Stefani's L.A.M.B. line roars at New York Fashion Week

A model wears a creation from Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. clothing line at New York Fashion Week. Picture / Reuters

NEW YORK - Pop star Gwen Stefani helped wrap up New York's Fashion Week with the runway debut of her L.A.M.B. fashion line, adding a dash of drama to a week of largely subdued styles.

Designers this week largely brought out muted colors, simple silhouettes and tailored looks, reflecting a national mood marked by tentativeness over the war in Iraq, soaring petrol prices and rising mortgage rates.

"There were not the elements of overt sexuality. Everyone felt it was time to get away from that," Henri Bendel fashion director Scott Tepper said. While the turn in fashion tastes cannot be entirely pegged to the social climate, "when you see a khaki or an olive green as your accent color, clearly the mood is not utterly optimistic," he said.

While the usual glitz, glamour and celebrity sightings were still prevalent, a few in the fashion crowd acknowledged the devastation in the Gulf Coast region, where Hurricane Katrina left hundreds dead and thousands homeless.

The organization that runs Fashion Week, 7th on Sixth, sold T-shirts, with proceeds to be donated to victims. Supermodel Naomi Campbell was set to stage a star-studded "Fashion For Relief" benefit show on Friday. Kenneth Cole, known for making political statements on the runway, appeared at the end of his show in a Red Cross T-shirt with an 800 number on the back and urged attendees to make donations.

SUBDUED SOPHISTICATION

Embellishments of all kinds -- crystals, embroidery, beading -- were evident on the catwalks this week, as were feminine details such as ruffles and flowing, full skirts. Even those designs came off more sophisticated and subdued than the flashy, over-the-top feeling of many collections last season.

Neutral colors were back in vogue, contrasting with the bold, bright hues of last spring. Calvin Klein, Zac Posen and Proenza Schouler all stuck largely to white, beige and gray. Fashion staple black showed up in force in collections by Narciso Rodriguez, Michael Kors and Vera Wang.

Big belts, high waists and buttoned-up looks were in, replacing the low-slung, belly-baring fashions seen in recent years.

The L.A.M.B. ("Love. Angel. Music. Baby.") show marked the latest attempt by a pop star to cross over into the world of haute couture. This spring, Jennifer Lopez made her New York runway debut with her "Sweetface" label to mixed reviews.

While the fashion elite are somewhat skeptical of celebrity brands, Stefani's 2-year-old line has already won over some fashionistas and has been selling well at department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale's.

"I'm not doing it for the fashion world," she told Reuters before the show. "I'm doing it for me."

Still, she admits to being a neophyte in the world of haute couture. "I know that I'm a baby at it, and I'm just starting, and I want to be in this for a long time, so don't be too tough on me yet," she said.

The show was not short on drama, with models emerging from tricked-out cars next to the runway that bounced at various times during the show. The clothes, which ran the gamut from gangster-style motorcycle jackets to sexy, ruffled halter dresses, seemed to hit the right note with the fashion crowd.

"It was everything that we were hoping for," Tepper said. "Everything draped beautifully, and it's a collection that spanned a lot of different age groups."

Stefani, dressed in baggy pants and a simple white tank, described her latest endeavor as a mix of Mexican gangster, Rasta, English countryside and old-fashioned Hollywood.

"Something I've always done is mix and match, but it's about making it all work together."

- REUTERS