NEW YORK, January 17, 2008 – Alber Elbaz gave the ladies what they want with his sophisticated pre-fall collection, which found the designer taking some of his favorite motifs—Grecian draping, a thirties sleeve, surface decoration—and pushing them just a little bit further. Raw-edged dresses, for instance, looked like simple slips from the front but came with ruffled backs. A satin-lined fur coat had a slouchy dishabille fit, and an exposed zipper fronted a don't-mess-with-me city coat. The muted palette, mainly black and gray (with shots of navy, teal, and forest green), let the eye linger on the shapes—both sculpted and draped.

– Laird Borrelli-Persson