Nicole Colovos

If you were expecting a dark, rock 'n' roll tinged collection from Nicole and Michael Colovos for Spring 2013, then you may be out of luck. This season, the duo drew inspiration from the aquatic drawings of Ernst Haeckel, and the result was a decidedly softer take on classic sportswear. In a palette of marigold, taupe, white, crimson, and watery blue, the Colovos offered up boxy jackets, slim skirts, and loose-fitting shifts. The real winners, though, were the prints; in radial florals and mirrored sea anemones, they gave a welcome boost of lushness to the abundance of high-tech fabrics and sporty silhouettes.

For Fall '12, Nicole and Michael Colovos showed off their signature modern architectural style for Helmut Lang, highlighting a sleek and sumptuous array of tried and true favorites like leather and fur funnel-neck jackets, shiny treated skinny pants, and asymmetric draped dresses — all of which were paired with sexy thigh-high boots and wedge ankle booties. However, there were some new components interspersed in the mix; psychedelic lava and branch patterns made their way onto draped dresses and skinny pants, and a new color, a rust red hue, was used on a luxurious laser-cut pony-hair jacket. More details from the collection below.

• Trends: Colored fur, asymmetric silhouettes, laser-cut details, bold prints.
• Colors: Rust red, black, off-white, olive green.
• Key Piece: The fur and leather funnel-neck jackets top our Fall must-haves list.
• Accessories: Leather and suede thigh-high boots and wedge ankle booties.
• Who Would Wear It: Girls who crave sleek, modern pieces — like front-row attendee Leigh Lezark — Elizabeth Olsen, and Ciara.

>> Helmut Lang's signature draped dresses and leather jackets are for Pre-Fall 2012 interspliced with webby prints and burnouts — derived from the web patterns of spiders on drugs. With this collection, designers Nicole and Michael Colovos are also launching a t-shirt line of their greatest hits, dubbed Helmut, which will retail from $90 to $175 and include jersey basics like tops, dresses, and leggings.

>> While other labels tend to focus their Resort collections on clothes worthy of warm weather getaways, Nicole and Michael Colovos steered their Resort 2012 Helmut Lang collection to pieces more befit for cooler weather. "Our girls don't do resort," the designers offered by way of explanation, noting that the pieces will hit stores in November.

Feather motifs and the Colovos' tendency toward black and gray permeated the collection — with some warmer rusts and mustards popping up — while the ubiquitous asymmetrical hems came by way of the Spomenik Monuments in former Yugoslavia. “They’re these huge, asymmetrical sculptures that have been sitting in the middle of nowhere,” explained Michael. “We always gravitate toward something bold.”

>> It's Helmut Lang's shearling jacket that is currently sending hearts a-pitter, but what about next Spring? We've got the full Spring 2011 lookbook, complete with a peek at the brand's first handbag collection under designers Nicole and Michael Colovos. The bags — which range in clutches, hobos, and shoulder bags in napa leather and perch skin — are inspired by motorcycle jackets and feature brass buckles remniscent of a shark's tooth and braided fisherman’s handles, both a nod to Michael's previous career as a commercial fisherman.