Proving that you can't rest on your name, laurels, or label:

The Establishment - DONNA KARAN:
This collection was such a disappointment for me, considering how stellar spring 2004 was, and how perfectly she captured the mood of the moment with her fall collection prior to that. But beginning with this past fall, which I personally found to be a bit contrived, a tad too artsy, self conscious, and overly-designed for its own good, it looks as if Donna seems to be heading more and more in that direction. And that's too bad- because in her very able hands, when it works, it really works, but when it's off.well..And Donna's loyal customers have come to rely on the designer for wardrobe solutions and intelligent, well thought out- not gimmicky- clothes.

While there were some nice pieces in her basically neutral, tan, putty, and khaki based collection (some soft flattering dresses with appealingly full, gathered skirts, lean pencil skirts with pared down sportswear inspired zip front jackets, metallic-shot narrow evening columns, and draped jerseys), there were some jarring missteps. Like the choice of royal blue (that unfortunate 'Barbara Bush Blue' that seems to be favored by women politicians and newscasters) and fuchsia, which were uncharacteristic and completely ill suited for the too heavy and aggressive leather pieces they were used for. (Somehow, I cannot imagine Donna wearing any of the aforementioned items).

And Ms. Karan seems to be too obsessed with arms and shoulders these days- many of the sleeves had been designed to look as though they have been torn away from the garment on purpose, and her fascination with separate sleeves-, which have the appearance of an elbow length fingerless glove-, also seems old and tired. In a season of pretty, easy, soft clothing, where the best pieces looked natural and effortless, it looked overdone. While she used "Constructing the future", as the overall theme for the show, unfortunately, trying too hard to be modern and futuristic, often has the opposite effect.