NEW YORK, September 13, 2006 – The New York Dolls. Marie Antoinette. Suleiman the Magnificent. Leave it to Anna Sui to take these wildly divergent influences and come up with something that not only holds together, but also jibes with the season's key trends. She had white in the form of an eyelet A-line frock; she had short, full skirts made poufy with underlayers of net; and she had prints. Tonight they ranged from Turkish-carpet motifs to florals (red roses, mostly) to novelties. Those were toddlers at play on the hem of a shirtdress.

Nicely subverting all that pretty, though, were torn fishnets on the legs and arms, a tie-front top that exposed the better part of a model's torso, and zebra-print knickers, along with tunes by Bow Wow Wow. The group's teen singer Annabella Lwin was the starting point for Pat McGrath's makeup, and you could see echoes of her style in a silk jumper dress, among other looks, as well as in the show's Napoleon hats. Sui may be one of New York's more established designers now, but you can still rely on her for a new wave fix.

– Nicole Phelps