In the fall of 2005 Julien’s girls grew up to become prim and proper young women. Dressed in silk blouses, wool cardigans, and pencil skirts, these reinvented wild children flaunted sophistication with an edge. But such beautiful creatures could not have been limited by the confines of ladylike conservatism forever. As the fashion cognoscenti expected, this spring Julien’s colorful butterflies have emerged from their cocoon in full bloom.

Julien MacDonald is renowned for his unabashedly bold and defiantly rebellious niche. His silhouettes tend to be exaggerated, while his color palettes tirelessly push the limits of electric stimulation. This season casting his flirty dresses, ruffled blouses, and rowdy swimwear in zingy purples, oranges, blues, greens, and yellows, Julien referenced his true fashion sensibilities. The effects of his vision were theatrical, larger-than-life exuberance reflected through a kaleidoscope of color.

MacDonald’s looks for the new season reminded me of the spellbinding ensembles my mother sported in the late 70s. His flamenco skirts, sleeveless sweater vests, and front slit halter gowns are what a little girl’s fashion dreams are made of.

Though the PETA members who jumped on the catwalk at the end of the show with “Fur Scum” and “Fur Kills” banners took us back to the days Anna Wintour got doused in paint by animal rights activists, even tasteless irreverence and disrespect did not suffice to sour the exhilarated crowd’s mood.

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