At yesterday’s DKNY show, it was almost impossible to separate specific 9/11 homage from the urban Americana integral to the brand. Sure, the show notes paid explicit tribute to the tenth anniversary and “the courage, the inspiration, the compassion” of New Yorkers. But as a flock of electric red and blue looks emerged from the unmistakably NYC backdrop—a yellow cab parked in the middle of the West 26th St— it seemed the set, clothes, and music (The Guess Who’s “American Woman”) would have been just as fitting had DKNY showed any other day, not just 9/11/11.

Donna Karan’s sportswear line has forever romanticized New York– it’s in the name, after all–and yesterday’s collection was what DKNY has always been: relevant and smart, never fussy. Those red and blue looks, in eye popping stripes and Marimekko-esque florals, seemed perfectly primed for the city gal who wants to put together a striking look when she really needs to be running to the subway, like, now.

I’m not a whiz when it comes to the rules of physics, but if that whole “like attracts like” theory truly applies, then it should come as no surprise that the king of prep’s evening show was highly attended by, well, other mega-moguls. Russell Simmons was there, as were Anna Wintour and Anna Dello Russo (who I suppose could claim the Queen of Quirky Fascinators title by now, if nothing else). Actress Abbie Cornish and model Petra Nemcova showed as well, which made plenty of sense considering the twosome’s penchant for clean, chic clothes. More puzzling was the presence of singer Corinne Bailey Rae, who is inching dangerously close to earning what the Fug Girls have termed “The New Sophia Bush Award” (for ubiquitous presence at any and every show at NYFW).