Devi Kroell

NEW YORK, September 14, 2009
By Meenal Mistry
"I don't want to say it's more youthful," said Devi Kroell, surveying the models at her presentation. "Maybe it has more energy." Whatever the exactly appropriate phrasing, what a difference a season makes. After Fall's uptown and slightly stiff look, Kroell's colorful and quirky Spring collection was a welcome breath of fresh air.

The experienced accessories wiz views her ready-to-wear, now in its third season, as an extension of those shoes and bags. Thus she approaches it the same way, focusing on luxe and innovative materials. The bone-hued trim on a lean Japanese cotton trench, for instance, is leather that's been dipped in neoprene. So, too, a pale and breezy caftan looks like crinkled gauze but is actually triple-layered chiffon.

Those pieces sound lovely but also expensive. Kroell may find that people don't buy clothes the way they do handbags, and that's certainly a hitch.

Speaking of accessories, most looks were paired with cone-heel platform sandals, which were chic but nothing new. Better were the bright espadrilles, including a pair in ultra-saturated turquoise worn with a purple ruffled dress. There were also terrific super-flat sneakers just barely visible under wide-leg khakis. But for the clothes, Kroell is still working out the exact raison d'être of her ready-to-wear, and as such the overall look was less than fully formed. Nevertheless, this collection is a step in the right direction.

Style.com

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