NEW YORK, February 3, 2007 – For fall, Alice Roi cited the spunky children's-book heroine Madeline as her inspiration, but the schoolgirl who walked the runway was a darker version of the original 1930s merry mischief-maker. Show notes referred to such mental and physical misfortunes as "broken thoughts," night sweats, fractures, and sutures. Translation: A mix of the innocent (a toggle coat, Peter Pan collars, a shimmering floral brocade dress) and the subversive (bat-print silk tees, asymmetrically draped skirts, racy, second-skin knit minidresses). From all this, what will Roi's customer find to wear? Not the clunky wool layered skirts and yeti-like mohair pieces, which might in fact induce night sweats. More covetable were the windowpane trousers and a perfect, fluid, black silk dress with a metallic-trimmed ruffled flourish.

– Joanna Rodger