Narciso Rodriguez Shows Off Flirty, Sensual Collection at New York Fashion Week

Sept. 13, 2011: The Narciso Rodríguez Spring 2012 collection is modeled during Fashion Week, Tuesday in New York. (AP)

Narciso Rodríguez is taking things up a notch with his sexy Spring couture.

The sexy part is almost a given for Rodríguez, the Cuban-American designer whose architectural style usually makes for fashion-forward, form-fitting styles. The collection he previewed Tuesday night at New York Fashion Week, however, was much more about a looser, more languid look.

Skirts sat at the hips and flowed below the knee from there. Dresses were easier and breezier than one expects from Rodríguez. A white shirt dress with touches of black, silver and aqua was particularly billowy in shape.

But his stamp was there, showing some skin, which the crowd at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week hasn't seen all that much of for next spring. Bras in black as well as brights were meant to be seen under sheer and scarflike, backless tops.

A silk dress in black, orange and red had an all-open back except for the racer-style straps that held it up, and one of the skirts dipped so low from the waistline down the back, one wondered how it stayed there.

Models had their updo hair sprayed in the popular colors of the season, including green, aqua, purple and yellow, but clothes largely were in the black, white and silver that Rodriguez uses to ground his sharp looks.

"Strong and fluid, Narciso delivered his signature elements built around modern dressing," said Nicole Fritton, Harper's Bazaar fashion market director.

The graphic opening look, a black silk T with cutout back and a white-and-black silk pant, set the tone with "couture sport details," she said.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press