BCBG Max Azria continues colorblocking trend at New York Fashion Week

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - BCBG Max Azria helped kick off New York Fashion Week on Thursday morning by taking the biggest trend from spring - colorblocking - and reinterpreting it for the cooler months.

The Fall 2012 collection sent neutral tones down the runway, with injections of hues like cranberry, mustard and royal blue. There were also accents of coral, orange, dark green and purple.

Pictures: New York Fashion Week, Day 1
Special section: New York Fashion Week

Embellishment was sparse in the collection designed by Max Azria and his wife Lubov, with the emphasis on geometric shapes, intricate pleats, sheer panels and unexpected mixes of fabrics, including several pieces with patchwork-style pieces of recycled-but-real fur.

In the notes prepared for the retailers, editors and stylists who descended upon Lincoln Center's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents for the first of eight days of previews, the Azrias said they were using the palette and textures "to add character."

Aiming for "an artful proposition," the duo used an elongated silhouette in the spirit of the Bauhaus, an influential German school in the 1920s that taught a design style integrating crafts and fine arts.

Stars taking in the collection included TV personality Maria Menudos, model Jessica White, Food Network chef Giada De Laurentiis and actress Erica Dasher.