Vivienne Tam is one of those old school New York designers that not only invites top editors and buyers to view her runway, but also her customers and her customer’s kids, which means yesterday’s show was jam packed.

The audience was treated to a collection inspired by both the 600-year-old Kun Opera (also known as Kunqu, or Kunju) and the Zaha Hadid-designed Guangzhou Opera House in Guangzhou, China. The first few looks consisted of subdued day wear–tweed a-line skirts, boxy jackets, sweaters embedded with Swarovski gems–transforming into evening cocktail dresses and gowns, emblazoned with trompe l’oeil appliques, lace, embroideries, and crochet. The tassels and fringe adorning several of the dresses were playful but still very grown up. Kind of like the entire collection.

**Photos by Imaxtree.