Chapman, Marchesa among top designers at Fashion Week

New York Fashion Week 2010 was a women's world. Male designers like Max Azria and Marc Jacobs seemed to be in a somber mood, sending dark simple looks down the runway. During this dismal winter season, designers Diane von Furstenberg, Jill Stuart and Georgina Chapman, of the brand Marchesa, provided the visual pick-me-up needed to get us through these dreary days.

These three women managed to swim to the surface and come up for a breath of fresh air while the rest of the design world was drowning in a sea of grays, blacks and boring navy blues. It comes as no surprise that DVF's runway collection was a stand-out for the fall season. To put things bluntly, this woman knows what women want. Her looks were flirty, flattering and feminine, and as always her signature dresses fit flawlessly. In a twist not usually seen for fall, DVF worked with numerous prints and patterns. Her collection came in lively shades of blue, including periwinkle, lavender, lilac, cobalt and indigo. She layered chunky knits over draped mini dresses and rich velvet blazers over chiffon cocktail dresses, combinations that gave her collection as a whole touchable texture.

My favorite look came in the form of DVF's opening model, Natalia Vodianova, stomping down the runway in a powder-blue, rosette-embellished bolero over a tweed blazer and cropped trousers. It was interesting to see such a cuffed pant on a fall runway, but a trouser like this is the perfect solution to the tough temperature transition we deal with between summer and fall.

DVF's designs are a lasting investment because her ensembles exude both a strong sense of style and practicality. She exceeds expectations with not only her individual creations, but the way she pairs them together to complement one another. Her most recent runway collection was no exception.

The designer presented everything from jewel-encrusted skirts to silk tunics. Her outfits were impeccably pieced together, but each separate item could stand strongly on its own. Rarely do we spot a collection where it's possible to pluck anything off the runway and pair it perfectly with what we already own, but DVF, known for her eccentric "wearability," constantly proves her innate ability to make women look wonderful.

My second choice for best in show was Jill Stuart. Belts were a major theme threaded throughout her presentation, and the majority of her looks were ever-so-chicly cinched at the waist, giving her models wearing even the baggiest tops and bottoms a shapely silhouette.

Her women looked like rock stars. Picture leather lace-up thigh-highs, ruched cobalt-blue minis, sleek silk jumpsuits and slinky silver asymmetrical dresses. Her collection was a fusion of London punk meets New York polish, and, as with DVF, Stuart included lots of textured layers.

Her collection came complete with out-there outerwear that created a sense of movement along the catwalk: ankle-length trenches, fur-embossed jackets and baggy knits you could curl up and fall asleep in. The designer, who collaborated with her daughter Morgan for this particular runway show, took knitwear to a whole new level, and embellished her models with sweaters and scarves so voluminous they practically engulfed them.

Stuart's collection was a visual trifle: chunky layers overtop skin-baring dresses and metallic minis peeking through over-sized jackets. Peeling back each layer you'd find something underneath even sweeter and sexier than before. Stuart said her collection is for "women who aren't afraid of mixing prints and silhouettes and textures," a major trend seen on runways for fall in general.

Another runway frontrunner was the brand Marchesa. Without a trouser in sight, co-founder Georgina Chapman created elegant cocktail dresses worthy of a fantasy fairy tale. Referred to by Vogue journalist Meenal Mistry as the "queen of the red carpet," Chapman's billowy line is so feminine, so fabulous that I'm sure we'll be seeing countless dresses from this 26-piece collection, inspired by courtesan Lola Montez, on celebrities to come.

Last Sunday, actress Sandra Bullock celebrated her Oscar-winning moment in a floor-length liquid-gold beaded gown that was a variation of a silver dress from Marchesa's fall collection. This look landed her a spot on top of best-dressed lists around the world.

Marchesa is known for floaty fabrics and features like tulle, feathers and chiffon, but what stood out most about this collection was the use of sculpted organza. This fabric was fashioned to look like blooming flower petals and created volume and a feeling of airiness all over their lust-worthy looks. My favorite piece was a sharply tailored tuxedo jacket embellished with blush-colored organza that radiated from the front.

This collection as a whole had a great balance of color. Chapman opened with a fuchsia-suede dress and continued to add pops of bright reds, turquoise blues and powder pinks. The dreamy design aesthetic of this fall collection stayed true to what makes Marchesa a famously feminine brand; a job well done from all angles.

Sadly this was the last fashion week we'll be seeing stiletto-clad stylistas strutting around Bryant Park. The runways move uptown next year to the Lincoln Center, but it's safe to say that in next year's all-new venue, I'm excited to see what all-new ideas designers bring to the table.