For fall, designers stick with what works

Luca Luca: Dresses dominated this runway, especially black cocktail frocks. But the new little black dress doesn’t hug curves, it glides over them. Luca Orlandi’s best version was a strapless one with a tight bodice, dropped waist and full bottom, with tulle peeking out from the bottom.

Another great dress featured a bodice made of tulle roses and a ballerina skirt.

Shirtdresses were made fancier with either a ruffled or beaded front, and one had fur cuffs.

The question is, whose calendar is filled with so many occasions that call for semiformal dresses?

Richard Drew / AP The fall collection from Charles Nolan.

Charles Nolan: Several nods to the 1980s have made their way to the Fashion Week catwalks — shirred sleeves, booties and power suits, among them — but Nolan’s black leggings, worn under almost every skirt and dress, was the most obvious reference.

Know what? They didn’t look bad, especially when worn with the flat slingback or kitten-heel riding boots the models were wearing.

Tight turtleneck dresses also have been frequent fliers on the runway, and Nolan did above-average versions. A light green satin dance dress with a fitted bodice and bows on the shoulders was a pleasant diversion from the otherwise dark palette.

Bill Blass: Michael Vollbracht shed both the legend and the curse of the Bill Blass brand and finally turned out a collection that took advantage of his strengths: timeless and classic suits, coats and evening wear.

Casual cardigans were thrown over the shoulders of models wearing sophisticated evening looks — a black ballskirt with embroidered ivory-colored roses paired with a white tuxedo shirt was particularly nice — acknowledging the way real women dress, mixing up dressy and casual pieces.

Other noteworthy evening outfits included a brown tulle gown with a strapless draped top and full hand-woven skirt, and a backless red silk chiffon halter evening gown. Hopefully, though, when that gown turns up on a Hollywood star, it’ll be without the thick black belt.