Norma Kamali has always cast a wide net when it comes to fashion; she was an early adapter on the crossover of sports into ready-to-wear and a wellness pioneer as well. It’s never just about the clothes for her.

This season Kamali was thinking about the why of things. “We talk a lot about excess product, we talk about a lot of the things we [as an industry] are doing wrong. I think we will do more things right if we understand what our purpose is. What are we supposed to be doing? What’s the job here?… We forget the purpose is to make fashion fun and memorable, make it important for people,” she said in her showroom. “If we create collections that aren’t just for each other in the industry but to really change how people feel, I think the industry will have a better time figuring out what to do with all the products.”

Kamali is advocating for fashion as a form of well-being. “Therapy’s great—I’m not against it—but sometimes we need to be our own hacks,” the designer noted. Although the resort collection is mostly rendered in shades of black, white, and gray (with shots of silver and red), it delivers a dopamine rush. A moto in reflective material? Yes, please! Ditto the ombré sleeping-bag coats and a slinky black stretch dress with a hood and open back.

Duvet toppers aside, Kamali is partial to body-conscious looks. Stealth wealth might be trending online, but IRL the dare-to-bare look continues to dominate. Kamali speaks to that in various ways, even bringing back her peekaboo dot-and-dash dresses featuring opaque circles and rectangles placed strategically on mesh. Kamali’s on her game.

Thom Browne is headed to Paris. He’ll show a couture collection for men and women on July 3, kicking off a year of activities marking the 20th anniversary of his business. Going on his past ready-to-wear shows in the City of Light, which have featured a life-size unicorn puppet and Pose’s Mj Rodriguez vamping to Aretha Franklin’s “Pink Cadillac,” it’s not going to be a small production. “It’s a huge honor to be able to show during couture, and I’m taking it seriously because we are representing American fashion,” he said.

For his pre-collections, he has a different agenda, though it wouldn’t be right to call these clothes more humble or more workaday than what he puts on the runway. Though suiting is Browne’s specialty, he’s no minimalist. It’s safe to say he’s actually more of a maximalist, one with a flair for layering and obsessive attention to sartorial minutiae.

That came into focus here with the opening series of looks, which featured strong shoulders, short sleeves (even shorter than usual), and, in one case, an inside-out construction that exposed all the inner workings of a typical Thom Browne jacket, including the shoulder caps, the seam bindings, and the canvas lining that gives his pieces the weight he likes.

He called this season “a little bit of a refresh, in regards to all the color currently going into stores.” Though he opened with black, gray, and navy, it wasn’t as strict as advertised. Some of the tweeds lavishly incorporated horsehair and his signature red-white-and-blue grosgrain ribbon into their weaves, while other more traditional versions were woven in baby blue and soft orange. A silver foil look that combined a padded down coat, tailored jacket, and long kilt was an outlier, but it wasn’t the collection’s only bit of flash. A minidress with the same strong shoulders as the tailoring (it was built off of a tuxedo construction) was hand-embroidered in panels of shiny black sequins.

As for the look book’s flying sheep, Browne has such a hit on his hands with the Hector bags he’s modeled after his miniature wirehaired dachshund—he reports he sells more of them than any other kind—that he’s expanding the menagerie.

Johanna Ortiz brought her resort collection to New York, holding a presentation at the exclusive Casa Cruz restaurant/private club that opened uptown late last year. In a room on the fifth floor where the walls were decorated with paintings of tropical leaves, the models stood around in a tableau, dancing, and conversing with each other. Immediately one’s eye was drawn to a slim, long sleeve column dress in a dusty pink semi-sheer fabric with lavender sequin-embroidered stripes, and a gauzy wine-colored caftan in an abstract pattern formed by delicate embroidery.

