Homme-femme, schoolgirl chic at Fashion Week

It's that time of year again, when hundreds of fashionistas descend on Manhattan and clog its crowded streets with their Manolos, Fiji water bottles and Blackberries. Here's a short report on the good, the bad and the ugly of Fashion Week Fall 2007.

Doo.Ri was the name of the game, but the 2006 CFDA/Fashion Fund winner has yet to find her footing, as her lukewarm collection demonstrated. The bubble hem of last season showed itself in several incarnations, from breezy blouses over skinny black pants to minidresses. While her most exotic presentation was a furred puff-sleeved tweed minidress with black lace hem, Doo.Ri's lack of tailoring left her collection looking unpolished and amateur.

Derek Lam presented an homme-femme aesthetic in which swinging Aline miniskirts contrasted with mannish double-breasted coats. He also included several versions of the thigh-high silhouette popular with young designers, and one could easily imagine legions of Manhattan socialite wannabes wearing his sexy, loose designs at Bungalow 8. Lam has a gift for breaking his minimalist monotony with one eye-catching detail, like a diagonal print or complexly constructed strap. But he has yet to find his voice among the flashier young guns, like Proenza Schouler, Zac Posen and the usually outstanding Thakoon.

Unfortunately, Thakoon did not live up to the hype of last season's charmingly pastel collection. His collection centered on drop-waisted shift dresses with puff sleeves in dark, muted colors: midnight blue, black, beige. Sadly, they were shapeless, knee-length, dowdy frocks that didn't quite embody the sleek freedom of 1920s flapper dresses. While other designers embraced youth in the form of skimpy minis, Thakoon seemed inspired by the senior citizen fashion in "Golden Girls."

Marc Jacobs, that paragon of American fashion, debuted a collection that was cartoonish, in a surprisingly good way. Jacobs' vivid imagination delivers a unique collection nearly every season, and this time was no different. Parisian 1920s chic is the key word here, and one can easily imagine wearing his outfits at a cafe with Ernest Hemingway. Bright saffrons, crimsons and royal blue were a welcome break from the drab-colored monotony of other designers. Wide-brimmed hats and lapels, exquisitely tailored skirts and blouses, and drop-waist satin minidresses completed the neo-flapper look. His solid-colored outfits were, well, solid in their clean, sharp lines. The focus was clearly on tailored details, rather than loud, kooky patterns. Unfortunately, Jacobs took too much liberty with his printed creations, sending one patchwork quilt disaster after another down the runway. Still, overall, Jacobs lived up to his infinite hype as the King of Fashion Week.

London design team Marchesa had a hard time following up on its spring collection, whose rose-detailed evening gowns were seen on the red carpet on everyone from Sienna Miller to Anne Hathaway. In a sea of derivative Grecian gowns, the one standout piece was a delightful feathered minidress with black velvet belt. Regrettably, such frothy charm was tempered with a tulle-hemmed atrocity that looked like a French maid's feather duster turned upside-down. Marchesa's designers should know their strength lies in wearable eveningwear with one continuous motif. This collection had too much inspiration and was ultimately incoherent, as if the designers jumped too far into the deep end of the creative pool.

Ralph Lauren, once the best in American sportswear, debuted a wholly unimpressive collection of drab, unimaginative separates. Lauren rarely takes risks, instead sticking to his tried-and-true motif of American sensible chic with occasional dalliances into Western or, as in this season, safari. This season's foray into the bush fell flat, as one can only stomach so many knockoffs of Yves Saint Laurent's 1968 safari jacket. But Lauren knows that his audience, the Bergdorf Goodman ladies-who-lunch, likes consistency, so chances are he won't be leaving his comfort zone anytime soon.

Tory Burch's retro-inspired, "Jackie O on Capri" collection is, above all, wearable. Her wildly popular Reva Ballerina flats, ubiquitous on Princeton's campus, reflect the same easygoing, chic aesthetic in her fall collection. Her boldly colored shift dresses and smart, cropped jackets are perfect for the trophy wife on the go. Burch knows how to trademark well, as she slaps her logo on everything from buttons to embellishments on her shoes. Even such shameless self-promotion couldn't save her one attempt at eveningwear, a hideous sequined column dress more at home in Cirque de Soleil than Studio 54. Derivative though it may be, Tory Burch does daywear well.

Fashion darling Zac Posen continued his unique vision of 1940s-inspired outfits, like his sharp tailored suits with black satin piping. Some of his memorable statement pieces included a gorgeous take on a belted peacoat and a shockingly repugnant furred and ruffled eggplant coat (which was actually worse than it sounds). As Posen has traditionally favored structured, masculine accents over feminine details like lace and ruffles, his cocktail dresses were sleek and formfitting, a welcome respite from the ubiquitous trapeze dress. While his short dresses were smart and flattering, his evening wear was one atrocious mess of fishtail ruffles after another. Bottom line: Zac Posen's matinee-idol looks may attract legions of followers, but he is certainly not impervious to mistakes.

Proenza Schouler just may be the smartest design team to come out of New York in years. Channeling Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, the dynamic duo debuted spy-like black trenches with stand-up collars, vintage-style jet-beaded flapper dresses and their trademark bustier dresses. While Proenza Schouler's sublime beauty lies in their meticulous attention to luxury detail, they also understands their broad appeal. Inexpensive versions of their most popular designs are coming soon to a Target near you, thanks to Target's Go! International Fashion campaign.

But while Proenza Schouler may corner both the high- and low-end of the fashion spectrum, 3.1 Philip Lim surprisingly stood out as the paramount collection of the season. Citing the Edwardian aesthetic of "Grey Gardens" as inspiration, Lim also channeled Ali McGraw's adorably preppy collegiate style from "Love Story." Lim showed dusty-pink diaphanous layers paired with rustic schoolgirl tweed and plaid shift dresses over dove gray opaque tights. High-heeled oxford shoes, the perfect blend of masculine and feminine, completed the look. With this collection, Lim achieves the impossible zenith of unique and wearable chic.

So, what trends can we expect to see filtering down to Princeton's campus? Brightly colored opaque tights will soon replace those omnipresent black leggings and thigh-high minidresses and ankle boots will be swapped for girly accessories like Mary Jane stilettos. Finally, 1920s flapper style ruled the runways everywhere from Marc Jacobs to Proenza Schouler, so don't be surprised if every night on the Street seems like Gatsby Night.