Thuy
Girls looking to boost their job interview wardrobe might want to check out Thuy Diep’s cool yet modest suits, dresses and trousers. Metallic prints gave just enough edge to her office-friendly looks. The drawbacks: her silhouettes sometimes took the volume idea too far, making one wish she’d scale back on the cowled and draped sleeves. —Kenya Hunt
Hervé Legér
Whether in suits that were more red carpet than boardroom or body-hugging v-neck dresses, Max Azria updated Herve Leger’s trademark bandages with texture, using snakeskin patchwork, velvet and beaded embellishments to accentuate the woman’s form. But loyalists shouldn’t fret. Azria didn’t tinker too much with the brand’s popular formula. —Kenya Hunt
DKNY
“The collection has a new level of sophistication to it. The DKNY woman has to think about working,” Donna Karan said, perfectly summing up her colourful and polished collection of day-to-evening suits, dresses, trousers and jumpsuits. A retro Mad Men vibe gave the clothes an undercurrent of sex appeal. —Kenya Hunt
Y-3
Entirely black, sombre, elegantly tailored jackets and trousers received a dose of joie de vivre courtesy of bursts of colour throughout the men’s and women’s wear and a new children’s addition to the Y-3 stable, modelled by a group of adorable kid models. —Kenya Hunt
Diane von Furstenberg
Rich colours, fantastically layered tribal prints and textured fabrics, and cool, floppy hats with pom poms converged to create a bohemian magpie sensibility at Diane von Furstenberg’s show. The clever collection was a bright spot to a somewhat lacklustre opening weekend. —Kenya Hunt
Jonathan Saunders
The shoulders, a key idea in fashion right now, were the focal point for Saunders’ strong collection, which featured futuristic tailoring and prints. With their tight-knit skull caps, winged shoulders and flared hemlines on skirts and dresses, the models resembled boldly coloured birds about to take flight. —Kenya Hunt
Erin Fetherston
The designer has always worked well with the idea of fairy tales and fantasy, but the living dolls she sent down the runway as part of her fall collection called Tinderbox seemed to be a bit too literal. It’s hard to imagine her girly bow-accented, teacup skirts and dresses looking good on anyone older than 25. But the show did have bright spots, in the form of flowing, pointelle jacquard dresses. —Kenya Hunt
