Lela Rose’s girlish look gets sexier and bolder for Fall 2007. One of the most beautiful designs on the runway Sunday was an ivory gown with loose teardrops draped off the front and back. The symmetry of the ornament showed more thought than the Lela Rose staple, the bow, which was notably scarce here. Black lace with a circular design was both pretty and edgy as the top to a burgundy cocktail dress with a slight bubble skirt, on the front of a blouse, or on its own in a sheath. Decorative stitching — seen in previous seasons as flowers on suits and blouses — went big and geometric in a quilted links pattern on the bottom of a skirt and dress. Ruched cuffs added interest to plain cashmere and wool looks. Slim, ankle-length tapered pants offset short, bubbly jackets and loose blouses falling at mid-thigh. Models wore the patent-leather shoes Ms. Rose designed for Payless.

Add irony and rebellion to Lela Rose and you get 3.1 Phillip Lim. With props of top hats, boy’s blazers, and patent leather bow ties, the collection referenced prim English school uniforms, with plaid skirts and dresses paired with white blouses. The edge, evident in the show’s title, “Pedigree Minus Prudence,” was seen in short shorts, billowing men’s trousers, and fabric contrasts, such as a wool merino tunic and turtleneck worn over a silk organza miniskirt. Like Lela Rose, Mr. Lim offered beautiful maneuvers in fabric: an ivory linen gown also decorated with a few poufs on the front, a skirt hem with a ruffle edging turning upward, and a ruff collar.

The 3.1 Phillip Lim show featured runway novelty at the Waterfront building in Chelsea. The female and male models walked one long stretch of runway with a brick wall on one side and the crowd — including actress Michelle Williams, Vogue’s Anna Wintour, and her daughter, Bee Shaffer — on the other. On their return walk, models stood back along the brick wall for the show’s duration, creating a tableau that accentuated the cohesiveness of the collection’s themes.

Smart, slinky suits were the best of what Tuleh offered, in a collection that relied on buttons, prints, and fur for excitement (in other words, there wasn’t much). By contrast, Matthew Williamson presented a glamorous and ridiculous collection. Chunky sweaters were draped over short silk dresses, neither enhanced by the pairing. Leather and sweater coats were festooned with crystals, although their best use was on the bodice of a black gown, one of the only wearable looks.

A powerful trend across the runways was metallic fabric. Ms. Rose went with the pearly white and dark gray. Tuleh presented a gown in dark gray with a geometric pattern. Mr. Lim had it peeking out of sleeveless dresses in copper. Mr. Williamson, who strived for shininess in so many ways, used metallic in body-hugging sweaterdresses with loose hoods.