NEW YORK - The first trappings of fall aren't crunching leaves or a chill in the air - they're the brown, plum, wine and rust fabrics that designers Kenneth Cole, Jerry Kaye for Perry Ellis and John Bartlett previewed Friday, the opening day of New York Fashion Week.

All three designers showed a preference for rich, textured fabrics, including knits, corduroy and jersey.

Cole courted the fashion editors and retail buyers at the Bryant Park tents in midtown Manhattan with interesting yet wearable coats, including a cranberry double-breasted knit trench and a black wool twill low-waisted overcoat with a self-tie belt, both for women, and a three-quarter-length leather coat for men - which was modeled by Harry Belafonte, who received hearty applause from the audience.

Cole's other looks for men included a nylon parka worn over a three-piece suit and a turtleneck sweater paired with a gray felt motor pant.

The women's pants Cole offered were either wide-legged and loose, or were slim leggings tucked into high stiletto-heel boots with leather cross-stitch detailing on the back. Sweaters had shawl collars or funnel necks, while draped blouses had plunging V-necks.

The cranberry jersey halter dress with an open back and empire waist summarized the overall look of the show: casual chic.

"The palette was rich but he (Cole) didn't overdose on `country,'" said Tom Julian, a trend analyst for ad agency Fallon Worldwide.

Julian ticked off tulip skirts, jersey dresses, crocodile loafers and the men's two-button suits, which look either tailored or sporty depending on what they're worn with, as his favorite Cole looks.

Kaye told The Associated Press that his newest collection for Perry Ellis is for a man with confidence and strength.

"Think of Warren Beatty, Robert Redford, Sean Connery. They were all men with wonderful styles of their own. In today's celebrity world, celebrities have stylists, so everyone looks great but no one looks like an individual," Kaye said.

The new Perry Ellis suit has three front pockets on the jacket and slim-leg trousers. The jeans, worn with an olive check jacket, lime-colored cashmere stripe crew neck sweater and a white jacquard button-down shirt, also had slim legs.

A chocolate-colored cashmere shawl-collar cardigan with leather toggles paired with indigo jeans was a sophisticated casual look, as was a brown suede jacket with hand-crocheted details that hit at the waist.

"There's a lot of hand-knitting and hand-crocheting in the collection," said Kaye. "It's important to the looks we have, and men want to know they're getting something special, that they're getting their money's worth."

The man who likes to dress up on the weekends also has options from Bartlett, whose collection featured subtle mixes of patterns in a single outfit. A brown wool tweed peak-lapel suit paired with a plaid shirt in a lighter brown and a charcoal cashmere argyle knit tie was a particularly attractive combination.

Bartlett also experimented with the Swarovski crystals that have become a staple in women's eveningwear, adding touches of sparkle to a white velvet pant and a black and cream houndstooth check blazer.

New York Fashion Week runs through Feb. 11, with the rest of the shows focusing mainly on women's clothes.

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