ALTUZARRA
Joseph Altuzarra has, for the last season or two, been anointed as the coming man.
When it emerged, however, this collection did not prove to be the agenda-setting revelation for which its audience hoped. Overcoats came in seersucker-stripes or tones of beige. Sexily strapped, knee-high peep-heel gladiators in various shades of brown needed to be black for full kerpow. There was an overload of fringing. This was tacky soft-furnishing overload, not brave new world.
Luke Leitch
Takeaway trend: More fringe than Edinburgh.
Verdict: A show of many parts that failed to be more than the sum of them. 3/5
PRABAL GURUNG
Kathmandu-raised Prabal Gurung's "Far East meets Upper East Side" makes colour, texture, frills, ethnic prints and brocade work for Waspy young socialites - among them, Barbara Bush Jr, front row on Saturday. Or maybe not. Having found his own groove, Gurung appears to have toppled into Alexander Wang's (see right): floaty layers, including floppy trousers, a long vest with a chiffon tail and a shorter jacket on top. In time, Gurung recalled who his customers are with some flouncy drop-waisted dresses and filmy shifts.
Lisa Armstrong
Takeaway trend: Block heels. They're everywhere but he got in first.
Verdict: Confused but cute. 3/5
ALEXANDER WANG
Decked out in skinny monochrome layers that look as though they were filched from lost property, Wang's slightly oversized clothes never quite seem to fit the models, albeit in an artful way. Previously, the deliberate slept-in creases brought to mind Ghost, the British label once a hit with yummy-mummies-to-be. But Wang's been working hard. These fabrics - putty-coloured, matte snakeskins, stiff wools and Lurex worked into tunics and matching skirts - were a leap forward into the world of polished edge.
LA
Takeaway trend: Centre partings, surgical cotton blouses and culty slashed boots.
Verdict: Embellishment gets edgy. 4/5
CAROLINA HERRERA
When the First Lady of White House Chic adopts the cause of flat shoes, you know fashion is finally honorouring Sir Isaac Newton's pledge to gravity. Herrera even put jewelled flat sandals with her evening dresses. Gone are the stiff columns of yore; in their stead, filmy lace and silk layers in aqua or coral embellished taupe. Herrera masters the fly-away tendencies of chiffon by anchoring dresses to the waist. This is the assured hand of a grande hostess rounding up her drunken guests and easing them out the door at the end of a long party.
LA
Takeaway trend: Orange. It's replacing red as the uptown mood-lifter.
Verdict: Easy breezy elegance. 4/5
DONNA KARAN
No one has a handle on washed-out hues like Donna Karan. Silvery blues, red-sky-at-night pink, cold-seawater green… This serene spectrum echoed in the looser, waftier silhouette. But some of those flouncy, looped-up skirts, asymmetric necklines and scoop-fronted bolero jackets could be tough for anyone over 18. A two-piece jacket and waistcoat in blue worn over bare skin is a nice idea, but it needs a shirt, and that starts to get bulky. That apart, there was a lot to like, including bias-pleated skirts, worn with cross-over waistcoats.
LA
Takeaway trend: Rained-on colours.
Verdict: Summer in the city for modern Grace Kellys. 3/5
THAKOON
After a few seasons of so-what, Thakoon came up with one of the most beautiful collections. From an opening, sleeveless birdcage dress to a black blouse featuring two embroidered birds whose beaks were connected by a thin golden chain, there were plenty of delicate avian motifs. These were matched by porcelain-pretty floral prints. In all, they were attractive enough to smooth over the odd faux pas - a jarring harnessy arrangement that compromised the impact of a few dresses.
LL
Takeaway trend: Ugly but glittered mid-heels contrasted with ultra-feminine birds.
Verdict: Lovelier to look at than to wear, perhaps, but lovely all the same. 4/5
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG
Here were clothes that are easy to wear and impossible to miss. Yvan Mispelaere, who designs the collection, presented lots of slouchy palazzo pants and metallic-belted separates, tunic dresses and floaty floor-lengthers attached to the models' wrists for extra waft. With the exception of a few black pieces studded with Dalek-like silver balls, everything came in stupendously bright-colour combinations, most of which worked excellently. Burnt orange and navy was a particular goer - even better in the flesh than virtually.
LL
Takeaway trend: Jarring colour co-ordination, right down to your sunglasses.
Verdict: More bright than beautiful. 3/5
EDUN
Edun will always be seen as a vanity project. After all, its co-founder is Ali Hewson, wife of Bono. But whereas he is an Irishman who can't pull off a convincing Irish accent, Hewson is at least a designer with a strong aesthetic sense - and a moral one, too. A mix of military and yummy-mummy chic, the collection (actually designed by Sharon Wauchob) mixed chiffon "safari" florals, pastels and sequins with olive, dog-tags and drab. Parachute trousers were functionally baggy and chequered with zips; there was a pleasant recurring cloud-pattern cameo on frayed miniskirts and chiffon tops.
LL
Takeaway trend: Return of action trousers.
Verdict: Perfect for ethically sound yummy mummies. 3/5
3.1 PHILLIP LIM
PHOTOS: Reuters
This label is now selling $60 million of clothes a year at wholesale. Multiply that figure by around 2.5 to see what it's doing at retail: this is a hot brand. Lim makes clothes that women want to wear at prices that are not terrifying. For every teeny, midriff-revealing leather miniskirt or shorts, there's a knee-length alternative - sheer on the catwalk, but lined back in the showroom. Slim, block-blue, belted dresses will be an easy sell to women who want to look smart but youthful.
LA
Takeaway trend: Tunics and matching skirts.
Verdict: Ticks just about every box for trend seekers. 4/5
TORY BURCH
Tory Burch's first model hit the catwalk 30 minutes late, but this collection was worth the wait, a dust-free American dream of international traveller-chic. Cute pointy moccasins studded with crystal or woven leather detailing were the platform for outfits that featured mirrored, fringed beads, indigo tie-dye from Guinea, Park Avenue-perfect heavy linen skirts crossed at the hip with dip-dye, or sequin-speckled coral summer dresses. Fantasy Out of Africa resort wear for women who'd be happy never to venture out of the Hamptons.
LL
Takeaway trend: Those flats -- and bouclé style jackets with raffia fringing.
Verdict: A Tory triumph. 4/5
