By Briyah Paley

Fashion Week came to a close last Friday, after designers unveiled their spring 2004 lines during the weeklong event held in the tents at Bryant Park.

Last year, customers complained that the spring lines were drab and not wearable, like the micromini. This time, color made a bold appearance and those who attended the shows were joyful.

“These collections were full of crossover items, like satin blouses that can be worn during the day with jeans and then at night over a skirt,” Stephen Lasker, a partner of a high-end store in Miami told the New York Times in their fashion coverage article last Saturday.

The stars showed up for the shows, but some a little too much. Melanie Griffith sat in the front row at Michael Kors’ show wearing a biker chic outfit which even he could not believe he had designed. His new collection is about bright items like tangerine nylon skirts and cobalt-blue geometric prints.

“Six months ago is a lifetime in the fashion industry,” Kors said to the Times.

New designers made a splash at the shows, including Jennifer Nicholson, Jack Nicholson’s daughter, Nanette Lepore and Zac Posen.

Other notable pieces included a clingy black jersey dress from designer Roland Mouret, a silk and charmeuse dress from Zac Posen and a transparent evening gown covered in feathers from Ralph Rucci, a designer who previously had little success at the New York fashion shows.

After this, buyers and the rest of the fashion industry will travel to Paris, Milan and London for the next round of shows. Debbie Greenberg, owner of Louis Boston, an upscale department store on Newbury Street, will attend the shows and decide what to buy for her store to sell this spring. Louis Boston is one of few stores in the Boston area where New York designers’ collections can be found.