NEW YORK, Feb 9, 2006/ FW/ --- With Hilary Duff and Patricia Field sitting front row, Zaldy presented his eight collection for his eponymous line to a mostly downtown crowd, a retrospective of sorts for the Chelsea Hotel resident and designer for Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. label.

‘I’m looking back to move forward,’ Zaldy told FW during a pre-show interview. ‘I’m usually inspired by the number of my collection. Since this is my eight one, and the number 8 resembles the sign for infinity, I reviewed all my past collections, chose my favorites, and from them, I found my new direction.’

Though he did not mention it, Zaldy seems to be following an old adage, ‘you will not know where you are going if you don’t know where you came from.’

So, tonight at the Altman Building, with a stage set of an all-white bowery, Zaldy sent jersey dresses and knits, cotton shorts and hoodies. But instead of ‘repeating’ what he had shown before, he recreated them, this time with panache, such as the jersey and tulle ruffle top with hand painted jeans and cocoon gabardine dress with metal sequined detail.

And if PETA were watching tonight, they would have loved Zaldy because instead of using fur; he used knotted alpaca yarn in place of animal skin in his coats. The opulence that fur gives a garment was easily duplicated with the fluffy quality of alpaca yarn.

There was only 24 looks shown, but truly who is counting because this is the ‘new beginning’ for Zaldy, according to the designer’s own words. And what a beginning! His newfound aesthetics becomes him.