“This season is a combination between the ’70 and the ’90s,” Ortiz explained, taking in the surroundings. “I wanted to bring something different, to replace the ruffle and the volume and the prints.” Her silhouettes were indeed more streamlined and closer to the body. “I was ‘drawing’ while draping and fitting the models, so everything comes from the fabrics, not from a sketch,” she added. As a result the dresses in the collection were slinky and sexy without trying too hard, and many of them were further customized to show more or less skin, or emphasize different parts of the body with a button-clip piece that could be attached at will. Her signature palm motif was shrunken down and turned into a tonal polka dot-esque detail on silk slip dresses.

She didn’t steer away from prints entirely, she just approached them through a more 3D lens. There were the aforementioned sequin embroidered disco slip dresses, but also silk jacquards densely embellished in gold thread that turned out to be almost as light as a cotton voile. She used it on a short dress with a sweetheart necklace and a “bow” detail on the back which extended dramatically to the floor. “I’m always thinking that everything has to be packable, you have to be able to take it everywhere. It has to be light,” she added. Another standout dress, with flared sleeves and cutouts around the stomach featured an opulent floral embroidery of sequins, raffia, and beads in shades of pink and orange that popped against the burgundy silk they were set on.

Quiet luxury is the word—well, TikTok expression—on everyone’s lips. For designers this season, the concept has translated into two evergreen fashion buzzwords: streamlined and essential. For Michelle Ochs at Et Ochs, resort is less about the viral TikTok trend and more about what it has to say about our current mindset.

“Going into resort, I really wanted to make power silhouettes and beautiful pieces for that modern woman,” she said, evoking ’90s style oracles like Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and Gwyneth Paltrow in Great Expectations (1998). Their look, as Ochs describes it, was stripped down, beautiful, and all about “quality essentials”—the three boxes the designer looked to check with her new lineup.

With this lineup, the designer set out to give her client “a little bit more polish.” Utility details remained, but this time, in the shape of flowy silk cargos and straps hanging off waistbands and pockets. The idea of exposing garments’ inner construction returned too, with inside-out seams and darts applied to dressy skirts and slips. Power viscose tailoring expanded the daywear offering—a dynamically cut vest and its jumpsuit version were the most contemporary interpretations of Ochs’s source inspiration.

For a designer who has made it her signature to design close to the body, this collection sees Ochs expand her lexicon. Loose diagonal ruffles decorated her dresses, and simple blouses were elevated by deftly draped sheer chiffon overalls, which, together with her sheer slips, best captured the essence of what she’s after. (This is a good time to give Donna Karan’s enduring influence a shout-out.)

Folks may be hyper-focused on quiet luxury at the moment, but Ochs has the right idea taking the elements of the trend—ease, simplicity, sophistication—and incorporating them into her design verbiage. If anything, what’s worth taking away from Gen Z’s fascination with this affluent minimal look is that we’re witnessing their aesthetic evolve as they age. “She’s still fun, but it’s time to grow up,” Ochs said of her woman. “The world is making her grow up, and she has to get to work!”

“Stealth wealth” may be all the rage in fashion currently, but for pre-fall, Apiece Apart designers Laura Cramer and Starr Hout were feeling both bold and colorful. “It’s the first time we’ve really done daring brights,” said Hout, pointing to one of her delicious, hand-washed habitai shirts in an eye-popping fuchsia.

It’s not the only uplifting hue in the duo’s new collection. From robin’s egg blue to key lime green, the pair experimented with incorporating sugary shades into their assortment of easy, wearable pieces. Turns out, the color palette had much to do with one of their seasonal inspirations: the work of Cuban-American artist Jorge Pardo. “He does a lot of tile juxtapositions, in really bright colors,” said Hout. “It felt so right; we love the idea of colors as medicine.”

A recent trip to Mexico City also played a part in their new collection’s upbeat feel. “We’re always drawn to brutalist forms in a feminine color, and those two things really come together in Mexico City,” said Cramer. It resulted in pieces like a sharp-shaped lilac sundress, cinched with a wrap-tied waist. “We wanted to make her feel like she’s in a sarong, but she can walk in the city streets in it,” said Hout. A striped crochet tank dress, meanwhile, felt Ibiza-ready.

