Big changes at Bill Blass this season. A briskly paced show whose models strode the catwalk at a businesslike clip. It made looking at the clothes much easier, and there was improvement there, as well - a trimmer silhouette, a little more skin, and a lighter hand. But despite the improvement, the collection still hasn't found its soul. -JO

Doo Ri Chung, a Geoffrey Beene alumna and CFDA/Vogue Initiative finalist, showed her strengths—architectural draping of silk and jersey—for her fourth collection. But this time, she expanded on those qualities by introducing lace and net (materials she had never worked with before), as well as a custom feather print courtesy of her friend, artist Wook Kim. The new additions gave Chung's designs a welcome airiness. -LB

Spring is Herrera's season, and this year, her signature blend of sensuousness and sophistication seemed particularly lighthearted—inspired, perhaps, by her daughter Carolina Jr.'s lavish, romantic June wedding to the dashingly handsome Spanish bullfighter Miguel Baez? Regardless of the source, the benefits are available to all. This season, Herrera's all about sharing the love-and we're feeling it. -JO

Melbostad segued seamlessly from fall's urban-goth look to a more delicate collection that still reflected Phi's luxurious take on tough chic. He kept the palette limited to black, ivory, and pinky nude, and used fabrics ranging from tissue-weight silk and cotton to stiff linen canvas and supple kangaroo skin. There were well-cut trousers, silky bare camisoles, and fluid knits, and some standout boxy bombers, pea coats, and trenches. And the fluttery georgette and chiffon dresses and gowns, with just enough detailing, did due penance for some clunky sarong shorts and bubble skirts. -JO

Vera Wang's evolution over the past several seasons into a full-fledged creator with an elegantly specific aesthetic has been a pleasure to watch. And this spring's collection, full of lovely, artsy dresses and skirts, finely detailed and delicately luxurious, clinches the transition. Even though she's a red-carpet mainstay-witness Jennifer Connelly and Holly Hunter in her front row-Wang is not, and never will be, about flash and flesh. Her sex appeal comes from the sensuousness inherent in her materials-limpid crepe de chine, georgette, and charmeuse, muted gold lamé, brocade, fuzzy cashmere, and tissue-thin knits-and her slim, caressing cuts. -JO

The spring collection, called Trinity (and sponsored by Cartier), showed Zac Posen capable of handling all that and then some. The look he chose to open the show spoke volumes: a simple white jacket over tailored trousers, instead of one of his famously pieced and fitted dresses, that seemed to declare, "I can do sportswear, too." He followed that with a group of clean white pieces, then came the vivid colors and pretty dresses so beloved by the party girls. -JO