Jennifer Carpenter

Rachel Roy held her fall presentation this morning at the Library for the Performing Arts, and was clearly in the mood for some eclectic layering. The models, sporting Heidi-style braids interwoven with printed fabric scraps (a fabulous DIY beauty idea if ever we saw one), wore a number of wallpaper-floral pieces, among them silk carrot pants and chiffon frocks. We liked that Roy seemed to have drawn on several multi-cultural ways of dressing; one striped lamé dress mimicked the cut of a Japanese kimono, while several pieces in a red-and-purple "Peruvian tweed" were definite standouts. Meanwhile, a head-to-toe navy look featuring a belted, bugle-beaded tunic topped with a slouchy knit coat hit the perfect note of relaxed refinement. For fans of Roy's famous trenches, fall's capsule line of coats were thoroughly denim-centric. In addition to the blue-jean takes on the classic topper, several of the trenches were cut from lace, satin, or jersey but dyed a deep shade of indigo.