November 12, 2004

Behnaz Sarafpour's Spring 2005 Ready-to-Wear collection
NEW YORK, September 12, 2004 - Holding a runway presentation on the main floor of Tiffany, early on a Sunday morning, invites a certain obvious comparison. So, Behnaz, was there a Holly Golightly spirit hovering above your spring collection? "Honestly, I thought that might be a bit hokey," the designer said backstage after her lovely show. "But I think a lot of people can relate to the idea of moving to New York, and creating a life here."

With any luck, that life will include something from this collection. Sarafpour, a Vogue/CFDA Initiative finalist, merged her clean American-sportswear sensibility with fabrics that ranged from the obvious (crisp cotton shirtings) to the exotic (beautiful kimono brocades imported from Kyoto). She put her own stamp on pieces like princess-seam dresses and tailored jackets, by keeping them close to the body but never restrictively so, and she showed some of the season's prettiest full skirts, in lightweight, tie-dyed cotton. And, thanks to her sponsor, it was all accessorized with glints of Tiffany jewelry.

For evening, Sarafpour made a leap into red-carpet land with stunning black jersey column dresses trimmed with spangly gold paillettes. And as for that ghost of Golightly -- Sarafpour summoned her via an impressive trench that came out in white, coral, and gleaming silver versions. The pattern, she said, was copied directly from the movie. "My trench has been one of my best sellers since I started three years ago. This year, I did it as a kind of ode to Tiffany." -- Janet Ozzard 

Sent by Javaneh Khodabakhsh

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