Spring Fashions Feel 'Craftsy'

This spring, designers are getting touchy-feely, writes Booth Moore in the Los Angeles Times’ continuing look at Fashion Week. From a rope-weave raffia vest by Carolina Herrera to Donna Karan’s “fabrics seemingly weathered by the elements,” designs have “a craftsy feel”—“maybe it's a signal that we're searching for more depth in fashion, something to touch and feel, not just to look at and discard after one season.”

The collections also share a sense of whimsy, writes Suzy Menkes for the New York Times. “The spirit of today’s American fashion” is “escapism,” she says, with “ripples of ruffles” taking admirers away from real-world woes. Marc Jacobs offered ballet-inspired looks and “sweet Japanese girly colors” while Zac Posen took the idea to the extreme with “highly colored, boldly patterned clothes” for the “party circuit.”