Classic American sportswear was on Elie Tahari's mind for Spring, as was its patron saint, Lauren Hutton. He's far from the only designer to be channeling the Gap-Toothed One, but then Tahari has always had a knack for knowing which way the wind is blowing and harnessing it to his advantage. The greatest hits of the all-American seventies got nipped and tucked a bit, but mostly were presented faithfully: Onward came a parade of khaki safari jackets, wide-leg Bermuda shorts, and silky, liquid blouses. (The women may've been on safari, but the men, said Tahari, were "urban utilitarian": Out came light, tonal suiting and slightly Tron-ish tees for the cogs in the machine.) It was all extremely wearable, even if it didn't all jump up and grab you. Still, a surefire fix for the sportswear doldrums showed up in a few opening looks: gilt. The seventies were the disco years, too, and gold lamé (on hot pants or a knife-pleat skirt) livened the mood.
