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Just Cavalli

At another label, the sand on the runway might've meant we were in for a rugged safari, perhaps featuring clothes with a utilitarian or, at the very least, sporty bent. Not at Just Cavalli. Even in the desert, the designer's party girls wear platform sandals, sequins, and big-time costume baubles. The only real nod to the show's "Back to Nature" title were leopard and zebra prints, but even they were done up in candy-colored silks that were patched together to create vaguely twenties-ish drop-waist dresses, a silhouette that reappeared in peekaboo black lace. The eighties had their moment, too, in the form of flippy denim or leather minis worn with slouchy rolled-sleeve tees featuring—believe it or not—macro-prints of the faces of Roberto and his wife, Eva. The little bit of this, little bit of that approach gave the show an I-just-nicked-this-from-my-mom's-closet vibe, totally in keeping with the way girls too young to remember the eighties dress today. The designers may have indulged their wacky side, but chances are that's just the way their customers like it.

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Emporio Armani

When Giorgio Armani began his Emporio Armani show two seasons ago with an ad for his fragrance, Diamonds, starring Beyoncé, the commercial interruption was diverting enough—after all, it was Beyoncé. The ad for the designer's branded Samsung phone that was screened before today's Emporio presentation? Less so. As for the bare-chested boys sporting enormous, (we're assuming) fake GA logo tattoos at the end of the show, they, too, were a distraction from a collection that had many strong points.

This is a season of easy, slouchy pants—a trend that Armani happens to have been perfecting for years. The leopard-print shorts worn over a trouser suit were a step too far, but there was nothing tricky about the washed-silk numbers that tapered elegantly to the ankle or ballooned above a deep cuff. Shorts with crossover waistbands also looked of the moment. In the jacket department, a cool, oversize tuxedo embroidered all over in crystals and a graceful ivory topper with a sculptural bow at the waist both stood out. The show's East-meets-West theme produced other jackets with mandarin collars, some of which were draped in multiple strands of beads and pearls. And vests turned up for both day and after dark, alternately topping long full skirts or narrow ones slit up the back. Things took a sweet turn when barefoot models strolled out in baby blue, pink, and yellow sequined gowns. Halter tops and ankle-scraping skirts in the same bejeweled tones were a more novel approach to evening, but they didn't have the same appeal as Armani's assured tailoring.

Moschino Cheap & Chic

If you were looking for a post-Black Monday pick-me-up, you could do worse than Rosella Jardini's Moschino Cheap & Chic show. Though hardly groundbreaking, her Spring collection was like a shot of vitamin D, all sunshine and light—from the prints (photo-realistic roses and bunnies) to the colors (wisteria, mandarin orange, strawberry) to the silhouettes (jumpsuits, balloon dresses). A slouchy button-down and rolled-hem shorts set in a floral photo-print silk satin looked fresh, as did the long, butterfly-print silk jersey columns, especially the one in emerald and marigold. Amid a silver brocade party dress, a quilted chiffon coat, and a Pierrot-collar sleeveless shift, the clingy dhoti pants worn with tunic dresses caught the eye. Perhaps included as a last-minute stab at a bit of au courant flavor, they gave the show an edge that it otherwise lacked.

Giorgio Armani

"This collection confirms a style that has changed the face of fashion," the program notes stated. That's not too bold of a claim when it comes from a designer like Giorgio Armani, the man who rethought the modern suit, then put his own sparklingly sinuous stamp on red-carpet wear. His Spring collection had both of those signatures in spades.

The show opened with elongated one-button jackets in traditional suiting fabrics. The ones that followed had a similar slight flare below the waist or a ruffle of pleats at the back, but they were made in fluid jerseys and shown with pleated and tapered silk pants, long shorts, or tucked-hem skirts. The wet-look hair and glistening makeup that was perhaps conceived to reinforce the show's breezy "Joy to Wear" message was too much of a good thing, but it was refreshing to see some big-name models on Armani's runway.

And speaking of big names, how fitting that Cate Blanchett was in the audience today: Armani has no better emissary for the sort of body-skimming beaded stunners in which he specializes. He sent out one-shoulder cocktail dresses and wispy chiffons in soft pastels, but they were just an opening act for his finale: a parade of beaded and embroidered long dresses that glimmered without veering into glitz. Had the timing been different, Jessica Stam's strapless number would certainly have surfaced on the red carpet at last night's Emmys.

D&G

It was anchors away at D&G, where messieurs Dolce and Gabbana took a dip in the azure waters of the French Riviera. Make that a long soak. They never do anything halfway, and this collection was no exception, from the first retro navy-striped maillot with a red anchor on the chest to the parade of dresses in pleated gold lamé and chiffon printed with nautical flags and sailor knots. Over the top? Well, yes, but there was plenty in between that will play on dry land, including tailored blazers, high-waisted sailor pants, a "gold-plated reptile" trenchcoat, and thick, metallic-shot hand-woven knits, the best of which was a crewneck sweater worn with balloon shorts.

And because the Côte d'Azur was a stomping ground for Coco Chanel, who kept an iris-strewn holiday villa in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, the Chanel-isms abounded: little red-and-white-checked and sequined bouclé suits, but with shorts not skirts; a long, striped cardigan cum beach cover-up; twenties-feeling high-hemmed shifts; and a super-wide-brimmed sun hat straight out of a photograph of Mademoiselle herself. Fishnets, flag-printed wedge sandals, patent bags, and knit swim caps numbered among the other accessories. It was a kick from beginning to end, which is, after all, what Saint-Tropez fun in the sun is all about.

