Sept. 12, 11 AM The Promenade ⿢ ANNE KLEIN COLLECTION

It's always good to see someone get it just right. Isabel Toledo's first stab at the newly relaunched Anne Klein Collection is just hitting stores now, so it's too early to see how customers are responding, but if she keeps on sending out collections like the one she showed this morning, she shouldn't have any worries. Toledo's first look was a white dress with a confetti splash print inspired by her husband, artist Reuben Toledo, accidentally smearing her dress with paint, what she called an "Art Attack". The high energy started there and didn't let up until the last look. While there were beautiful separates, the emphasis here was on dresses and Toledo sent out one stunner after another. She may be giving a nod to commercial demands - dresses are hot at retail right now - but she's also playing to her strengths, and nobody can make a dress like she can. She has a sure hand with tucking, pleating, ruching and embellishment, knowing just how much a garment can take before it crosses over from interesting to overdesigned. She has managed to quickly find the perfect balance between the easy sportswear heritage of the Anne Klein label and her own couture sensibilities to produce a line of unusually beautiful clothes. Bright prints at the start of the show gave way to neutrals spiked with silver metallics ending in Reuben's handpainted florals on pleated silks. A lot of people are rooting for Toledo to succeed so she will receive the recognition she has long deserved. The tent was nicely filled for her second Anne Klein show. Next season, we expect it to be packed.
SWAG: An Anne Klein logo t-shirt.
MUSIC: Started with a rhumba and then went into Camille Jones' "The Creeps".