Stores may now be stocked with this fall's cautious camel and gray classics, but there are signs that bright colors and whimsy are about to return to fashion.

New York fashion week opens Thursday, launching a month of runway shows that will continue in London, Milan and Paris. Over the next eight days, nearly 90 designers will show their collections for spring 2011 at Lincoln Center, with many more presenting their work at other venues around New York City. An advance look at several designers' collections offers a glimpse of what will appear on the runways -- and of fashion's new, expansive mood for spring.

One sign of optimism is the return of color. In recent seasons, designers created tentative, risk-wary collections. Simpler designs allowed them to cut prices. Bland colors and safe, classic lines predominated.

On Friday, Peter Som will present a floaty dress in a vivid turquoise. Mr. Som, known for his attractive, comfortable clothes, isn't one of those avant-garde designers who experiment with strange shapes. But he says he is aiming for more fantasy for spring and describes his spring 2011 collection as 'a bright slice of Popsicle color.'

'I wanted to do clothes for spring that weren't so serious,' Mr. Som says.

William Tempest's 'cowrie dress,' with a ruffle of fabric the edge of a sea shell running down the front, will be offered in raspberry organdy as well as a risk-averse 'nude/gray' stone-washed satin.

Mr. Tempest, a young British designer who has worked for Giles Deacon, says his color choices are in part a strategic effort to find a niche for his small label. 'A lot of the big brands are cutting back and doing black and gray and simple shapes and things they think they can sell,' Mr. Tempest said last week in London. Mr. Tempest collects seashells and says he thought of the cowrie dress while sitting on a beach in Dubai.

Intense color is showing up as well in the collection of Sophie Theallet. In her sketch, she matches the unexpected shades of a crimsonblouse and a lighter blue skirt.

Designers' sketches, always a well-guarded secret, offer a glimpse of their direction. These key looks suggest that designers are still playing with the feminineruffles of recent springs. While the designers have set a spring mood by showing sketches of breezy dresses, their runway shows will include a far broader range of looks, from suits to evening wear.

Indeed, pants are taking center stage in fashion. They are even leading a few designers' shows, kicking out dresses, traditionally the first look. Some are pleated Katharine Hepburn pants with wide bottoms. Dressy shorts, too, are still in. So are suit separates, including blazers that can be mixed and matched with pants or shorts.

Brights are not the only colors attracting designers' interest. The ubiquitous camels and beiges of fall are morphing into brighter-hued whites and off-whites for spring.

Among other trends, we all can celebrate the end of football-esque articulated shoulders and pleated peg-legged pants. I'm less enthusiastic about one look that we're likely to be seeing more of: cropped tops.

There are other signs that the fashion business is feeling less cautious. High-end boutiques in the U.S. have been worrying about buying too little stock recently.

While prices for the spring collections haven't been determined yet, designers could signal the return of luxury if they include expensive detailing or fabrics that raise the cost of producing clothing.

Christina Binkley

• glimpse [glimps] n.&v.瞥见 (初中英语单词)
• attractive [ə´træktiv] a.有吸引力；诱人的 (初中英语单词)
• collection [kə´lekʃən] n.收集；征收；募捐 (初中英语单词)
• fabric [´fæbrik] n.织物；结构；组织 (初中英语单词)
• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
• sketch [sketʃ] n.素描；短剧 v.草拟 (初中英语单词)
• celebrate [´selibreit] vt.庆祝；表扬；赞美 (初中英语单词)
• luxury [´lʌkʃəri] n.奢侈(品)；享受 (初中英语单词)
• expensive [ik´spensiv] a.费钱的，昂贵的 (初中英语单词)
• classic [´klæsik] a.第一流的 n.杰作 (高中英语单词)
• ruffle [´rʌfl] v.弄皱；扰乱 n.轻擂 (高中英语单词)
• tempest [´tempist] n.暴风雨 (高中英语单词)
• unexpected [ʌniks´pektid] a.突然的；意外的 (高中英语单词)
• crimson [´krimzən] a.&n.深(紫)红(的) (高中英语单词)
• enthusiastic [inθju:zi´æstik] a.热情的，热心的 (高中英语单词)
• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)
• cautious [´kɔ:ʃəs] a.小心的；谨慎的 (英语四级单词)
• lincoln [´liŋkən] n.林肯 (英语四级单词)
• blouse [blauz] n.女衬衫；短上衣 (英语四级单词)
• feminine [´feminin] a.女性的 (英语四级单词)
• fantasy [´fæntəsi] n.幻想(曲)，想象 (英语六级单词)
• designer [di´zainə] n.设计者 (英语六级单词)
• deacon [´di:kən] n.(教会的)执事 (英语六级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)