Behnaz Sarafpour

NEW YORK, September 13, 2009
By Meenal Mistry
Behnaz Sarafpour's starting point for Spring was Edward Steichen's iconic lace-veiled portrait of Gloria Swanson. But that's not quite news. In fact, the reference is a sign of Sarafpour circling the wagons around her core aesthetic—a ladylike elegance ever so slightly subverted. On the more literal side, it was an indication that the designer would indulge her abiding love of lace. Sure enough, the stuff was everywhere. It was best seen in a dress of nude lace set into black satin. A shirtdress, however, had inevitable shades of Prada, and a pair of frocks that played the fabric off strips of neon felt somewhat forced. Therein lies the downfall of this collection. At times it seems as if Sarafpour is reaching to evolve her vision in a Goldilocks manner of trying on various trends to see what sticks. There was ample prettiness here, such as a lovely dress with a just-exciting-enough flourish that a woman would love to chance upon at Neiman Marcus. But Sarafpour's foray into trends du jour, like the glam eighties draping or the aforementioned neon, ultimately detracts from the collection's strength.

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