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DKNY showed a wine-dyed fur jacket with an oversize matching leather belt and skirt. Young and edgy.

Tracy Reese presented faux fur in a form-fitting coat with fur inlays on the sleeves.

Leather

Skins are in. Alexander Wang brought them with cuts that dare you to defy the woman wearing it. Long, fitted, black leather skirts and coats paired with web-knitted sheer turtlenecks made for a modern look.

Tommy Hilfiger embraced a military mood for his collection. Among the double-breasted jackets and coats was a beautiful mustard-colored leather coat with black trim. He also put leather inserts on skirted suits.

DKNY brought leather to the masses with flirty black leather skirts, as well as a mock-neck wool dress with leather sleeves.

Tory Burch made a mean blue leather skirt suit with a peplum jacket. (Peplum is everywhere.)

In true Diesel Black Gold style, this line presented rocker-chic leather, best in a long coat with a low-slung belt.

With leather, Derek Lam combined prim with edge. One skirt was black leather with a feminine colorful floral pattern. He also showed a burgundy leather sheath dress -- to die for.

Retro Chic

The whole Mad Men-Pan Am-Marilyn look back in time has once again found its way onto the runway. In this case, it's likely part fantasy to go backward but the beautifully tailored suits with sheer hose and super-high heels say, "strong woman of style and class" in any time. It may be argued that women back in the '60s weren't as free as women are today, but the elegant power look that is reflected in many of this season's suiting is compelling. Oscar de la Renta captured the look stunningly with a black-and-white group of ensemble dresses that kept a prim appeal but had a decidedly urban edge. Pretty much the entire collection has that retro appeal, perfect for ladies who lunch and more.

Donna Karan brought the look forward by actually looking back at a classic time in her design history, when she crafted menswear-inspired suits for women. This time she presented a charcoal-gray double-breasted suit with a full shoulder pad and an asymmetrical skirt, and, of course, a fierce fedora.

Architecturally Elegant

An appeal toward the Asian-inspired asymmetrical as well as precision architectural cuts on bodices and hemlines was apparent this season, sometimes through sheer garments that gave the look a sexy edge. Vera Wang proved expert at sculpting edgy, sheer and architecturally inspired shapes with a flourish of sheer chiffon topped by fur. Many of her peekaboo looks invoked the image of a powerful, urban, elegant 21st-century woman.

Narciso Rodriguez presented beautiful slim dresses with asymmetrical hemlines and necklines. Subtle sophistication was his message, best revealed in a sleeveless red sheath and an olive-green sleeveless dress with an on-the-bias belt.