Summer suiting also made a cameo: Blazers were done in timeless cream or terracotta, in a lightweight linen-cotton blend. “Summer suiting is something we really believe in,” said Hout. “Our women want it, and it’s selling out over and over again.” They also offered classic LBDs, like a strapless linen version settled overtop a classic white tee. “We love a black dress in the heat,” she added. That one’s for the New Yorkers.

How does your garden grow? It’s a question that is always relevant at Tanya Taylor; florals, many drawn or painted by the designer herself, are the heart and soul of this brand. For resort, there are woven jacquards with overblown flowers in what the brand calls “peony pink with brandy” and black and white and knit jacquard blooms on tank dresses with a compression-like fit. A black sweater boasts petals at the cuff. The idea, Taylor said, was that the sleeves should “feel like they’re dipped in a flower.”

This dreamy idea has been translated into a piece that works in an everyday wardrobe. “I’ve been thinking, What is our uniform? Because our uniforms aren’t basic, right?” the designer mused. Her answer is a button-down with patchwork sleeves paired with a pleated skirt in a bright floral watercolor print, which combines workaday elements with romantic femininity. A washed-denim dress with a built-in bra-like detail does much the same, via a different route.

Much of the collection iterated on familiar silhouettes—a classic trench was updated with gingham details, while openwork details embellished utilitarian khaki—but the takeaway here was the idea of building a uniform that’s anything but basic.

Marco De Vincenzo was appointed Etro’s creative director a year ago, but he says he’s not done with the learning curve yet. Finding the formula to appeal to a new set of customers doesn’t happen overnight—that youth elixir all brands are searching for is rather elusive.

Now that the wind has changed and bohemian shapes and billowy florals have been pushed aside in favor of pared-down minimalism, De Vincenzo has to come to terms with Etro’s raison d’être. For resort he tried to find a pragmatic middle ground between the label’s character—romantic, exotic, decorative—and his own design principles, which lean structured, kinetic, and graphic.

Keeping a focus on archival prints, he toned down their vibrancy—a pair of baggy denims in an over-dyed tapestry print was a case in point—while maintaining a certain visual boldness. The multicolor floral patterns on a white cotton trapeze dress, for instance, were given a Pop vibe and encrusted with cut-out appliqués for a 3D effect. Plain saturated colors and pastels were also introduced, lending the collection a laid-back rhythm.

De Vincenzo is partial to a clearly defined silhouette; fluidity isn’t really his thing—considering that he’s a talented leather goods designer, this isn’t surprising. But here he tried to somehow relax. “I let go a little,” he conceded. “It’s only in the synthesis between my approach and Etro’s that I feel authentic. Etro has so many codes from which you can draw inspiration; it makes you feel somehow protected; but on the other hand my duty is to find new ways.”

Giving everyday staples a younger feel was the modus operandi; slouchy pants, roomy jumpsuits, padded shirts worn as light outerwear, and oxford poplin blouses with ample poet sleeves were offered in plain colors; they looked inventive yet realistic enough to spice up an everyday wardrobe. Prints were used for subtle pipings or as reversible linings, downplaying their impact, while openwork handknitted ensembles in psychedelic gradients hinted at the designer’s proclivity for kinetic art.

De Vincenzo’s idea of garden party or cocktail dressing veers more cool than dressed-up glam. For him, a bias-cut long skirt printed with trellises worn with an unfussy T-shirt and boots would do for festive occasions. Yet evening wear requires a bit more dash, so he offered some fluid dresses with scarves that wrapped the bodice or acted as asymmetrical foulard capelets. A standout was a high-waisted slip dress with a huge swirling skirt printed with eye-popping trellises. Even the coolest girls love to make a big entrance.

Can a contemporary brand practice slow fashion? By Malene Birger’s Maja Dixdotter is actively working toward that goal; for resort she cut the number of new looks by about half and in so doing crafted a strong edit that continues to expand on the bohemian minimalism theme she’s set for the company. This is really a case when less is more: “We can work on the products for a longer time and you can really find your look; it’s everything except fast fashion,” Dixdotter said.