Alberta Ferretti

At her best, Alberta Ferretti does pretty in a way every woman can get. It's not a collection that should cause anyone to get hung up on concept or theme, or—in this case—fuss too much over the fact that the intellectual link between "Grecian" and "flapper" is, to put it mildly, a little tenuous. Just so long as the easy, fluttery, feminine options for evening keep coming, Ferretti gets an unspoken pass. This season, within two or three outfits, it was clear she was keeping up her end of the bargain.

Vertical, tiered fringing that suggested Fortuny pleating introduced the show, swiftly followed by one of Ferretti's signature whipped-around twirls of chiffon. The Greek-nymph side of the collection may be a reprise of her hits from last Spring, but no harm in that: Ferretti's signature way of draping a georgette dress can be gorgeous, and especially so when left to speak for itself—sans accessories—with flat sandals. Having established that, she wove in a series of short charmeuse cocktail dresses with Jazz Age tassels, and even something cool in the way of a dressy evening chino and a ribbon-lace capri pant. Save for a few moments when the fringe veered toward Spanish-shawl or showgirl territory, it made for a collection that will keep Ferretti's followers very happy, and likely gain her quite a few more.

Missoni

For the best of Missoni, scroll to the end. There, for evening, were examples of the exceptional things this house can tease out of a knitting machine: a tissue-fine, fan-pleated Lurex halter gown in an almost colorless beige; a glinting semi-sheer skirt under a belted knit blazer. Those were the high points of a show in which Angela Missoni continued to steer the family business along the grown-up course she's been charting for the past couple of seasons.

The general drift of the main body of the collection was a merging of vaguely Japanese-influenced shapes (kimono sleeves, obi belts) with surface patterns derived from Italian futurist art, worked in a palette of beige, muted coral, cocoa, and absinthe. Beneath that, Missoni seemed to be setting herself the task of figuring out how jumpsuits and big, drop-crotch pants can make sense for regular public consumption. Her answer was all-in-ones ending in short, divided skorts on the one hand, and a pair of voluminous dark green taffeta evening skirt-cum-pants on the other. On the cute—and very recognizably Missoni—side, there was a zigzag raschel knit swimsuit, along with plenty of easy caftan-style cover-ups. These, like the evening dresses, clicked more easily into the picture of long summer leisure days that gives this house its identity.

Francesco Scognamiglio

As the kids say, Francesco Sconamiglio has mad skills. He can cut a lean, mean suit with the best of them—but he'll never graduate to the big leagues like his front-row pals Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi have until he turns down the kink factor. The show opened with a respectable-enough cropped ivory jacket; unfortunately, it was worn with see-through plastic trousers. The second look, a coat-dress with an asymmetrical neckline that purposely exposed one breast, was even more risqué. The blouses were lovingly crafted, with spills of ruffles at the throat or, more unusually, with shoulder pads made from feathers—but, again, because they were so sheer, their appeal will be limited.

A series of little white dresses (bracelet-sleeved, one-shouldered, or strapless, decorated with sculptural rosettes or ruffles) showed Scognamiglio at his best: just this side of flamboyant, but relevant at retail, too. When he starts thinking more along these lines, he'll start drawing the crowds that his technique deserves.

Pringle of Scotland

The fact that the air-conditioning konked out at her show added a touch of irony to Clare Waight Keller's pleasant if somewhat lackluster Pringle collection, inspired as it was by David Hockney's swimming-pool paintings. "I wanted a bit of escapism," she said backstage. "She's a sexier girl, and confident, but it's still easy." Playing on the company's heritage of knits, Waight Keller rethought the twinset (invented by the Scottish house in the thirties) as a knee-skimming cardigan and matching tank dress with ruffles cascading down the front. She remade the heavy-gauge cable sweater, too, transforming it into a viable summer option by knitting it so loosely that from a distance it looked like lace. Cotton dresses tucked and folded origami-style at the neckline and the waist came decorated with brushstroke prints in cobalt and turquoise, while simple white shifts were densely embroidered in black, blue, and gray for a 3-D effect. A boyishly offhand touch was added by engineer-stripe Henleys, cardigans, and full-cropped pants—but elsewhere the embellishments were a bit overwrought. As cool as the blues were and as light and transparent as the gauzy knits looked, they couldn't stir the air in the room, nor did they rouse much of a reaction from the crowd.

Burberry Prorsum

This year, Britain officially had the dullest summer recorded since 1929. With August rainfall over 40 percent higher than average, it was about as miserable as anyone can remember, except possibly for the makers of raincoats, like Burberry. You could see how that big washout might have seeped into Christopher Bailey's consciousness when the first girl advancing along the runway looked from a distance like a survivor of Bestival, the Isle of Wight's recent storm-drenched music event. There she was, trudging home with apparently sodden flares, a rain-soaked cape, and a patchwork crusher hat jammed firmly down on her forehead.

Bailey called the collection "Garden Girls," and said he'd been inspired by his own garden in Yorkshire, and a Thames & Hudson book on eccentric Brits called Garden People—never types to be daunted by a bit of mud. To turn that thought into a collection, Bailey worked tints of ochers, browns, and mossy greens into a slew of fabrics, skinny cardigans, boyfriend pantsuits, and leather that looked as if it had all been treated to a good downpour.

Among the dip-dyed and crinkled effects, there were some great items. Anyone who jumped on Burberry's flares last season will love this Spring's extreme version: the shrink-to-the-leg cheesecloth trouser that made a clever compromise between sheer leggings and a pant. Fans of Bailey's super-deluxe trenches—a feature of his last three shows—will also be more than happy with the update: dull steel-gray python, sometimes richly embellished with paillettes running up from the hem. Still, although Bailey worked up to brighter gold brocades and gunmetal lamé in the closing passages, the show could have benefited from a sunnier outlook for next summer, and a stricter edit.