Maria Cornejo’s fall collection was hands down one of the best I’ve seen all week. Granted, I’ve always been a fan of Cornejo and her hallmark asymmetrical printed silk dresses that hang just-so, but this collection stood out. “I realized that the greatest luxury is to have the freedom to express one’s own point of view,” Cornejo said in her line sheets.

Maybe it was that realization–the luxury of being able to express oneself–that led Cornejo to have fun this season–adding hard wool skirts to her classic print silk dresses so they hung a bit heavier and looked more sculpted, or belting them with thick leather obis to wear over lust-worthy leather leggings. She had fun with prints, too, on her signature drapey silks: there was a print to resemble fur, one to look like hair (which went well with horsehair accessories), one that was a bookshelf (inspired by a “brainy friend’s house”), and my favorite looked like a vivid sunset. Stiff leather pieces were paired with filmy silks, and shaggy knits were layered over silk dresses. A cropped cocoon silhouette was recurrent throughout the collection (Cornejo calls them pods), and was particularly impacting in bright red and paired with a matching skirt.

Arriving midway through a presentation is the best way to understand exactly the impact a collection has. Yesterday, when I arrived at Chris Benz at 5p.m. on the dot, the David Rubenstein Atrium was so crowded I couldn’t move without accidentally bumping another Benz-lover. But I’m not complaining; all the hubbub inside means that Benz’s collection may be now more popular than ever.

After his ode to Paris last season, Benz returned to America for AW11, citing his days in Savannah, GA as his inspiration for fall. The mix between art school kids (Benz mentors at SCAD) and ladies who lunch was perfectly struck, with mixed plaid ensembles that could walk from Williamsburg to Barney’s without feeling out of place.