After two successful - and acclaimed, at least by this writer - collections, one has to wonder if Rita Liefhebber might be lost at sea.
A stormy, overcast summer was on the designer's mind with her third collection for spring 2010, and rang true in both theme and purpose.
The point was driven home amidst a dimly lit presentation at Heritage Court accompanied by a video installation by Bad Day magazine editor/photographer Eva Michon that evoked a deep, dark shipwreck.
The clothes, too, were moody: Think about those murky blues, sullen greys with pops of rust and liquid-like silver in Liefhebber's signature slouchy separates.
The palette, at least, wasn't totally adrift. It evoked a beautiful melancholy and insouciant, hip-girl appeal.
With the exception of the knits, all artfully draped, lovely and ultimately covetable, much of the collection felt like castaways from Liefhebber's far more inventive debut.
The double-knit leggings and high-waisted skort? We've seen these before.
Liefhebber, with only a few seasons under her belt, has already proven that she's a talent to be reckoned with and knows what the cool kids want.
This spark is most evident when she pushes herself. And hey, her risks tend to pay off: Fall, for example, featured coated velvets that looked like leathers; Her debut collection played with jagged leather palettes on a sex-bomb dress.
Then again, maybe she's still getting her sea legs.
At least in her case, Liefhebber can get away with going a bit overboard instead of playing it safe.