show and tell

Milly’s Michelle Smith Delivers for the Blair Waldorfs of the World

It was hard to watch the Milly show yesterday without thinking we were magically airlifted from the tents at Bryant Park and dropped inside an Upper East Side prep school. That’s because the collection featured looks fit for the Blair Waldorfs of the world: tailored jackets, short (really short) tweed skirts, and metallic shifts. And the schoolgirl look came in every bright color of the rainbow, from green to red to blue to magenta to gold. “I was really inspired by the films of Jean-Luc Godard,” designer Michelle Smith told us backstage after the show. “The women dressed in a lot of navies and reds and bold colors like that, and it seems really fresh and modern right now.”

Smith also debuted her first collaboration with Hue legwear during the show, a limited-edition collection that hits stores this fall for $24 to $28 each. She sent out tights in vivid opaque colors, as seen above, as well as pairs with polka dot, herringbone, and argyle prints, and even a cashmere ribbed version. “I think they’re starting to catch on more and more,” Smith said of her colorful legs. “For the twentysomething set it’s very easy — it’s a no-brainer.” And she’s not ruling out moms and senior citizens who want to pull off the look, too. “It might be another season before everybody’s into it — before they feel comfortable in them.” Just because we can’t envision stroller-pushing socialites with blue legs doesn’t mean it won’t happen. At least she’s hopeful.

View a slideshow of the Milly by Michelle Smith collection.

Milly’s Michelle Smith Delivers for the Blair Waldorfs of the World