Next fall's styles hang tough

NEW YORK -- It's time for the well-heeled women who shop from New York Fashion Week runways to pull themselves up by their bootstraps -- preferably Christian Louboutins -- and carry off clothes rooted in strength, confidence and even toughness.

The fiercer, fitted looks for fall that were shown last week are a contrast to the flowing, airy silhouettes that dominated the spring season.

Structured pieces hang well on store racks -- and are flattering on many figures. "The military shapes and jackets give good shape to a woman, from her shoulders to her waist," said Adam Glassman, creative director of O, The Oprah Magazine.

Traditional fall hues like black, loden green, wine and plum have ruled the runways, but white has had a strong showing, too. Lela Rose showed an ivory silk crepe sheath, an ivory silk cloque dress with embroidered shoulders and a white silver mosaic embroidered dress.

Here's what some designers showed during Fashion Week, which concluded Thursday:

VICTORIA BECKHAM

Victoria Beckham offered a no-nonsense, tough-girl collection: shiny python shirt-style collars on second-skin dresses with gold hardware and zip-back striped sheaths. Interesting twists included dresses with epaulets but no sleeves to hang them on, and harness-style backs on dresses that had high necks in the front.

DKNY

For her DKNY brand, Donna Karan wrapped up models in high-neck aviator coats and fitted blazers but gave them flirty short skirts with bouncy hemlines. She put them in cozy collars and feminine bow-neck blouses.

Even more diversity came from the textures: embossed crocodile, shiny leather, cozy shearling, sexy sheers and slim twill.

CARMEN MARC VALVO

Carmen Marc Valvo offered a palette of ivory, black, camel and deep reds and browns and used illusion effects, with sheaths sparkling in sequins and insets in a suede python print. A python pattern was created from small double-face wool pieces sewn onto netting.

Valvo also went full-on fur in an ombre mink patchwork coat in a light camel with a darker back and in wide mink stoles wrapped around the necks of models. He used shaggy black goat fur on the sleeves of a jacket and feathered fox in oatmeal for a sumptuous vest.

TRACY REESE

Bold juniper green, lame in gold and violet and a tomato orange lit up Tracy Reese's runway in pants, dresses, skirts, sweaters and coats, long and short.

Reese heavily embellished sleeveless and short-sleeve cocktail dresses with metallic beading front and back. She put feminine fringe on loose, cozy sweaters and combination bowler-baseball caps on the heads of her models.

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG

Diane von Furstenberg, who as president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America is the de facto leader of the U.S. fashion community, used jigsaw puzzle pieces as a prominent theme. There was a puzzle print on a pink sleeveless dress, and laser-cut pieces on a black embellished one.

Von Furstenberg alternated between sophisticated and sometimes smoldering jersey dresses in dark colors and fun cocktail numbers in bright, tropical shades of pink, lime green and blue.

THAKOON PANICHGUL

Thakoon Panichgul, a favorite of first lady Michelle Obama, designed a line heavy with bright neon colors and rich materials. Panichgul mixed the refined, like a black satin sleeved dress, with the modern -- a striking red and orange print he calls "neon beam."

Red leather, red lipstick and shiny red high heels were also prominent. He paired a fuchsia fur knit sweater with a raspberry patent skirt that had a paper bag waist.

DEREK LAM

Derek Lam offered lovely chunky but sleeveless sweaters on a cold day, one black, one white, each paired with a silk georgette evening skirt of the same color.

Lam also had an ivory shearling and a series of pea coats, in white or navy wool, or, even warmer, in shearling, plus a black-and-white tweed jacquard coat, paired with black lambskin trousers.

Other practical yet pretty and luxurious looks from Lam included shoes -- a gold patent leather oxford and a black lizard oxford with a gold toe. In prints, he favored both a floral satin -- in a jacket, a T-shirt and a coat -- and a paisley jacquard, in a black-and-white dress or T-shirt, or a gold-and-black skirt.