L.A.M.B.

NEW YORK, September 5, 2007
By Nicole Phelps
Gwen Stefani was back on the runway tonight after a two-year absence. She spent most of that time caring for a newborn and touring the world, but somewhere along the line she got serious about fashion, too. Her debut, for those with short memories, was nothing short of cacophonous—one part Orange County chola girl, another part Rasta, to the tune of The Sound of Music. This show was far more harmonious. Stefani's references are still rooted in sound, specifically the ska bands that were an early inspiration for her group No Doubt. But the collection, which looked like the sixties as seen by someone who grew up in the eighties, was altogether more wearable and on trend.

Highlights included a fitted green sweater and long checked pencil skirt punctuated by a wide, bright-yellow belt; a short shift in gray leopard-print sequins over a matching bow-front silk blouse; and a black-and-white picnic-plaid strapless dress with a swirling skirt. If some of it—a one-shoulder dress encased in black mesh, for instance—resembled what we saw on last season's runways, so be it. All of it looked like Stefani. For the legions of fans who attend her sold-out shows and make her L.A.M.B. bags such hot eBay commodities, there's no better advertisement.