Expect Spring to Be a Very Short Season

Mini mania is not abating. In fact, it probably hasn’t even hit its peak, say designers readying resort collections to show to buyers in August.

The clothes will hit local stores in November and December, and such collections are generally considered harbingers of spring.

Are they mini? “You bet,” says designer Donna Karan, who describes her resort styles as “hot, steamy, bright and short. And underline the word short,” she says.

Karan’s exclusive preview sketch, at left, tells the story: A lot less skirt and a lot more leg will doubtless show up on women who wear her label next year.

Among the Europeans, Valentino and Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi both showed a preference for knee-baring lengths in resort styles offered this month.

Valentino’s polka-dot dress with white underskirt, above, stops well above the knee.