a little turn of the catwalk

If you were expecting a dark, rock 'n' roll tinged collection from Nicole and Michael Colovos for Spring 2013, then you may be out of luck. This season, the duo drew inspiration from the aquatic drawings of Ernst Haeckel, and the result was a decidedly softer take on classic sportswear. In a palette of marigold, taupe, white, crimson, and watery blue, the Colovos offered up boxy jackets, slim skirts, and loose-fitting shifts. The real winners, though, were the prints; in radial florals and mirrored sea anemones, they gave a welcome boost of lushness to the abundance of high-tech fabrics and sporty silhouettes.

For Spring 2013, Deborah Lloyd offered up everything a Kate Spade girl could want — and then some. Colors were sweet, silhouettes girlie, and of course, there was plenty of hot pink and preppy quirk. But the real fun was in details: clutches made to look like old-time radios, purses shaped like picnic baskets, minaudieres like retro candy bars, and even bracelets in the form of Brad Goreski's glasses. Pointy-toed loafers, Lana Del Rey nails, and slicked-back hair gave it all a real "Greased Lightning" goes to the garden party appeal.

If last season was an exploration of the stricter side of things, then Spring 2013 may just mark a return to playfulness for Peter Som. Sure, there was a certain sense of underlying danger in some of those angularly cut floral-print dresses (the best of which were rimmed in dark lace), but right out the gate, these looks were softer, sweeter, and prettier than nearly anything the designer sent down the runway the season before. What really made these looks shine, though, was Som's killer sense for color, pattern, and detail. A pencil skirt in airy pastel tweed, for example, was given a tactile boost with the addition of a sexy little hip panel in lace, while a series of vivid chevron-patterned looks were actually made from panels of patchworked snakeskin.

Earlier in the week, the designer told us that the song that most defines Spring 2013 for him is "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" by The Smiths. Thanks to these brightly clever looks, it's easy to see what he means.

There was no shortage of glitz at Atelier Versace's Fall 2012 show on Monday, the first full-on runway outing for the couture label in nearly a decade. In fact, Donatella seemed intent on summoning the flamboyant spirit of the label's founder, Gianni. The show was held in the storied pool room of the Ritz Paris — the same place Gianni used to hold his show — with the pool covered over and three sleek glass panels providing an electric-hued backdrop.

The theme, the show notes stated, was "deconstruction and reconstruction in all its various forms." This manifested itself in the perforated-leather jackets, plasticized-strip minidresses, and pieced-and-stitched gowns — with slits up to there — that came down the runway glittering with crystal beads and in pastel metallics. Silhouettes, too, played with the idea of juxtaposition and revision, in skin-revealing layers and curve-enhancing forms: the skirts of gowns billowed out from second-skin corsets, and sharp-flared jackets nipped in at the waist with tough leather belts.

Photos courtesy Versace

The sparkly, crepe-thin pieces in Donna Karan's Resort 2013 collection weren't inspired by an exotic locale or a romantic train of thought but rather by paper. "Sit around and play with napkins long enough, and all of a sudden, you have a dress," she said. Still, the garments were a bit more involved than Karan let on with that statement: many of the evening-focused collection's pieces featured intricate origami pleats, gracious cowl necklines, and crystal embroidery and closures. The palette hewed close to Karan's customarily earthy palette, but the designer made room for a few dresses and a suit in Schiaparelli pink.

Donatella Versace called her Resort 2013 collection "rockmantic," and with all the studded leather pieces and floral prints it contains, it's an appropriate distinction. The offering was partially influenced by the Memphis design movement of the 1980s, which explains why many pieces were brightly colored — and why the print featured on jackets, pants, and dresses juxtaposed images of guitars with flowers and shoes. As is her custom, Versace nodded to her roots by forming the rose gold snaps on a cotton jacket into the shape of the house's Medusa logo.

Consuelo Castiglioni went west for Resort 2013 collection, offering up masculine shirts decorated with golden studs and short bib necklaces that served as updated versions of classic bolo ties. Stylized floral prints and embroidery referenced bandanas, while a diamond-shaped pattern called to mind rattlesnake skin. Castiglioni kept things modern by offering pleated, midlength skirts and multicolored work shirts — just perfect for citified cowgirls.

Summer wardrobe need a little kick? Marc Jacobs's Pre-Fall 2012 accessories — rolling into stores now — may be just the thing. With structured shapes, minimalistic detailing, crisp hues, and loads of texture (the quilted snakeskin and printed calfskins are particularly fetching), these bags are sure to look sweet now — and straight through Fall. Some of our favorites, in the slideshow.