Serena Williams launches line at Fashion Week

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Fashion Week is expected to be equal parts celebrity and sophistication Tuesday, with runway shows that included collections by red carpet favorites Badgley Mischka and a new line by Serena Williams.

Nicki Minaj will go from the front row to front and center at Fashion Rocks.

And Naomi Campbell helped a couple of designers celebrate a special anniversary.

Oh, and there were clothes you didn't need to walk a red carpet to wear.

Here are some of the highlights:

____

SERENA WILLIAMS

Fresh off her third straight U.S. Open win, Serena Williams took on New York Fashion Week with her first runway show, as a celebrity crowd that included Vogue editor Anna Wintour watched from the front row.

The tennis champ said she was working on the collection, a mix of casual and dress clothes for the shopping network HSN, even while she was mowing down competitors at the U.S. Open — casting models and choosing their looks. She was inspired by couture shows like Dior, but with a toned down vibe, she said.

She captured the title on Sunday by defeating good friend Caroline Wozniacki, who showed up at Tuesday's show to support Williams. Williams said she planned to return the favor by coming back to New York when Wozniacki is scheduled to run the New York City Marathon in November.

—Nekesa Mumbi Moody

____

TORY BURCH

There were sequins, there were fringes, and there were, of course, purses. Tory Burch's spring collection was an eclectic mix of bold patterns and looks that could morph from a day wedding to a cocktail party to the red carpet.

Among the key looks: A shirt minidress with color blocks of red, black, blue and orange; cream pants with dark tree prints with a dark-blue solid waist stripe; black-and-white patterned cotton shorts with a fringe; an ankle-long taupe dress accented by metallic designs; and pants with blue, black and cream vertical stripes and tuxedo-like black stripes running down the side. The fabrics were varied too, from knits and cottons to canvas and linens.

—Nekesa Mumbi Moody

____

BADGLEY MISCHKA

Badgley Mischka celebrated its 25th year with a New York Fashion Week show that featured their signature sumptuous gowns and a queen of glamour — Naomi Campbell.

The supermodel joined Mark Badgley and James Mischka briefly on the runway Tuesday, amid cascading silver balloons, as the duo celebrated their silver anniversary together. The brand is known for delicate, dazzling dresses, and delivered that once again for its spring collection.

Ruffles were a recurring theme, including a beige jacket with two layers off it, and they also appeared on other looks. And even the more sedate looks were stunners, including a silvery sleek beaded dress with beaded belt to match.

—Nekesa Mumbi Moody

____

RAG & BONE

The Rag & Bone girl of spring just rolled out of bed after a long night.

She couldn't find her pants or locate her bra. She misplaced her top so she threw on her boyfriend's vest, found some judo pants and headed out.

"There's quite a lot of skin," acknowledged David Neville, half the brand's design duo with Marcus Wainwright.

In a warehouse space at a long-closed post office Monday night, the two shifted gears a bit from seasons past. They pared down looks for a sexier feel in customer-friendly colors that included light indigo, creams and white.

The menswear and work wear influences were apparent, "but at the same time it's all very feminine," Neville said.

—Leanne Italie and Nicole Evatt

____

THOM BROWNE

Walking into a Thom Browne fashion show often feels like walking onto the set of a Tim Burton movie, with the most fabulous and chic costumes imaginable.

And the designer didn't disappoint Monday evening when he presented his spring 2015 collection in a runway show that felt more like a fashion designer's dream version of "Alice in Wonderland."

The soundtrack was actually a bedtime story for the audience, read by a familiar voice that Browne identified in a post-show interview as Diane Keaton, a fan of his clothes. "Good evening, everyone," she began, promising "a short story, a simple story, a timeless story."

The models brought life to the story, appearing in truly wondrous combinations of fabric and color. Much more than his spookier February show, for which Browne created a church and dressed his models like strangely robotic nuns, these clothes, many of them suits, were outfits you'd want to pluck off the runway and wear to a party.

Browne said Keaton was the perfect person to read the story he had created.

"She is SO my girl," he said.

—Jocelyn Noveck

____

Follow AP fashion coverage all through Fashion Week at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Fashion