Five years ago we never would have said this, but: we were actually really excited to see what Tibi’s Amy Smilovic had up her sleeve this season. Really.

Lately, the designer’s cast her fourteen-year-old line in a new light, abandoning its hold as a Milly or Rebecca Taylor competitor. Instead of collections that are perfectly pleasant though always predictable, Tibi’s stepping into new territory: sharp blazers and strikingly full skirts, rendered not in flimsy fabrics, but luxe materials that merit a rising price tag (last season, a more lavish cocktail dress neared $800). The brand’s aiming for a different niche: stuff Olivia Palermo might wear, or at least, the kind of stuff that looks like it. Which makes sense, as the socialite, fashion darling, and soon-to-be website mogul is now the face of the brand.

Michael Kors went on safari for spring. He called his collection “Afriluxe” which made me cringe a little since much of Africa is decidedly not luxurious. Beautiful, yes, but luxurious? No. The parts that are luxurious are more often than not available only to rich tourists and a very small sliver of the population. Kors said in his line sheets he was inspired by the “rustic modernism of the Lebombo Lodge,” which the Times‘ Eric Wilson notes is $1,500 per night, per person.

Wilson also said the collection looked like “hillbillies on safari.” Ouch. I wouldn’t go that far. While the line sheets might have read a bit cringe-y the collection did not. In stark contrast to the bright grass greens and hot pinks of last year’s collection, this one was done in earth tones with the occasional bursts of sunset hues and set to a version of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” mixed with drumming.

The runway at the Reed Krakoff show was a circuitous maze in an all-white room, through which models had to walk a complicated route, often crossing paths and barely avoiding collisions. But the clothes they wore weren’t complicated. Minimalistic ease was represented to maximum effect.

The season’s fave new colors (yellow and orange) were in abundance, anchored by pieces in nude, black and white. Many dresses had a drop waist, as did jackets shown over skirts. A bit Prada fall 2011? Maybe, but that’s where the similarity ended.

Beautiful since its inception but lately overflowing with support from the editorial crowd, Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi’s Preen label attracted more fash-industry heavy hitters to its show yesterday morning than we’ve seen all week. Sitting front-row were Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Lauren Santo Domingo, Caroline Sieber, Kate Lanphear, and Taylor Tomasi Hill. And fittingly, considering how [...]

Karen Walker has softened back up since last season’s Northern England working class-inspired collection, but there was still a borrowed from the boys/working girl vibe to this season, albeit a cuter, quirkier one who does not shy away from prints. This collection was all about florals–tropical and ’60s flower child-esque daisies—and oversized picnic plaids and [...]

Before we even got inside the tents we knew we were at a Hervé Léger show from the bevy of ladies sporting the label’s signature skintight dresses–probably not the most appropriate attire in the daytime, but then again, it’s hard to tell during Fashion Week. Actually, we’ve never seen more Hervé Léger dresses in the daytime before since…well, ever.

But there’s a reason so many attendees (non-industry, it should be said) showed up wearing the label’s duds–something, much more rare than say, at a Proenza Schouler show. Hervé Léger has stumbled on a formula that works, or should we say, a formula that sells–and the label, designed by Max and Lubov Azria, has never strayed far from it, producing season after season of skintight bandage dresses.