NEW YORK, December 4, 2007 – At the beginning of his 22-piece pre-fall presentation, Zac Posen announced his theme: "poodle ballet." It was less strange than it sounds. The flaring, short silhouette of a little black dress was a key look, as were nubby, woolly textures like the Mongolian lamb that edged the collars and hems of cavalry twill jackets or the bouclé used for a matching sweatshirt and skirt. The latter combo was billed as a casual take on the suit, and ease was the unifying principle here—something, Posen said, he's also working on for his Fall collection. But that's not what the designer's built his business on, so there were plenty of evening options as well. These ranged from a pink satin strapless minidress all wrapped up like a bow to a flaring gown in wine red Lurex not unlike the resort number that Beyoncé poured herself into for Sunday night's inaugural Movies Rock.

– Nicole Phelps