A spirit of cheerful sophistication ruled the runways Monday. Collections from Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, and Ellen Tracy offered a chic, grown-up antidote to fashion’s seasonal obsession with poolside 30-somethings. Though the trend toward voluminous, sheer dresses that resemble hippie lingerie is fun, there are times when a girl needs a proper dress. And these are the brands that do it best.

Carolina Herrera’s spring collection balanced bright colors with neutrals — on individual pieces and throughout the lineup. One embroidered sundress looked like a gathering of wide black strips of fabric belted with a wrapping of wide strips in cream. Another white dress was embroidered with a swooping linear design that was a more edgy look for the label than usual. So too, a series of otherwise straightforward sheath dresses came with stiff panels of fabric in either the front or back; think sandwich boards — only on one half of the body, and pretty.

Wide belts accented most of the looks, including a stunning cream seersucker chiffon gown with a portrait neckline. Folded at the neckline in a way that suggested a woman wrapped in a beautiful soft blanket, the dress nevertheless strongly implied sensuality. A jersey gown in red was cut in a 1940s shape: high neck with short, draping sleeves, a fitted waist with buttons, and a hem that swept the floor. It’s a dress that needs a Katharine Hepburn to make it sizzle, but when it does, it could be searing.

At Oscar de la Renta, bright colors and floral prints stood out. An electric blue fabric gave evening gowns in classic shapes a new intensity. A poppy print in the same bright color was used against a white background for a high-waisted evening dress. Blue also showed up in a linear print on a white jacket with a wide boxy waist. Dresses in solid red and yellow also swished their way onto the runway; one particular red dress took a now familiar Oscar shape — puffy, bubble skirt —into a slimmer direction with a tight bodice.

Embroidery showed up consistently, from large medallions to light floral eyelets on entire dresses. A beautiful evening outfit paired a sheer white organza shirt with a powder blue silk faille skirt decorated with white embroidery. Looks for both day and evening combined beautifully constructed shirts — many sleeveless, several belted — with slim or puffed skirts.The pairings could allow for maximum flattery for women who don’t have model shapes, and they also had an air of simplistic dignity.

At Ellen Tracy, designer George Sharp presented a collection that was long on urban elegance.An emphasis on tailoring and smooth lines made this a wearable collection with a touch more flair than in the past. A tan suit in stretch sateen needed no embellishment to make it stand out.A sheer blouse in a khaki animal print added a more aggressive touch to the dark tans and muted tones of the suit pieces. Sweater pieces in light green were paired with crisp linen separates, including pants and a pencil skirt. These professional looks were followed by dresses that straddled the line between sportswear and evening: A floor-length navy blue dress with a blue-and-white striped ribbon belt, and a blue-andwhite striped long skirt with a white blouse, were both so nautical you could feel the sea air.

A collection like this one from Ellen Tracy is for a conservative, elegant client, and it was a relief to see clothing for such a sensible woman. Fashion magazines repeatedly publish their “age” issues, in which editors pick the clothes that best suit women of different ages. Looking great at any age is a laudable theme, but fashion designers don’t seem as taken with the concept as editors. The clothes at Ellen Tracy, however, acknowledge the realities of life — not just age, but bank accounts, too — with some panache.