DIANE VON FURSTENBERG

Diane von Furstenberg and creative director Nathan Jenden looked to Russia for Fall 2005, putting out a memorable collection in a palette consisting mostly of solid blacks, reds, golds, and white. Cossack rugs, stripes, and chevrons added a clashing jolt – and there was some texture with fur, foiled lace, and coated wools – but it was the military detailing, the rope belts, and the charming immutability of the signature wrap dress that made for a truly disciplined collection. In fact, “Winter Palace” is the most consistent collection she’s done in years. It’s nice to see Ms. von Furstenberg settling down in the Steppes, with its bold, graphic black and white, loose peasant blouses and clingy wool dresses with heavy rolled collars – and Yves St. Laurent’s 1976 Russia collection in the back of her mind – after seasons of globe trotting and time warping.

TULEH

Last season Bryan Bradley, known for dressing young socialites, injected a bit of fetish into his predictably pretty and chaste collection: jumpsuits and rubber coats supplanted the demure cocktail dress. This season he’s hovering comfortably in the middle of prim and grit, of tailored and tossedon, of solid and transparent.

Sticking to what Mr. Bradley does best – dresses, exotic colors, and prints – the Tuleh ladies will be decked out in fuschia and gold, black lace, and brown and blue dresses come October. The dyed fur coats, such as the green fox and leopard-print rabbit, were the misstep: you won’t be seeing these in the Society Pages.

LUCA LUCA

Luca Orlandi is sticking with the ladylike dressing that he began to explore last season after years of tarting it up: skirts and sweaters, up-dos and flat shoes added the finishing touches to the voluminous skirts, tailored cashmere coats, and cropped wool pants. There was nothing ironic or downtown in his looks, however, which is unfortunate given that many style-watchers are very much looking forward to the last – and final – incarnation of ladylike.

-Erika Kawalek

OSCAR DE LA RENTA

There was something for every taste in Oscar de la Renta’s Fall 2005 collection. Ethnic prints, churchly velvets, and colorful floral brocades were presented in addition to looks that kept up classic glamour and the finest of finery. No flat surface went without a touch of glitter, embroidery, beads, or baubles. One cashmere sweater was embroidered with a windowpane design of small metal dots. A gold top was made entirely of what looked like little gold pebbles, and even a cashmere scarf got a treatment of colorful beads sewn on.

Several pieces used a bold repeated ikat print for an upscale-ethnic look. In the same vein, wide bands of color appeared on a series of skirts; the boldest contrasted yellow, electric blue, and burgundy. A series of velvet pieces in deep jewel tones made for a fairy-tale, medieval look, especially when touched with gold embroidery. But simplicity also reigned supreme on a few pieces, such as a camel cashgora swing coat that was cinched with a leopard-print belt.

Skirts at Oscar are full and getting fuller. One circle skirt featured a raised toile design; another, in red taffeta, featured swishy pleats, and yet another had two layers of pleated tafetta, making for the ultimate in swing and sway. An enormously full skirt appeared on a ball gown of black tulle, taking up almost the entire width of the runway.

As is seemingly required this season, Mr. de la Renta showed several gowns made entirely of gold sequins, but the absolute winner was the last look: a ruffled champagne tulle gown with a thin band of gold-sequined embroidery at the bodice and spaghetti straps.

As wide as this collection ranged, Mr. de la Renta kept everything consistently and unerringly luxurious.

CAROLINA HERRERA

Carolina Herrera’s Fall 2005 collection popped with rich colors and a sharper edge than usual. Though these clothes are still very much about above-it-all elegance, there’s more fun to be had. One of the best looks that defined this fresh direction was a short lame dress with a full, pleated skirt. The wide scoop neck had a graceful line, and the small tie at the back suggested a sexy corset peeking from underneath. Lame was also used for a full skirt topped with a brown beaded camisole.

Ms. Herrera used a soft, buttery yellow repeatedly; it made its way into a wool coat with lynx trim, a windowpane skirt, and a long ball gown with capelet sleeves. There was even a thin bit of yellow at the bodice of a full skirted grey moire strapless gown.

Fur had a presence here, and was put to exceptional use in a sleeveless top of chinchilla and fox stripes, shown above a gold tweed skirt. Dresses and skirts dominated, though Ms. Herrera did throw in a few pairs of trousers, some in herringbone and others in Prince of Wales plaid. And as is the trend this season, embroidery or embellishments showed up just about anywhere: a little leather band with sparkly details accented a sleeve at the elbow, a little bauble decorated a cuff, and v-necks were heavily bejeweled.

CYNTHIA STEFFE

For once, a designer delivered a collection that actually seemed to correspond to the show’s written description. Promising a reworking of the “opulence of Slavic Europe,” “imperial influences” in “regal hues,” and “the full skirts of Byzantine clergy robes” seemed a bit much when written on paper.

But the proof was on the runway: Ms. Steffe did indeed convert these ideas into something wearable and balanced between edgy and baby-doll sweet. The color palette here was deep and rich: garnet, imperial blue, burgundy, and mahogany. And fabrics were lush: crushed velvets, cashmere, and Donegal knits. The stunner in the fabric department was a reddish tapestry coat inspired by a Cossack shape. More Kremlin-style coats had high necks and came belted with wide gold elastic bands.

Necklines, though, received softer treatment, with prim collars and pearly buttons. Many of the looks were accessorized with fun gold chains with ribbon or fur run through them and huge colorful “gems” hanging down like charms. Though there were not many suits, the two shown were potent: a black velvet tuxedo sported mink cuffs, and one jacket featured rows of ruched tulle trim and a wide full skirt. With a clear vision and strong pieces, Ms. Steffe gave us much to see and think about in this dazzling collection.

