New York Fashion Week trend report: Let it flow

NEW YORK — New York Fashion Week had Miami written all over it.

The spring/summer collections seen at the annual style parade, which wrapped Thursday, are ideal for our sunny days and breezy nights.

The color to watch is an achromatic one, so keep some Clorox handy.

“If you’re going to be on trend, definitely get yourself a white dress,” advised Miami stylist Elysze Held, who attended more than a dozen shows. “There was an unbelievable amount of white, beige and off-white from almost every major designer.”

Before you go out and buy the type of form-fitting frock Melania Trump wore to the RNC or the almost-replica Rep. Joyce Beatty donned at the DNC, keep in mind the silhouette.

“The key words are ‘flirty’ and ‘ethereal’ to describe the looks,” Held said. “Silky, free-flowing fabrics, with a lot of movement. There were also embellishments.”

Take Jonathan Simkhai, who sent out his models in dreamy, drapey dresses, signaling — yes! — comfort is key. One ensemble even resembled a bathrobe.

Prabal Gurung worked the fringe angle, with celebrity catwalker Hailey Baldwin strutting her stuff like an urban cowgirl. Oscar de la Renta harkened back to the flapper era with one number. Michael Kors belted a ruffly, long-sleeved maxidress.

Coral Gables designer Maria D’Ocon, a 20-year-old student at Miami International University of Art & Design who launched her eponymous bridal collection at NYFW, said that white is so in that you could wear her pieces even if you’re not exchanging vows.

“My line is very nontraditional,” said D’Ocon, originally from Barcelona. “Definitely wearable to cocktail parties or special occasions — a lot of sheer, transparent fabrics and lace.”

D’Ocon, who does custom-only from her website mariadocon.com, focused on lace, capes that looked like backward veils and three-dimensional flowers. You can’t get more feminine than that.

OK, so if you’re not fond of toting baby wipes with you at all times to dab at stains on your dazzlingly pearly white clothing, there are some other colors out there.

Christian Siriano lasered in on orange; Altuzarra touched on a variety of blues; and Cushnie Et Ochs put out some girly pink and coral.

Another trend we saw was color blocking, two stark shades paired dramatically; Jill Stuart did this with black and white as did Proenza Schouler, with red and black.

NYC fashion blogger Scarlett Hao was loving the view: “I can’t get enough of see-through fabrics, plus I really like metallics, which are kind of edgy.”

Workout alert: You may want to get those deltoids into shape because come spring/summer 2017, backs are the new cleavage.

“Yes, there was a lot of back action,” said Held, laughing. “You have a simple dress coming down the runway, then she turns around and all of a sudden you see these sexy cutouts.”

That’s not all.

Held added that so-called cold shoulders — leaving your upper arms exposed — are still, well, hot.

“The good news,” she said, “is that all I saw was fabulous for warm weather year-round.”

This story was originally published September 14, 2016 at 2:31 PM with the headline "New York Fashion Week trend report: Let it flow."