NEW YORK, February 3, 2008 – Now in their second season in New York, Thea Bregazzi and Justin Thornton settled on a pair of very American inspirations for their Fall collection: Kurt Cobain's grunge and the Adrian Lyne romp 9 1/2 Weeks. The two may seem strange bedfellows, but the London-based duo made a connection in—wait for it—gentlemen's dressing gowns. The Nirvana frontman, it turns out, occasionally wore a robe onstage, and Kim Basinger's character borrowed her lover Mickey Rourke's too-big-for-her overcoat.

Lily Donaldson shrugged on a great-looking oversize plaid cocoon jacket with a shearling collar to open the show. More plaids followed on blouson tops and high-waist men's trousers, a shirtdress with its hem looped up in back, and a voluminous chiffon parachute dress cinched with a narrow belt held together by a plastic bangle. Less Seattle and more Manhattan circa 1986 were a silvery satin tank and matching paper bag-waist pants, a Lurex robe coat, a long navy trench lined in paisley that matched the model's shirtwaist dress, and a hot plunge-front wrap dress.

White croc leggings and electric-blue sequin pants looked wrong. But absent those missteps, Bregazzi and Thornton have begun staking out as their own territory what once belonged solely to Stella McCartney and her special brand of laid-back cool. There's no denying the appeal of clothes with such a sexy sense of ease.

– Nicole Phelps