Y & KEI

The looks at Y & Kei were an amalgam of the best styles from past generations – all reworked and funneled into one sleek, glamorous collection. The 1980s had a strong presence. An oversize sweater in a black-and-white floral print hung around the shoulders and waist with a slouchy grace. Several looks were accessorized with asymmetrical belts in textured brown leather at the waist.

Hollywood’s Golden Age was evoked with a large open-front cardigan with mink trim at the collar, as well as with a black wrap dress with gray fur at the back of the neck. A sheer black lace high-neck shirt with a bow at the low waist combined romance and sex like a 1930s film star would. Throughout the collection were exceptional uses of knitwear in cardigans and jackets. And though the colors were generally dark brown and black, there was plenty of sparkle peeking through. This collection – made by husband-and-wife team of Hanii Yoon and Gene Kang – is destined for women with attitude, intelligence, and an artistic sense of style.

YIGAL AZROUEL

The dresses were divine in Yigal Azrouel’s fall collection. Look after look featured sumptuous fabric and showed a respect for the body; many of the dresses could make just about any body shape look fabulous. Among the winners was a rich orange silk gown with a scoop neck and sheer capelet sleeves. A long black gown swept the floor with a valance bottom; its scarf-like print on silk chiffon featured small flecks of yellow and orange. A delicate, light tan gown of silk chiffon appeared dotted with gold bits – and its flowing “opera” sleeves made for a romantic vision.

Several jackets were paired with the looks; a forest green velvet jacket looked crinkled and cozy, and a dark swing coat with sequin detail feminized a pair of grey trousers. The show also featured well-selected pieces of jewelry by David Webb. A long gold chain with a green bauble at the bottom was the perfect accessory for a black cocktail dress with a sweeping hem and modest beaded insets at the waist. Mr. Azrouel has staked out territory for himself that is defined by exceptional tailoring and a floating, effortless beauty. In these dresses, you won’t get caught trying too hard; glamour comes easily with them.

-Pia Catton

GARY GRAHAM

Gary Graham is one of New York’s most original and gifted talents, and lately, one of the most ignored. His position on the fashion scene is awkward: a new face in 2001, he’s no longer a novelty, but he’s not yet endorsed by the industry big league. There’s no need to worry, however. Mr. Graham’s work is so consistently strong that if he hangs in there, he will most likely become a cult figure and a legend.

Mr. Graham operates in his very own shabby-chic universe, and his collections are often based on a compelling narrative. For Fall 2005, Mr. Graham created three characters that roughly illustrate the many faces of female dressing: buttoned-up, bohemian, and bombshell. Using trademark silhouettes like romantic gypsy skirts, laced-up silk corsets softened by distressed seams, and beautifully tailored dress jackets and princess coats, Mr. Graham created a line that was clean enough to compliment any wardrobe yet had the very personal goth-inspired patina that makes his work recognizable and unique.

In order for deconstructed clothing to work, there has to be an actual construction at the base; the use of complicated panels and inserts to create fluid silk dresses and the subtle twist of a wool skirt showed off the deft craftsmanship that makes Mr. Graham’s collections so appealing. Those looking to own future collector’s items should include Mr. Graham on their shopping lists now.

THAKOON

After presenting an ethereal and delicately deconstructed collection for spring, Thakoon Panichgul got into a more pragmatic mood for fall. The young designer (who founded his label just a year ago) seemed to have shelved innovative concepts like turning seams inside-out and creating coats based on children’s clothing in favor of presenting grown-up and glamorous sportswear.

While most of the garments looked like they could have been clipped from the pages of 1960s or 1970s Vogue, the novelty was in the styling. This fall, the Thakoon woman will be donning Annie Hall-worthy wear like plaid maxi-length trench coats and slim blazers paired with ladylike satin skirts with lace insets. She will dress up in a fluffy white mink jacket balanced with slender navy pants and a slightly bohemian washed silk jacket with an oversized neck bow. When she’s feeling whimsical, she’ll pull out her lace-embedded vinyl peacoat and go singing in the rain.

While the collection was well made, clever, and definitely stylish, there seemed to be something slightly missing. Perhaps it was the intuitive sense of innovation and dreamy prettiness of last season’s garments, like the softly padded silk coat that could be spotted on several attendees. Let’s hope that Mr Panichgul decides to include more inner child and less Madison Avenue in his next efforts.

LUELLA

British designer Luella Bartley has been a favorite among It-girls on both sides of the Atlantic for the past three or four years. It’s easy to see why. This former fashion editor has a great knack for pulling together kooky vintage-inspired looks and making them sexy and hip – which is just what she did for her Fall 2005 collection.

Citing influences like nerdy chic, English schoolboy, and British prom dresses, Ms. Bartley sent out calf length suede skirts, polka-dot blouses, and skinny striped blazers for day and strapless floral ballerina gowns for evening. Bold and playful sequined mini-dresses had a Quant-like appeal, and a riff on logomania (a print of Gucci-esque chains and horse bits with a double-L emblem) was the first recycling of late-1990s trends ever spotted by this reporter.

In French, the title of “designer” is divided into two categories: “couturier” and “styliste.” Ms. Bartley belongs to the latter group – rather than innovate, she digs up past styles and makes them over again, basically creating vintage clothes without the armpit stains. (What she does create from scratch, however, are her enormously popular bags that have just the right amount of buckles, fringes, and studs to become cult items.) But of course there’s nothing wrong with turning out sassy and smart clothes that make her ever-growing clientele’s hearts beat faster. Her clothes may never be the subject of museum retrospectives, but Luella Bartley understands (perhaps better than any other contemporary designer) that girls just want to have fun.

-Johanna Lenander