The inspiration for Way Zen’s spring JSong collection was the deep beauty she finds in water. “It’s really magical because it’s always changing, flowing and active,” she said backstage. This translated into a lineup of lightweight, fluid separates done in white, coral and shades of blue found in streams, rushing rivers and the sea.
An ocean blue cotton gauze tank dress and cloud blue cotton jersey feather dress with a water-drop patterned bodice set the mood as sweet, feminine and wearable. There was also a pair of great transitional sea-shell-color evening pants in crepe paired with a gold sequined top. The real highlights were Zen’s youthful, no-fuss designs: a crystal-blue linen jumpsuit with voluminous legs and a fun white cotton “transformable” shirtdress with a wrap-front waist tie — pieces that fit easily into the Lower East Side scene. And though creativity is usually to be applauded, the looks with ribbon-looped holes were the only ones that felt overly complicated for a collection with such ease.