Note to production teams: Smoke machines look cool, but they smell awful.

Tia Cibani’s Ports 1961 collection had us on the fence at first.

Everything was beige and cream and the leather hats looked Amish. There were a few nice, softer pieces, like a ginger asymmetric cape–but it was too utilitarian.

Up close, however, the detailing on the clothes was amazing. Metallic tweeds, beading, leather cuffs and unexpected fabrics like neoprene helped to create a modern spin on some of the more traditional pieces. Simple shapes were transformed by dramatic draping and gathering in the back, and featured a gorgeous autumn color palette including shades of iris, mustard and pewter.

Also noteworthy were the necklaces, obviously inspired by Cibani’s theme of nature coexisting with technology; there was one chicory wood mosaic piece that stood out in particular and some laser-cut collars made of Perspex worth drooling over.

Other highlights included a dark, tie-dyed velvet dress paired with cream colored fishnets, and a chunky wool/leather bolero that we’d live in (if we could get our hands on it). It may be freezing outside, but by the end of the collection we were willing to skip spring in favor of next fall.