Abaete Spring 2007 Olympus Fashion Week September 14, 2006 The Tents at Bryant Park Written by Bob Bland Photographed by Evan Sung

"You are the hostess at a private villa in Biarritz, South of France…you are witty; the life of the party.” This quote graced the wall backstage as models prepared to walk out onto the runway for Abaete’s Spring 2007 collection. While her third offering of footwear for Payless debuted along with summery dresses and playsuits, designer Laura Poretzky seemed as relaxed as her successful line of sportswear.

After seeing nearly identical spring color stories across the runways, Abaete (pronounced “a-BYE-ah-tay”) was a breath of fresh hues. Glowing models trotted out in primary pops of bright red, electric blue, optic white and basic black, with dusty rose and golden yellow also making an appearance. Silky charmeuse, taut taffeta and fluttery chiffon were the main fabrics involved, and the mix of flattering short & long silhouettes ensured that petite girls would look just as good as the mile-high models in Abaete this season.

There were many standout pieces, but let’s focus on every New Yorker’s obsession: the shoes! It’s not everyday that a designer trots flats, pumps and sandals retailing from $29-$59 onto the runway. The Birkin flat in scarlet satin had fun cut-outs designed to flatter the foot, but the Brigitte wrap-up sandal was even more crowd-pleasing, with sexy floral fabric straps that laced all the way to the knee. So, now you can get your Abaete fix on footwear while you wait for the next Intermix warehouse sale.

Abaete	Abaete

Abaete	Abaete

Abaete	Abaete

Abaete	Laura Poretsky of Abaete

Laura Poretsky of Abaete

Backstage at Abaete

Backstage at Abaete

For more information on Abaete and designer Laura Poretzky, check out www.abaete.com.

For more of Evan Sung's fashion week coverage, log onto:
www.evansung.com.

For more information on Olympus Fashion Week, log onto: www.olympusfashionweek.com