs were whaleboning and crinolines, both given a high-tech, twenty-first-century spin. The first appeared on the outside of a deep V-neck dress, a zip-front jacket, and a T-shirt sweater, decorating and nipping the waist, and creating interesting yet subtle volumes at the upper back. The second, crinolines, gave undulating movement to swingy jersey skirts and dresses that would have otherwise hung flat. Silver necklaces that doubled as straps for maillots and dresses displayed a similar appreciation of a woman's contours.

If there's a caveat to Omazic's new, streamlined approach, it could be that it's too quiet for the competitive runways of Paris. Now that she's established a solid foundation, her next challenge will be to build on it.