For his fall collection, Thakoon Panichgul juxtaposed the luxury and opulence of the fashions of Versailles and the vibrancy and prints from the tribes of Africa. And what better local to show the collection than New York's own palace, the Plaza Hotel? From the gate, Panichgul's royal blue and orange plaid puffer jackets, asymmetrical dress, and peplum skirt brought life to the ornate ballroom. There were red velvet booties fit for Louis XIV, and trains and ruffles that we could picture a modern Marie Antoinette in. The designer's tribal influence was imagined in long printed vests, red and black striped cropped pants, and colorful chokers.

If Jimi Hendrix had been born a chick (and in this decade), she would probably have owned every single piece in Nicole Miller’s seventies-inspired AW/12 collection. Set to a mishmash of thumping hip-hop and heavy metal tunes, the designer unleashed her inner ‘haute hippie rocker’ on the runway. Her ‘70s POV included fitted jackets with exaggerated shoulders, colorful silk blouses with bell sleeves, skinny velvet cigarette pants, slinky bellbottoms, suede mini shorts, floral bodycon dresses, and plush voluminous outerwear trimmed in metallic brocade, fringe, and fur.

If a rock star traveled to colonial India, what would he or she wear? At Timo Weiland’s fall presentation, we journeyed back to the 1960s where our question was answered. For the ladies, designers Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein created rock-star worthy metallic blue tops and paired them with a jumper and then a vivid multi-colored peplum skirt. There were tiger-striped pieces as a nod to India, far out purple-tinted shades, wide-leg pants, platform pumps, and wait for it…muffs!

We were pretty much sold on the Lela Rose collection the minute we tasted the cookies in our gift bag, homemade straight from Lela's kitchen. It turns out, the clothes were just as mouth-watering as the sugary treats. Inspired by contemporary German painter Gerhard Richter, Rose translated scraped prints and "hazy and obscured imagery" from canvas to fabric to create a frothy, abstract collection with a water-color palette. Lela Rose die-hard Brittany Snow sat pretty in the front row in a blue and cream Richter-esque printed dress paired with gray knee highs, straight from the runway. Along with an array of dainty peplum, strict seamed, and cinched bow frocks and feather embroidered skirts, the collection featured some striking floor-length numbers. Among our favorites were a black and white plaid chiffon strapless gown layered over a green long-sleeved shirt, a mint brushed chrome gown, and a dip-dyed gray and white gown with a veiled shoulder. Models wore shoes from Rose's latest Payless line, and we have to say--they're amazing. We can't wait to pick up a pair of camel suede platform wedges with a red wave detail on the sole. **All photos: IMAXTREE