For spring 2010, Hilfiger takes a classic stroll down by the boardwalk

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New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week officially wrapped Thursday night, and even though I’ve spent most of the time since wending my way back to Los Angeles, I couldn’t enjoy the weekend without mentioning the closing show: Tommy Hilfiger, who sent a classy-looking collection down the runway in the Bryant Park tents (and, it turned out, would also appear as one of the guest judges on that evening’s episode of ‘Project Runway’).

According to the show notes -- which were provided on sturdy pieces of wood about the thickness of a place mat -- Hilfiger was ‘re-imagin[ing] the relaxed glamor of a Southern California boardwalk,’ right down to the wooden boards that formed the runway. The clothes were so breezy and effortless -- especially the women’s pieces; the strapless silk corset dresses flounced just so and the silk jersey gowns had an elegant drape to them -- that he needn’t have bothered with the small birch forest of assorted wood accents. (The one upside was that the run-of-show provided a stable platform for my Flip video camera, and I was able to capture the collection from a pretty good vantage point.)

Like many of the collections last week, Hilfiger’s drew inspiration from the oceans, such as navy double-breasted suit coats with gold buttons and blue-on-white nautical stripes of the sea-faring class, and a color palette that included a range of striking blues and the pale peach-and-pink hues one might see from the Santa Monica Pier as the sun dips into the Pacific.

The men’s collection felt less elegant but was equally as visually striking; brightly colored pieces -- a cobalt blue jacket here, a tomato-red pair of trousers there -- were paired with more neutral khaki, perhaps trying to telegraph the idea of a ‘California casual’ wardrobe.The front row was packed with celebrities -- many of them no doubt had attended the opening shindig at the new Tommy Hilfiger flagship store on Fifth Avenue a few hours before the show. On my way out the door I saw Rosario Dawson and Russell Simmons, to name just two.

But the belle of the ball clearly was Girl Interrupted Taylor Swift, who earlier in the week had been a victim of Kanye West’s VMA invective. She stood in the midst of a throng of shutterbugs -- professional and otherwise -- in a red Tommy Hilfiger dress.

‘Is this your first show this week?’ I asked.

‘My first show ever!’ she replied flashing a wide, genuine smile right before disappearing into the paparazzi knot.

And with that, the books closed on another season in the Bryant Park tents.

-- Adam Tschorn

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