Fashion Week Diaries: Gottex Shows Caped Swimwear, Audience Gets Rowdy

Before the lights went down for the Gottex swimsuit show last night, the tent was a mess. It was chaotic, crowded, and, eventually, downright vicious. Somehow, the seating just didn't seem to work out as people expected. Front row folks found themselves forced into second or third, late-arriving celebrity types found a full front row, and lowly fashion blog writers found themselves…standing in the back.

And it was a long show too, ranging from bikinis to one-pieces to bikinis with ruffles to bodysuits with capes. A lot of time for this girl to be perched atop the new four-inch heels she bought to blend in with the crowd.

The suits were haute couture, often metallic, always architectural in form. The preponderance of black and white again proved what I noticed in the audience at the Terexov show the other day, which is that two-tone is still a strong trend. But my favorite outfits from the crowd last night weren't structural black-and-white dress versions of the swimsuits onstage, but rather bold, colorful, sometimes even frilly dresses. I counted at least five people sporting these solid, textured, eye-catching dresses, all in bright colors – yellow, green, orange, and bronze.

Susan Monaco makes a nice collection of similar dresses ($165):

For the more ambitious – and affluent – among you, so does Valentino ($3,490):

And the braided neckline on this Tory Burch dress ($495) is a nice take on the ruffled collar. And I just love this color!

Even the night's most lovable front row attendee, Dr. Ruth, was feeling the colorful vibe in this vibrant turquoise shirt: