Max Azria Fall 2010 show (WSJ blog)

By Cathy Yan

Getty Images
Max Azria Fall 2010

It’s been an especially long week for Max Azria and wife Lubov. Today’s Max Azria show was their third and final runway show in the Bryant Park tents this past week. Thursday kicked off with the young, mid-priced BCBG line and Sunday showed Hervé Léger — all owned by the BCBG Max Azria Group and designed by the couple.

The Max Azria line, launched in 2006, is their high-end playpen. According to the program, the collection is a “poetic means of self-expression” and is neither confined by the body-conscious staples of Hervé Léger or the mass-market appeal of BCBG.

This season, Max Azria decided to play with minimalism. In a palate of beige, black and gray, deceptively simple dresses were pieced together with contrasting materials. Crepe intersected with mesh; leather contrasted with wool boucle. The effect was reminiscent of minimalist lines like Jil Sander and Helmut Lang — but infused with Azria glamor.

There were no prints whatsoever, but patterns came through in the blocking and the leather and beading details. Most looks were light and airy — there was a sheer sweater dress that looked like chiffon and a cream knit dress that billowed in the back. Like Marc Jacobs, the outfits were matchy-matchy and neutral. The models’ orange lips gave the only pops of color.

A standout was a black and tan knit dress, draped and color-blocked to perfection. Backstage after the show, “Grey’s Anatomy” actress Melissa George, who was also in the front row at Hervé Léger, stooped down to kiss and cuddle with Max Azria for the cameras. “I loved it, I thought it was very spare and futuristic at the same time,” she said. “It was all about the texture.”