Plus ça change: Light layers, sassy shirtdresses at NY Fashion Week

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Globe Style's Amy Verner is in New York covering Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week until Sept. 15.

On a day that saw brazen florals in saturated hues from Peter Som, Tess Giberson did not stray far from a muted palette of black, white, matte bronze and indigo.

Giberson was the subject of my very first magazine profile. Fast forward eight years and her show on Friday remained true to the lovely, sensitive nature of her style.

Her light layering pleases the eye most. The first look consisted of a wool jacket, knit tank, tulle tank and knit skirt. But because the jacket had a split back, and the tulle pieces were shredded to the point of near-disintegration, the look belied the bulk.

Giberson's husband, artist Jon Widman, was responsible for the dreamy grey cloud print that appeared on a skirt and dress. Giberson herself remains a quiet talent. Perhaps she prefers it that way.

Ode to a shirtdress

When NAHM debuted last season, Style.com posed the question, "How many times can you reinvent the shirtdress?"

Ally Hilfiger (daughter of Tommy) and designer Nary Manivong have teamed up to do for shirtdresses what Canadian label Smythe does for jackets; namely, turn a single item into a signature statement.

The duo has shown that they can take a seemingly obscure starting point (Parisian expats who travelled to Laos in the 1970s) and conceive a collection that will resonate with young women today. (Although I did hear one girl say, "Ooh, my mom would love that.") There were several dropped-waist styles and a few that bordered on nightdresses.

Shirtdresses, in any case, are far easier to explore for spring than fall. Hilfiger and Marivong played with a variety of lightweight fabrics: cotton-voile, printed silk, stretch cotton and organdy. Some styles evoked a different time and seemed almost cinematic (picture a dreamy, hazy Sofia Coppola film). But overall, the designers rose to the challenge; they may not be reinventing the shirtdress, but they're keeping us interested nonetheless.

Get ready for limeade

That's how the notes referred to Rebecca Taylor's shade of electric yellow-green. (Jason Wu used a similar hue.) Both felt fresh and wearable because there was sheerness to the fabrics (Taylor alternated between stretchy knit and eyelet, while Wu's looked like silk). Seated in Taylor's front row were Whitney Port, Jordana Brewster, Ashley Tisdale, Louise Roe and Sophia Bush; if these names don't mean anything to you, you'll do fine just knowing that they're all very pretty and unabashedly girly.

Taylor designs for the young professional who likes to feel feminine; she is commercially-minded in the best sense. This season, there were plenty of tank dresses and separates adorned in paillettes, which could work nicely as day-to-night pieces. I wonder, though, if she introduced one too many disparate ideas. I counted five prints – snakeskin, leopard, camo, something Japanese-inspired and roses – plus countless fabrications, including an oversized eyelet, cotton mesh, leather and lurex. The cropped jackets, from anorak to bomber, however, will surely sell well.

Shoe standouts and viva Mexicana

Where Wu showed stiletto sandals with heels as sharp as skewers, Hoffman's wedges incorporated swatches of bright, Mexican-inspired print, which made them far friendlier. It was the type of shoe that will instantly liven up a little black (or white) dress – now we just need to know whether they will be produced for stores or were created solely for the presentation.

Hoffman's collection was surprisingly great – in the wrong hands, the jumpsuits could have come across as costume-y. But she took custom prints (from a vibrant abstract tribal pattern to a woven trompe l'oeil) and cut them into girly tunics, rompers, fluid pants and flowy tops. The woodcut print – white with blue or brown lines – looked like an architectural blueprint and was the strongest of all.