L.A. in N.Y.: California Cool

There is more than a little hippie chic in Los Angeles designer Yael Aflalo’s latest collection for her 4-year-old Ya-Ya line—although Aflalo’s glam bohemian girls seem better suited for Cocirc;te d’Azur than for Haight-Ashbury.

The designer took her collection east to bow during New York Fashion Week at Mao Space, the alternative runway venue organized by Mao PR and held at the Atlas building near Bryant Park.

Attendees were treated to a showing of sophisticated, casual and sexy separates.

Aflalo topped skinny pants and knickers with wrapped and draped sweaters, slouchy tunics and artfully wrapped knit tops. Dresses were similarly wrapped, draped and bloused—in crisp white with turquoise or in somber black.

Colors barely veered from neutral, with sand, stone, white and black serving as the main hues and bright turquoise, pale blue and indigo serving as accents.

The designer also played with casual elegance by topping cutoff and roll-cuff short shorts with wrapped T-shirts and sweaters, embroidered tunics, and a dramatic top made from iridescent abalone shells. —Alison A. Nieder