Frederick Anderson is a master at blending artisanal materials with sleek, wearable silhouettes. For fall, he combined his signature crochets (made by the same Argentine craft collective he used last spring) and delicate laces with rich, lustrous brocades. The collection had jewel tones as well as ivories and blacks, but it was the red-cast tones—a brilliant lipstick palette of crimsons, fuchsias and shocking pinks—that caught our eye. Like a valentine to all women, each look was feminine yet modern, eye-catching yet tasteful. Ensembles included matched crochet sets, polished pantsuits, festive mini-dresses and an appealing lace “sweatsuit,” the perfect amalgam of lockdown-era comfort and post-pandemic joy.

The last two years have spurred an interest in soft lingerie pieces that blur the line between true intimates, loungewear and meant-to-be-seen fashion items. Many of the new items function as all or any of the above. House of Aama’s mother-daughter duo, Rebecca Henry and Akua Shabaka, describe their approach as an exploration of “folkways of the Black experience by designing timeless garments with nostalgic references…” For fall, the label evoked a Jean Harlow-esque 1930s mood with surplice-wrapped bralette-tops over retro A-line skirts. More Deco glamour was expressed with a silky black-and-cream slip dress from Helmut Lang. Kim Shui interpreted the look in a playful way with a cropped top tied over printed bralette and lacy tights. Catherine Holstein of Khaite kept her edgy New York customer in mind with a sheer blouse layered over a sparkly black triangle-bra, styled with a draped velvet micro-mini.

Femme blouses have become versatile wardrobe must-haves, able to be dressed up with a festive skirt or dressed down with a pair of jeans. Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera kept the spirit of the historic label with the kind of full-sleeved blouses Mrs. Herrera often wore. Snow Xue Gao fashioned her delicate florals into a soft bow blouse while Frederick Anderson cut his vivid lace into a tailored shirt. Batsheva refined her ruffled prairie look into something more sophisticated this season, as evidenced by a leaf-green taffeta number. And Saint Sintra tripled the pussycat bows on her appealing white shirt; baggy khaki trousers kept the look casual and wearable.

The crafty knits and crochets seen earlier in the week show no signs of slowing down. Batsheva Hay brought her quirky nostalgia to a granny-square sheath while Mike Amiri played with space-dyed yarns for a rustic menswear sweater. Staud took the space-dye idea in a more refined direction with a body-skimming slink of a knit dress, made more sensuous with a bare back and a hemline that pooled on the floor. Ulla Johnson showed wonderful knits and crochets in an earthen palette; a mohair ensemble featured arty color-blocking and her crochet dress included suede patchwork, a modern take on the haute hippie.

Winter white provides a palette cleanser this season, a welcome respite from all the free expression and vibrant color. While the shade has the most impact in head-to-toe ensembles, variations in fabric and texture give the look complexity and richness. FromWhere, a new label designed by Young-Eung Lee, debuted this season at the Global Fashion Collective in Brooklyn. A creamy blazer over ivory separates expressed the designer’s quiet confidence. Victor Glemaud’s knit dressing looked particularly appealing in pearly whites. Glemaud’s minimalist shapes and sleek head-scarves were inspired by African director Ousmane Sembène’s Black Girl, a seminal 1960s film. Brandon Maxwell offered pieces that riffed on the fisherman-knit sweater, made luxe in pieces like a dimensional minidress, or a sweeping ecru ballroom-skirt paired with a marabou-trimmed cable-knit wrap.