Vera Wang: Plain and fancy

American ease met English aristocracy at Vera Wang in a mostly casual luxe collection where coats were standout --quilted satin scubas, sleeveless jackets --some artfully framed in leather and fox.

Street smart colors like pebble, stone, putty, black, charcoal grounded the collection with a few, unexpected pops of mustard, loden and cardamom.

The dresses were dreamy, long, loose affairs with drop waists and intricate pleating but not a bit frou-frou. Sheer racerbacks were almost risqué, a few frocks sported high-low hemlines, some had high gathered necks and low backs, one multi-pleat job was backed by a detachable hood with sable goat trim.

“It was all very Vera,” said Oprah Magazine creative director Adam Glassman. “The dichotomy between fancy and plain, the casual American and the uber-aristocrat.”