Sara Berman Summer 2006

Designed by Sara and Amiee Berman

Sweet and shapely are signatures for Sara and Aimee Berman’s spring summer 2006 collection, in a revocation of an era when pastels weren’t pallid and a sharp silhouette didn’t mean showing off all the money you’d wasted on plastic surgery.

In keeping with fashion’s return to all things lady like, this is a collection with Swiss finishing school overtones: it’s both kooky as a cuckoo clock, but simultaneously as clean and refined as a well brought up debutante.

Colours are bathed in Alpine sunshine, soft pinks, the palest aquamarine, salmon and milk chocolate ably prove that fashion has packed its bags and returned to Europe after seasons pillaging the bazaars of the Indian sub continent . Berman’s customer may still regularly fly long haul, but no longer wants to blend with the locals.

Pattern as ever is key. Polka dots, from pinpricks to ping pong ball dimensions, lend a regularity and control to simple party dresses and fitted coats with full skirts. Complimented by pale candy stripes in graduated shades of buttercup, caramel and cream, full circular skirts and puff sleeved blouses are sweet, but no more sugary than a cup of tea.

Shapes echo fashion’s new love of propriety. Empire line satin jackets with scooped collars and covered buttons are flirtatious without being provocative, swirling skirts and scooped ballet tops casual but never slovenly. Whether she’s practicing her a pas de deux in a confection of tulle and organza or running late for an appointment in a fitted coat dress - these aren’t dressing up clothes for winsome waifs, but fashion solutions for women who love to combine reality with a touch of romance.

As ever, a sense of the dramatic has crept into the collection. Bows proliferate on jackets, skirts and trousers like a pasha’s cummerbund, while knickerbockers and harem pants, prove there’s more to spring/summer 06 than endless pairs of skinny denims. Puff sleeved shirting may seem frivolous, but when teemed with pyjama striped culottes the result is dynamic rather than ditzy, just as light as air chiffon tops and dresses may seem flyaway, but are anchored with satin ribbons.

Lastly, fabrics echo a sense of quiet luxury : rich satins, soft poplin cottons and delicate silk - proving like her customer there’s nothing synthetic about the Sara Berman girl.