Pre-Fall 2013 Report: DKNY, Kors, Tahari and More

Shoes aside, DKNY’s Pre-Fall collection was a wholly wearable, clean-lined lineup of closet staples. Done in mostly black and white and continuing with the stripe-heavy trend we saw in the Spring 2013 collections, standouts included tank dresses and a low key thigh-length coat.

Michael Kors went with dressed up casuals this season showing, for example, a floor sweeping tiered skirt paired with a simple black top, tough-luxe tailored leather pieces, and full skirts with floral motifs.

Crisp sheer-paneled tops, embroidered dresses, embellished leggings, slim leather trousers, and painterly prints gave every day staples a more fashion-forward twist in this season's Elie Tahari collection.

She may have been inspired by India and Asia for her tribal-tinged collection, but her spot-on tailoring made the embellished, printed, and quilted exotic separates and dresses Rachel Roy showed exceedingly wearable. Perfect for day-to-night, the collection's standouts included a belted kimono jacket, an embellished sleeveless top, and striped wide-leg pants.

Reed Krakoff went in a menswear-inspired direction with a collection brimming with oversized silhouettes. While the austere, often boxy, tailoring of most of the jackets, vests, and coats won't be the easiest to pull off, the more form-fitting leather separates, black and white print trousers, and knits made for versatile finds.