view slideshow » .

Max Azria Slips Away

Watch those elbows, because it's going to be a very angular spring.

As designers showed spring 2011 collections this week in New York, many have favored the kinds of lines best achieved with a ruler and a protractor.

Max Azria added his own spin on the geometric trend on Sunday, Sept. 12, with gauzy, A-line slip dresses in silk, double-faced crepe and jersey knit that boasted asymmetrical hems and suspension bridge-like straps that held the delicate dresses aloft effortlessly.

Azria as of late seems to feel comfortable in his newly minimalist house, having favored unadorned simplicity over decoration for the last couple of seasons. 

Azria’s focus did not stray far from the elongated, wispy slips in neutral tones of beige, cream and grey, as well as touches of peach and mint. He did add some visual interest with the thoughtful placement of thin straps, diamond-shaped origami panels across the bust, and the most minimal of embellishments, white paillettes in geometric shapes stitched together like puzzle pieces around the neckline of a few heather grey knit halter dresses.

But aside from a photo shoot for a perfume ad on some white sand beach, just how many occasions call for an arsenal of beige and cream frocks? Unfortunately, the sportswear pieces included in the collection were minimal in a different sense of the word, as in virtually nonexistent: a gauze crop top or camisole versions of the slips, some slouchy wide legged cotton pants, a few underwhelming jackets.

As the flagship label of the BCBG Max Azria Group empire, Max Azria sets the overarching conceptual spirit for the brands. Here, the mood of uncomplicated chic was easily digestible, if not a tad uneventful as a full-length runway show.

		* CFDA 2013 Nominees and Award Winners Announced * Proenza Schouler Women Fall 2013