New York ? For the past few fashion cycles, it’s been all about the dress. Women love it because it’s easy, versatile and flattering.

But now you have a closet full of dresses and not a whole lot of money to spend on something you already own. A potential replacement “it” item: the jumpsuit.

Don’t wince, or at least don’t wince without at least trying to overlook the one-piece images that popped into your mind — of 1970s disco queens at Studio 54, of Catwoman, of prisoners.

“Jumpsuits were a major trend on the spring runways, beginning in New York and continuing all through Europe,” says Colleen Sherin, fashion markets director at Saks Fifth Avenue. “There were so many of them, we couldn’t ignore them.”

She does indeed see them as an evolution of the dress. “Women like to be ready to go in one piece.”

Designer Elie Tahari reports that sales have been swift.

“It looks fresh and new,” says Tahari, who offered jumpsuit silhouettes as part of his tropical-themed spring collection. “It’s something that hasn’t been around. You can wear it more to go out than to go to work, but you could wear it to work. … You can dress it up with an obi belt, you can dress it down with chunky jewelry.”

Tahari also sees the sex appeal. “I think the fact that you’re wearing something that goes to the floor — it makes it an ‘event’ piece. It’s very sexy and it enhances the figure.”

The modern version isn’t quite the same as the one at the center of the disco dance floor, notes Tahari. It’s a little “less vulgar,” he says, a little more relaxed. The old one was tighter to the body.

Saks’ Sherin says that the jumpsuit leads naturally into two other spring trends: bold costume jewelry and aggressive shoes.

And, she says, with a belt, a hesitant wearer might convince herself it’s a blouse tucked into a trouser — she just didn’t have to do the work of figuring out which pieces to wear.