Lyell, designed by Emma Fletcher, is a gorgeous cross-pollination of the poetic with the minimalistic. She’s one of the few people who can make lace look cutting-edge. Her fall collection, though, was very, very somber. High-necked, long-sleeved white blouses were paired with severe black skirts; two tweed pieces – “The Julie Christie coats” – evoked none of Christie’s buoyant sense of rebellion. They looked better suited for a stylish 40-something. Even the racy stuff – her ’30s-era tap pants worn as outerwear, her sheer black lace dress – didn’t quite work. Perhaps it was due to the presentation – dour models slowly walking to dour music – but it all felt a little sadder than was perhaps meant.