Resort 2013

Olivier Theyskens's considerable talent for matching slouch with sleek was in full effect for Resort 2013. Among this season's standouts? A relaxed, cape-back jumpsuit with draped waist ties and a chiffon-sleeved minidress, the body of which was covered hem to hilt in sequins textured to shimmer like the skin of some exotic fish. While the details — a psychedelic oil-spill print here, a smattering of irridescent feathers there — lent a vaguely subversive spin, the palette of black, gray, and wine kept everything on the easy-wearing citified side. After all, "Resort is really about essentials that speak to modern life," the designer explained.

Jet-setting escapes along the Tuscan coast — and in particular, those captured by the likes of Juergen Teller and Slim Aarons in the photo tome Hotel Il Pellicano — were the starting point for Lubov and Max Azria's transportive Resort 2013 collection. The result is a vacationer's dream wardrobe: superbreezy, bright, and full of pieces that will go from poolside to town with ease. Dresses, caftans, pants, and shorts are cut in easy, fluid fabrics, and for those who like a little adventure, nearly everything comes adorned with exotic prints, intricate lace, and ethnic-inspired embroidery.

Massimiliano Giornetti's Resort 2013 collection for Salvatore Ferragamo was infused with time-honored Italian artistry — but with a decidedly updated edge. "It's super-modern and yet connected with the classics because every piece is the product of a tradition of ancient craft," he said. "The Ferragamo girl is cool, but she's got culture."

Perhaps that Italian influence was especially important at this show, the first by an Italian fashion house to be put on at the Louvre. (Ferragamo is currently sponsoring an exhibit of Leonardo da Vinci's work at the museum.) Pale-hued pieces showed off Giornetti's handiwork, like dresses that came in panels laced together by leather cords, or in crocheted pieces finished with fringe. Giornetti said one tank dress, made of strips of leather affixed with small pieces of metal, took four people 10 days to create. Many of the looks were shown with knee-high boots and handbags made from snakeskin or suede.

Giornetti said he wanted to focus on "slow fashion," with a particular focus on "the time that goes into each piece. It's about the old masters, but with a young spin."

Vacationing on the Amalfi Coast inspired Tory Burch's Resort 2013 collection. "I loved all the sun-bleached color against the fuchsia flowers," Burch said of her white, blue, and purple offering, which mixes floral patterns with stripes and geometric prints. Pieces in a seafoam green brocade referenced the water at resorts in Capri and Ravello, while a crisp white shirt embroidered was embroidered with seahorses. The assortment avoided being frilly with the addition of camp shirts and a few well-structured jackets.

Jason Wu's Resort 2013 collection was inspired by the work of artist Mike Libby, whose combination of watch parts with beetle and butterfly wings influenced Wu to examine the intersection of "nature versus man-made." The result lent itself well to Wu's customarily ladylike look, but with a twist. A sleeveless white shirt, for example, formed the bodice of a dress consumed by a floral-printed chiffon skirt. Also in the mix are clusters of custom-made Swarovski crystals embroidered onto tank tops, cocktail dresses, and handbags shaped like insect bodies.

"I wanted to take the idea of safari, which is such a cliché, and twist it to make it feel modern," said Derek Lam of his Resort 2013 collection. Those twists included combining giraffe-print skirts and dresses with khaki anoraks and turning olive-green fabric into an elegant dress and pair of pants. The pieces that aren't as well primed for glamorous hunting — like a cherry-red A-line dress — still feature military details like chest pockets. But it's a dress with a bodice made of nylon webbing attached to a leather skirt that best expresses Lam's mission with this collection: to make strong clothing that women can wear no matter where their journeys take them.

Stella McCartney brought her cheerful Resort 2013 collection to New York and threw a celebrity-studded garden party to celebrate its unveiling. But no ordinary outdoor fete would live up to the sheer joy that this collection evokes, so McCartney invited Anne Hathaway, Greta Gerwig, and Amy Poehler, among others, to play carnival games and drink lemonade at the Marble Cemetery in New York's East Village.

But neither the slightly overcast weather — nor the slightly gloomy location — could distract partygoers from the upbeat clothing on offer. McCartney said, "This collection was about having standout pieces," and what could stand out more than a neon pink jacquard blazer paired with bright orange pants, or shoes and clutches covered in holographic material? Lace dresses underneath fringe, leopard-print coats, and head-to-toe floral print looks might be the answer. Take a look at the collection — and shots from the party — in the gallery.

Riccardo Tisci was inspired by the idea of a "traveling, nomadic woman" when he designed Givenchy's Resort 2013 collection. "She's a gypsy, really," he said — and a very modern gypsy at that. Tisci took red, blue, and gold paisley prints from the Givenchy archives and covered them with black-and-white squares and triangles. This created a graphic statement that he then applied to evening gowns, skirts, accessories, and the sarouel pants he's now known for. Much of the rest of the collection comprised solid black and white pieces, including sculptural T-shaped jackets and lacy gowns, but all of the garments allowed for the kind of sporadic movement necessary for modern life — nomadic or otherwise.