THE COLLECTION LIGHTS UP THE MET PAVILION AS PART OF STYLE 360

Just because they show during Fashion Week, it doesn’t mean a collection has to be too expensive for any of the 99% to buy.  Season after season, Bebe manages to bring affordable, glamorous fashion down the runway.

For Fall/Winter 2012, Bebe Black showed lots of black, of course, but also vibrant pops of color in the form of tartan and lumberjack plaids.  The 40’s looking glamour began with bright red lipstick and pin-up curl bangs with long, cascading waves.  The collection was inspired by film noir, tinged with a futuristic vibe.

There were a lot of stand-outs here, starting with silvery-gray capris topped with a long black sweater.  A black business suit with a sexy, tightly-cinched waist was reminiscent of Rosalind Russell in “His Girl Friday”.  The plaid was sensational in everything from capris topped with a sort of “Sherlock Holmes” trench, a grey-tartan business suit, and a bright red short jacket that was truly lovely.  A shiny blue-black skirt suit looked almost like sharkskin.

What Bebe does best is to exude sex appeal, and that was present in their dresses, including one in a liquidy leather, and two gorgeous evening dresses, one sparkly with a long, provocative slit.  The other was a long, black number, straight out of old Hollywood, with suggestive lace cutouts.

It seems Bebe reinvents itself every season, and Fall 2012 is no different.  And the best thing about it:  it’s fashion nearly everyone can afford.

Photography: Anton Brookes