Innovators are always easy to cheer for: They carve out a place at the forefront of their industry and, once there, determine the shape of things to come. But designers who are known for consistency also have a place in the collective fashion heart. Every season, Oscar de la Renta and Michael Kors, who both showed their spring 2009 collections yesterday, each receive a hero’s welcome when they come out for a bow. Season after season they deliver collections that buoy the spirits during fashion week — even though the collections may not break new ground or usher in a new era every six months. What they do accomplish, however, is something emotional: They offer reassurance.

At Michael Kors it was a collection that promised sunny, happy times. If it had a motto, it was “Long live summer!” Polka dots were used on retro bathing suits and full-skirted halter dresses. Wide stripes found their way onto bikinis, and thin stripes on sheath dresses encouraged thoughts of yacht clubs at cocktail hour. You may not go for a hike in an oversize anorak dress in bright red, but you could run across town looking chic in it or in a navy trench with crimson lining.

Wet suits and surfboards inspired several pieces. A long black evening gown with a flared skirt had a zipper right down the front — other dresses in red and blue played on the theme. The broad, vertical stripes that decorate a surfboard were used, too: Blue, white, and black ran down the back of a short dress with wide proportions. Several pieces seemed inspired by architecture — references perhaps to the cabanas themselves — with blown-out shapes and loose silhouettes. One black dress had a virtual sail of fabric coming down the back. It was a collection that could make you wistful about the summer that has just passed — and yet joyful to remember that in time, there will be another beach on which to frolic, more boats on which to sail, and another porch on which to clink glasses.

And speaking of parties, Oscar de la Renta’s collection had its own optimistic message: “There will be lunch.” These clothes evoked a sense of calm — of soft breezes that make the napkins flutter after a lunch of chicken salad on beds of lettuce. Maybe it was the palette: creamy tans and shades of oyster, with a few tie-dyes and Ikat prints thrown in for exotic flair. Maybe it was the simple skirt suit in avocado — or the belted camp shirt worn with a loose, flowing skirt.

Whatever it was, the collection offered much for city socializing in the daytime — and evening, too. A stunning gown in navy lace would be perfectly glamorous on opening night at the Metropolitan Opera. A sparkling gown in a pattern of embroidered green, blue, and white seemed more appropriate for galas in Palm Beach. For the ballet galas, there was a strapless gown with white ferns embroidered on a full skirt that peeked out from under a cloud of black tulle.