Dream on, baby

NEW YORK — Fashion Week is about fantasy. If only we could be rich enough or thin enough to buy what's coming down the runway. Or brave enough to wear it out in public.

At the much-anticipated Michael Kors show Wednesday at Bryant Park, the fantasy was not in the clothes themselves, but rather what they represented — the lives we forgot to have.

"Hi, I go to Princeton," said the navy pea coat and floor-skimming striped muffler.

"I'm about to jump on the Concorde," said the ivory cashmere dress and camel hair coat.

"I'm in the Dead Poets Society," said the V-neck sweater, patchwork blazer and jeans.

Themed "Love, American Style," Kors' Fall 2006 collection evoked F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" and Ali MacGraw in "Love Story." It was at once accessible and yet, for the Nick Carraways among us, ultimately out of reach. See that rugby-striped turtleneck that looks straight out of J.Crew? Ha. You can't afford it.

Set to a feel-good indie-rock soundtrack, models swarmed the runway up to half a dozen at a time, looking like prettier, skinnier versions of ourselves, in satin jersey dresses, pinstripe flannel suits and cashmere cardigans. They were like those kids in Laguna Beach, all grown up. Fantasy. But someone's reality.

Looking on from the front row: a radiant Debra Messing, Heidi Klum, Nicole Richie and stylist-to-the-stars Rachel Zoe, who giggled and chatted with one another before and during the show. Vogue editor Anna Wintour, also in the front row, jumped up and darted out the second the show was over. Watch and learn.

Other highlights:

• For her "Working Girl"-themed program, Diane von Furstenberg had her models working it to tunes like Dolly Parton's "9 to 5." Her signature wrap dresses came in filmy animal prints and bold plaids, along with shirtdresses, which have appeared on more than a few runways this week. Apparently, working girls don't wear pants. Thankfully, Melanie Griffith's practical skirt-and-sneakers combo didn't make the cut.

• They are known for their elegant, beaded, red-carpet creations, but Fall 2006 at Badgley Mischka felt more Nicky Hilton than Felicity Huffman. Spangly, pleated dresses in bright colors like lemon-yellow screamed party girl, and there were Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen looking on from the front row. Even the floor-length gowns had attitude, from a skintight purple number adorned with red rose petals to a navy blue striped gown with cream ruffles on the bodice.

• The poufy balloon skirt, which has popped up with alarming frequency on runways this week, also made an appearance at Narciso Rodriguez. More wearable was his collection of sleeveless black-and-white knee-length dresses, which felt mod paired with simple knee-high boots.

• It was a collection for Carrie Bradshaw to sigh over, worthy of dates with the Russian and her version of "poetry": Oscar de la Renta. Staying true to form, the designer's fall collection oozed elegance and wealth, from lavish chinchilla coats and fur-trimmed jackets to heavily embellished skirts and refreshingly simple belted dresses. A girl can dream.

Pamela Sitt: 206-464-2376 or psitt@seattletimes.com