When designing this collection she imagined someone who has arrived at the style that works best for her, and is comfortable in it. Maggie Mauer was just the model to portray this woman, who approaches her wardrobe as she might the decoration of her home, with careful consideration and an expectation of longevity.

Dixdotter is attracted to soft and fluffy textures, which she used here for a shearling skirt suit and a camel cape with fringe. There is a chunky handknit sweater in winter white as well as easy to wear and travel with ribbed-knit sets, as well as coats in double-face fabrics. The one dissonant note was a striped pajama suit, which felt overtly rather than suggestively, boho. Waist defining suits, with a hint of New Look curviness added to the overall harmonic vibe.

Ulla Johnson is weeks away from opening a long-planned Los Angeles store. “I’ve gestated it longer than my three children—combined,” she laughed at her showroom. The pandemic slowed progress on construction, and so did the weather; winter’s endless atmospheric rivers and their accompanying rains made finishing the exteriors complicated. There’s a bright spot, though: They produced the super blooms that form the backdrop of these pictures.

Johnson’s new resort collection is as abloom with flowers as ever. One especially dazzling print features hand-painted blossoms over a trippy psychedelic ground. But as she looks toward the LA opening and other developments (one of which is a new Paris showroom that will help her brand grow internationally), she’s embracing other categories.

Denim, to start with. There’s a range of nontraditional shapes in a bright shade of pistachio, like a jacket with blouson volumes and a flared mini. Knitwear is an increasingly substantial part of her lineup too, and she showed an extended range of options, from a red minidress with a gently flared hem in a compact knit to multicolored hand-crocheted matching sets. She’s also signed her first-ever license. It’s with an Italian shoe manufacturer that she says will help her bring the embroideries and other embellishments her ready-to-wear is known for to well-constructed footwear.

As for embellishments, Johnson is expanding her vocabulary. The look book opens with a caftan in a discharge-printed burnout that conjures California’s sun-kissed hills (a green version looks more like ocean waves), and there’s an intricately patterned quilted jacket that features five separate fabrics. Probably the most striking piece is a coat in fuzzy brushed alpaca that has been treated with a rose gold foil to evoke the gilt sculptures of the Colombian textile artist Olga de Amaral.

Rebranding is just part of the roar of the revved-up engine that is Simkhai. Not only has the company opened four stores this year, but it’s also debuting menswear for resort 2024. Jonathan Simkhai has “lifestyle” on his mind, a total experience that speaks to all customers across categories. When people “love a brand,” he said on a walk-through, “they want to learn so much more. ‘What else can you show me?’ [When] men come into the store with their girlfriends or wives [and we say] we’re doing men’s—you should see their faces. They’re like, ‘Where is it? When is it?’ because they also want to be a part of the brand.”

Simkhai knows that feeling well, having longed to wear designs that bear his name. (He chose an S-logo denim set for our meeting.) “I’ve spent the last 13 years developing the women’s, designing selflessly and just making clothes for women and people that I love,” said the designer. “This collection was really easy to design because I thought if I wouldn’t wear it, I wouldn’t put it in the collection.”

Curiously, the lineup felt more broad than personal, likely because Simkhai was trying to please a wide customer base by carving out a path that’s not extreme. “I really feel there’s a void in the market for menswear that focuses on classics but still feels sexy and polished and sophisticated,” he noted. One way he filled that void was with printed viscose pajama-y/track sets, which felt very Cali, hanging close to preppier takes on shirting. There were sports fabrics too, but not a sort of critical mass that announced a Simkhai look.

On the other hand, the designer’s knit T-shirt was a smart iteration of a wardrobe essential, and maybe that’s how men will shop the collection, at least to start with. Certainly that makes sense in a retail setting. Also of interest was the blending of elements from Simkhai women’s (see the tailored green jacket with inverted darts and, one of his specialties, the trench coats). This is in keeping with what we saw during the fall 2023 menswear season. With a new round of shows coming up, we’ll soon see if that kind of exchange continues to trend.