Derek Lam excels at a kind of sophisticated minimalism that also telegraphs an insane degree of comfort.

He opened the show with a neutral tunic paired with a three-quarter length thermal-style pant in jersey, and it looked inventive and effortless. The palette was heavy on sand, white and black – very little color in a season that is bursting with it. The bulk of the collection was about a casual elegance – many of those in the front row looked comically overdressed, overdone and over-injected by comparison – but there were quite a few drop-dead pieces, most especially the short, swingy, beaded cocktail dresses. Sublime.

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