PARIS, January 23, 2008 – "I've been thinking about total looks of one color and fabric," said Roland Mouret, before sending out his second collection under the RM label. "I wanted to bring the ideas of glamour and uniform together. I'm attracted by the idea of day dressing, the idea of the forties working woman—a kind of Parisian austerity." True to his word, this was a much more grown-up, covered-up collection than his first. Lengths were longer—to the knee and below—but sober and prim? Hardly. Mouret's stock-in-trade is the erotically fitted silhouette, and it's there even when he's doing restrained. His dresses and two-piece shells and skirts come fitted and origami-folded to slenderize the torso, each equipped with a signature "follow me" hook. When the models turned on their Louboutin heels, there was always something provocative going on in the back: a big exposed zipper or a flirtatious flip of fabric riding on the rump.

For winter, there were capes and coats, too, and a return to his long evening dresses, the best a black silk column with an inset triangle of pink in the back of the skirt. It made for a controlled and concise collection—maybe too concise. Next season, it would be good to see him let his creativity loose a bit more.

– Sarah Mower