Rodarte

Legend has it that sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy arrived in New York from Pasadena, California, three years ago with nothing more than a suitcase of exquisitely romantic samples.

Fast-forward, and Rodarte already has the considerable heft of US Vogue behind it - the magazine has taken these retiring, self-confessed nerds to its heart. No pressure to perform, then.

So it was brave of the duo to depart from their homeland of dreamy romanticism and head towards the rogue state of punk. The series of knife-pleated nude leather skirts and laser-cut leather bodices layered over matching leather leggings with diamond cut-outs and plenty of post-apocalyptic razored knitwear was technically impressive and bound to go down well with stylists at edgier magazines, even though a tableau of all those pale Eastern European models in their flesh-coloured leather and scraped-back chignons looked about as threatening as a box of eggs.

The rainbow tulle, Grecian-inspired evening dresses would make for fabulous Oscar moments on the right actress, but this wasn't a collection to reach out to the rest of us. LA

Philosophy

An interesting exercise in rebranding, Philosophy shows what happens when you cast a diffusion line adrift from its mother label - in this instance, the very pricey, very finely crafted Alberta Ferretti.

Until three seasons ago, Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti (as it was known)showed in Milan and was always in the shadow of the Alberta Ferretti label. Now it shows in New York, has lopped off the cumbersome “di Alberta” appendage, and is finally forging its own identity - as a label for cool downtown girls who like some sweet femininity with their grit.

Here we have the army fatigue look - an emerging trend this week - coated with embellished, gilet-cum-corsets and lovely, floaty prints.

Take a techno, silk-look khaki parka, pop it over a pleated aqua chiffon Grecian-inspired dress (another trend, which has also been adopted by the likes of Diane von Furstenberg and Derek Lam), or slip into a maxi dress of kaleidoscope prints and you have the polished, eclectic hippy-meets-Corporal-Jones look off pat. What's not to love? LA

Marc by Marc Jacobs

If Marc Jacobs' mainline collection was a fantasy mix-and-match feast for the grown-ups, then its sister line was ostensibly aimed at the “kids”.

The faded assortment of preppy wear, or pricier Jack Wills style, was pleasing enough and certainly beautifully put together - striped, paper-bag trousers teamed with abstract print tops and finished off with neon necklaces or utility belts worn in multiples. Silhouettes such as babydolls and trapeze dresses would definitely have got the youth vote. So might the laissez-faire look of the blazers with rolled-up sleeves, or even the mannish trench coats slung over delicate dresses.

But ultimately these clothes looked like worn-in, very casual holiday wear or the kind of college separates that you pick off the bedroom floor before you dash to a lecture. Except these aren't going to be sold at anything near resembling H&M prices.

Also, aren't we a little bored by that “studied unstudied” approach? This is, of course, just one designer's vision, but when the kids mix it all up and customise their wardrobes, they rarely head to Marc Jacobs, but to vintage markets and Topshop. CA

Matthew Williamson

The refining influence that a city such as New York can have on a British designer's work is well documented. Stateside, load-it-on embellishment and jingle-jangle accoutrements nearly always get a rethink.

Certainly, in the six years that Williamson has been showing here, he has learnt to adapt his style vernacular from boho deluxe to something much more streamlined in order to appeal to a play-it-safe consumer. His collection started off well enough: sharp, tailored suits in block shades with Fifties couture-ish details on the capped sleeves and very nipped-in waists. The colour clashes - a vibrant tomato red teamed with a deep raspberry - were playful and punchy; this is the man, don't forget, who also designs for Pucci, the exuberant Italian print label.

The second half was less convincing. Were those lurex trims and gaudy brocades really such a good idea? Ditto the swathed tulle tops that had flowers sewn into the underside, creating one heck of a lot of bulk. His trademark Ibiza-esque kaftan dresses, this season in kaleidoscopic patterns with African-style beaded trims also look a little tired. CA

Narciso Rodriguez

Watching Narciso Rodriguez get to grips with bare flesh is like observing Gwyneth Paltrow's recent journey from classy prude to Ms Raunch - compulsive and not a little unsettling. Thing is, Rodriguez has made such a name as a purveyor of rigorous, minimalistic good taste, that when a dress comes out making a feature of flashes of naked torso (and not little flashes either), or pushes up breasts so that they practically wink at you, it's hard to know where to look.

Rodriguez has always been the go-to designer for women who don't want to make a big thing about their sexiness, but don't want it to pass unremarked. He is the master of the impeccable fit, the discreetly bared back, the uncompromisingly pared-down suit. He designed Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's wedding dress, for heaven's sake.

Baseline: he doesn't seem like the man to dress women who normally wear tight bandage dresses. Leave that to Hervé Léger. Still, we all need to tweak our image from time to time. Give this another season and the raunch may have evolved into a genuinely new take on understated sexuality. LA

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