Next spring will be bright and sunny, flowers will be out in full and women will be flirty and feminine if fashion designers have their way.

The looks that filled the runways during fashion week in New York, a semi-annual extravaganza that ended two weeks ago, burst with florals and vivid splashes of colour.

"We saw tremendous colour on the runway," said Jaqui Lividini, senior vice-president of fashion merchandising at Saks Fifth Avenue. "It was one of the most colourful seasons I remember in a long time."

Colour was truly everywhere, in floral baby doll dresses at BCBG Max Azria, rich embroidery at Matthew Williamson and bold solid splashes at Carolina Herrera, Anne Klein, Michael Kors, Kenneth Cole, Bill Blass and Oscar de la Renta.

Ralph Lauren, mixed candy-like tones of peach, fuchsia, lilac and kiwi green in a sporty line of halter dresses, short skirts with kicky pleats and sleek gowns inspired by the look of V-neck cable tennis sweaters.

Overall, critics said designers played it safe. New York's Daily News summed up the clothes with the headline, "Beautiful but a bit boring" and complained there was "nothing new" on offer.

'Sabbatical chic'

But the emphasis on colours did add some much-needed pizazz to the looks for next spring, said Chris Gilbert, creative director at Doneger Creative Services, a trend and colour forecasting division of The Doneger Group.

"The bright colour looks obviously very upbeat and also some of the bright colour looks very aggressive," he said. "Fashion should kick ass," he said.

Designers like Anna Sui and Zang Toi took "sabbatical chic" so far that they showed play clothes for lolling on a beach. Sui unveiled scuba-inspired shirts and bright beach cover-ups, while Zang Toi offered mermaid skirts and coral accents.

Mermaid tails may be a fashion week hit but it's a long way from the catwalk to customers' closets. While designers unveil innovative ideas in their shows, in many cases buyers demand changes to make designs more wearable.

Looks were by and large feminine and frilly, with lace corsets at Tuleh and Diane von Furstenberg, ruffled skirts at Nicole Miller, floral chiffons at Marc Jacobs and body-hugging gowns at Narciso Rodriguez.

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