New York Fashion Week: Oscar de la Renta

Maybe it was the blaring Led Zeppelin soundtrack, or cute Justin Timberlake sitting in the front row, but it felt like a wave of cool washed over Oscar de la Renta's collection this season.

The look was 1970s rich hippie with wide-legged pants and poppy print bow-tie blouses, silk georgette dresses trimmed in tassels, and airy silk taffeta skirts worn with lace overshirts, or colorful fur vests a la Rachel Zoe (she was also in the front row).

While the ladylike suits of yore were still here, they had a new, more contemporary sensibility, in acid brights or crochet. Necklaces worn in the hair, and Lucite lace-up booties paired with frilly ankle socks added a flower child vibe, which culminated in a string of stunning finale gowns, including one in daffodil print silk faille, with enormous blouson sleeves, that seemed made for the mythical May Queen.

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--Booth Moore, reporting from New York

Photos: Looks from the Oscar de la Renta spring 2012 runway collection shown during New York Fashion Week. Credit: Jason DeCrow / AP Photo; Peter Michael Dills / Getty Images.