Doo.Ri

NEW YORK, September 7, 2007
By Nicole Phelps
If Doo-Ri Chung isn't this year's news—she'll pass the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund mantle to a new winner in two months—she isn't about to fade quietly into obscurity, either. Continuing to push beyond her "jersey girl" beginnings, she showed a strong Spring collection that balanced her proven draping skills with razor-sharp, yet still feminine, tailoring. Banded, high-waisted pants full through the leg were key to the sophisticated mood. She paired them with an organza blouse over a knit bustier or, more simply, an asymmetrical top. Ivory jacquard shorts in the same torso-hugging silhouette were teamed with a deep navy shirt with delicate mesh at the shoulders.

For evening, there was more of that netting, encasing entire dresses or covering a crystal-studded bodice or hem. It seemed like Chung was experimenting with ideas of positive and negative space, but some of the nipped-waist cocktail dresses came off as over-thought and overworked. The most compelling pieces were the most spare: a sleeveless and boxy black-silk pajama top with sheer overlays, worn with the briefest of walking shorts; a lavender organza shirt with princess sleeves worn with a full knit skirt. The satin organza gowns with which Doo.Ri closed the show suggest there may just be a minimalist underneath all those other extras.