No excuses: Elie Tahari’s fall line makes dressing up easier than dressing down

Tahari caters to traveler who doesn’t dress down

NEW YORK — Enough with dressing down, declared Elie Tahari on Tuesday at New York Fashion Week.

“The customer is looking for glamorous clothes. People want to dress up and look good,” the designer said.

On this day, however, editors, stylists and retailers making the rounds at Bryant Park for previews of new fall collections was decidedly more casual, in jeans and winter boots, as a wet snow fell outside.

No matter for Tahari, who drew his inspiration from the chic traveler. “She mixes textures, furs and wears hot over-the-knee boots. It’s all the texture and layers that makes it interesting and look new and exciting,” he said in an interview.

The layering piece of choice was a long, lean vest, sometimes in wool, sometimes in fur. It could be worn over just about anything from denim to dresses.

Women’s pantsuits, looking like a must-have for next season, had the Marlene Dietrich touch, using masculine tailoring to show off a figure that’s all woman. Dresses were cut a little closer to the body, perfect to fit under the asymmetrical wool coat with ruffles running vertically down one side or the fur trench.

The Tahari line is a staple at department stores, and consumers look to the label to dress them for everyday life, so there wasn’t anything groundbreaking here — and there shouldn’t be.