2011 New York Fashion Week

Last year's Ecco Domani winner Joseph Altuzarra knows what modern women want: to be cool and sophisticated at the same time. If that's your fashion mission, read on. For Fall '11, the designer managed to marry oversize fur parkas with the silkiest of frocks, tweed skirts with chunky sweaters, military-inspired pieces with preppy argyle. It was juxtaposition at its most fabulous. Deep hues like maroon and olive green kept the scene very serious, while thigh-revealing side slits and sheer fabrics added a major dose of sexy. Military meets sexy meets preppy meets cool — I can't think of a better mashup.

• Trends: Fur parkas, long, asymmetrical hemlines, argyle.
• Colors: Deep red, brown, olive green, brown.
• Key Looks: Print dress with oversize parka; chunky ivory turtleneck sweater with tweed pencil skirt.
• Accessories: Lace-up, knee-high boots, fur anklets.
• Who Would Wear It: The fashion-conscious girl who can't commit to one style but seeks an overall cool air.

Walking into the crowded room for the Suno presentation, it was as if there were two worlds: one being the hypercrowded room of fashion insiders sipping the gratis dark 'n' stormy cocktails and plotting the evening's plans; the other was a peaceful, frozen-in-time world of Suno Fall. Models stood against paneled walls wearing layers of printed silks, textured knits, and apron dresses that hinted at Grandma's house dress. That said, it was only a hint, as the graphic prints, gorgeous florals and carefully mixed textures heralded a new approach to elegant dressing, Suno-style. Loose silhouettes and long layers drove home the idea that Fall 2011 will be about covering up. When Suno debuted in 2008 as a socially conscious line dedicated to supporting industry in Kenya, it took the bright, traditional African prints and fabrics and turned them into playful miniskirts and cropped blazers. Now the line seems to have grown up and found a softer femininity.

• Trends: Apron dress, long layers, long proportions, floral prints, unfinished knits.
• Colors: The florals and Kenyan prints that made Suno known took center stage over a specific color.
• Key Looks: An apron dress over a tie-neck blouse, the unfinished knits.
• Accessories: Lizzie Fortunato jewelry and patterned platform sandals were to-die-for.
• Who Would Wear It: Grown-up girls who don't need to show skin, with a taste for femininity and vintage.

What we've come to know and love from Wang is this: essential cool-girl elements in the form of slick silhouettes, edgy must haves. For Fall, it's that same call to the urban chick, an impossible cool, and a reinvention of wearable staples made up in the form of loungewear-meets-formalwear. Fur collars on a sleeveless parka, a luxe fur jacket, then sandals adorned with the same, leather jackets and leather panels on outerwear, then a pair of knee-high open-toe leather boots. It's a collection that moves seamlessly, effortlessly in sleek separates, in black and gray and neutrals, then delivers the punch in metallic footwear, fur-adorned standouts, and leather details.

• Trends: Fur-adorned accessories, satin pants, leather panels, fluttering, multisplit tunics and skirts.
• Colors: Black, gray, and creamy neutrals.
• Key Looks: Fur-collared vest and metallic loafers; a sheer-sleeved knit top and split skirt.
• Accessories: Fur-adorned sandals and sunglasses, open-toe leather boots, metallic loafers with tassels.
• Who Would Wear It: The quintessential cool girl with a love of Wang and dressing for herself.