Designers Steven Cox and Daniel Silver sent a subdued but stunning collection down the runway for Duckie Brown, a label admired (and sometimes jeered) for its avant-garde tendencies.

Gone are the rubber trenches and hyper-extended turtlenecks of last year; in their place, masculine wool melton blazers, barracuda jackets and long officer overcoats in solid colors we can only describe as, well, sensible. Plaids dominated the runway — stewart and watch patterns appeared on coats, trousers and button-downs. We were so entranced by a three-button, double-breasted red stewart blazer we could barely pull it together in time to snap the model before he walked off.

The designers, who delight in serving up mixed-media pieces with blinding pops of color, rose to the occasion with a double-breasted lime peacoat, the true hit of the collection and sure to be the covet of polished twenty-something guys from Wall Street to McCarren Park. Narrow trousers featured three-inch cuffs, a fresh look that balanced well with bold colors.

We can’t help but notice how fitting a reflection Duckie’s reserved winter look was of the label’s new partnership with Gillette, which began backstage with celeb makeup artist Merrell Hollis in charge of keeping the fit models trimmed. Anne Westbrook, a spokeswoman for Gillette’s parent company, Procter & Gamble, said in a statement that the partnership was “a no-brainer” because of the companies’ shared commitment to innovation. Make of that what you will, but take it from us, major label sponsorships are sure to be one of this week’s biggest recurring trends.