"Gearing up" is interpreted quite literally for spring. Hybrid designer/sport style has taken the stiffness out and put motion into several spring collections, signaling yet another turn towards more casual trends in coming seasons. Yohji Yamamoto hit a homerun collaborating with Adidas on his Y3 label, serving up classic Adidas stripes on trainers and moody separates. (Could it be time for another three-stripes craze last seen in the early ’90s?) Anna Sui sought a complete sports line-up for her inspiration: golf skirts, tennis dresses, football jerseys and baseball jackets were only some of the suggestions. Designer track suits sprinted down the runways of Jean Paul Gaultier, Chloe, and Stella McCarthy, and fitted scuba gear dove in at Balenciaga. Dirk Van Saene’s clever sweatshirt dresses with chiffon inserts, sport waistbands on chiffon skirts, and throw-on renaissance collars in sweat fabrics activated his lady-like silhouettes this season.

Photo: Y3 Spring 2003 Collection