Carlos Miele brought us a young and sexy collection for Spring 2011.  He delivered color for the season in chartreuse, red, blue, gold and bright prints.  You can feel the flavor of his Brazilian culture  in the collection; there was an underlying sensuality and playfullness.  The dresses ranged from fitted to flowy.  Several had beautiful shapes and patterns made from inserts of different fabrics.  These pieces will leave you feeling like you’re in the hottest destination spot, no matter where you are.

Jenny Packham’s Spring 2011 collection was explosive from the first look - think of a sheer jumpsuit with sparkling bead work strategically placed for modesty.  From there on, our senses were overloaded with one gorgeous gown after another.  Each dress managed to be more dazzling than the next.  It was a muted color palette of grayish-blue, nude, rust, silver and gold.  The brilliance from the embellishments created visual interest, and the beading themselves gave texture to the collection.  We were enraptured by the full frontal glamour of Old Hollywood at Jenny Packham’s Spring 2011 runway show.

DKNY’s Spring 2011 runway show opened with a chic and modern look, and never looked back.

This look is feminine and demurely sexy, one of my favorites.  The layering/ruffle detail is incomparable.

The DKNY girl is the super chic lady in red, armed with a scarf and sexy red shoes.

Color was front and center on this runway, along with ruffles to accentuate youth and femininity.

This is the picture of elegance and chic…

DKNY brings vibrant turquoise and red for Spring 2011.

The prints are the exclamation point to a well-done collection!

Max Azria gave us light and ethereal for Spring 2011.  The dresses effortlessly floated down the runway in the neutral color palette of white, ivory and sage.  There was great beauty in their simplicity, and beauty is never out of season.  A few of the dresses and jumpsuits were conservative in the front, but the backs were far more daring – think deep plunging backs; the looks were tasteful and very sexy.  Several of these dresses could be the wedding gown for the carefree bride who dispenses with tradition.  Max Azria’s Spring 2011 collection was the result of the meeting of modern and sensuality.

Charlotte Ronson’s Spring 2011 runway show was all about mixing the hard with the soft.  She gave us pretty dresses with socks and sandals, knit hats and the occasional hoodie.  You could easily see Ronson herself in many of these pieces.   Her collection was muted with pops of color in orange, yellow and bright prints.  The hemlines varied, but on average, they landed below the calf.  If you love to mix and match, this collection is for you.  Each piece is well-made and could be styled in countless ways.  Sheer fabric was seen throughout the collection, and it definitely made the garments softer and more feminine.

Ports 1961 had a Spring 2011 collection that was worth talking about.  It was a collection of jewel tones - think purple amethyst, brown topaz, emerald green and blue sapphire.  All of those colors were balanced by beige and tan.  The collection was beautiful and wearable.  Some of the pieces had a 1980′s vibe with all the sensibilities of the 21st Century.  Hair also played a vital role on Port’s runway, it had a ton of volume and bounce; it complemented the looser fit and shapes of the collection.  They designed the Spring 2011 collection with real women in mind.

Georges Chakra brought Old Hollywood glamour to the Spring 2011 runway.  The gowns were gorgeous, and they floated down the catwalk one at a time as if they were aided by the wind.  Color reigned supreme on Chakra’s runway – think chartreuse, purple and turquoise.  Those colors were accompanied by black, white and the metallics of bronze, silver and gold.  He clearly had the red carpet in mind with his Spring 2011 designs.  Some of the pieces had beautiful architectural details that only highlighted the craftsmanship of the collection.  The designer did not hold anything back this season, we were treated to high glamour for Spring 2011.

Farah Angsana gave us embellishments that had the brillance of diamonds for Spring 2011.  Sparkles were everywhere, from the belts down to the straps of those beautiful gowns.  It was all about color for Angsana.  Pinks, gray-blues, greens and a lovely print wih coral; she opted out of the neutral color palette trend for the season.  Metallics in gold and silver also made their way down this runway.  The designer delivered a collection of hard to resist dresses with a one way ticket to celebration.

Michael Angel’s Spring 2011 collection had his signature of bold prints which were guaranteed to grab ahold of your imagination.  This season the designer ventured into geometric shapes when it came to the cutting and folding of the fabric.  The collection had an Asian inspired theme that gave it a calming quality even with the vibrant prints.  One jacket is reminiscent of a kimono, just look at the sleeves and overall shape.  Even the skirts could be that of a Samarai as the slits slanted to the side with an asymmetrical hem.  Each model was given an androgenous look to maintain the simplicity of the collection.

Nicholas K was the first show to be held in Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week’s new home at Lincoln Center, and the label did not disappoint.  Beautiful ayering and stripes were on order for Spring 2011 on this runway.  The draping on these casual chic looks was enviable.  Rugged boots only drew more attention to the well-made pieces in the collection.  It was a great way to start the season.