Altuzarra Review | Fashion Week Fall 2013 

After two seasons filled with embellishments and embroideries, Joseph Altuzarra offered up a Fall 2013 collection that was as pared down as the others were glittering — but the result was no less dazzling.

The focus this time around was on "the street" and the slick reflections, hard surfaces, and strict lines found there. Thus, these were clothes that felt powerful, strong, and graphic — pieces built not just for city life but from it. Coats, trenches, and pencil skirts were cut in silhouettes straight out of the '80s, with the broad shoulders, nipped-in waists, and exaggerated hips favored by that era's big business power ladies. Fabrics like bonded crepe, felted wool, vinyl, and leather gave those silhouettes structure, while the mostly black, white, and taupe palette let Altuzarra's masterful seaming and careful construction shine. If all that sounds a tad severe, never fear. There were also coats made from black and white fox fur, collars and lapels made of mink, hems that shimmered with rows of snaps and buttons, and flashes of vivid orange.