An ode to grunge seems to be resonating through the halls, or tents, of New York Fashion Week. Yet, in not-quite-equal measure, an intoxicating backlash of femininity is vying for attention-glamour, it seems, refuses to take a backseat. Thus, Wednesday's lineup skipped around from gender defying to overtly sexual to all-out decorative feats.

Under the direction of newly minted creative leads Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, the hotly anticipated DKNY show had something to prove. Sticking to what they know best (menswear), the Public School duo teased out the tension between hard and soft. Although they may have veered from the label's unfussy DNA, they struck gold with deconstructed power suits reinvented as dresses and skirts. Sheer-to-silk fabrications with more fluid drape worked in softer elements. Palette anchored the elemental aesthetic. Save for two cobalt looks, every piece stuck to a black-white dichotomy.

Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler channeled their predilections for texture and craftsmanship into a passionate collection of black, white and red. An intricate eyelet dress came just short of falling off the model's shoulders, or so it seemed. Pom-poms, ribbons, ruffles and bare shoulders emerged again and again without feeling overdone. Peeling panels countered the lean structure of languid vests, while slinky knit dresses wrapped openwork peekaboos around figures not shy of flaunting.

Shop: current season Proenza Schouler

Bibhu Mohapatra turned to the impactful, albeit short, life of journalist and photographer Annemarie Schwarzebach to inject his spring offerings with a resilient joie-de-vivre. Rather than cater to the '30s icon's penchant for wearing men's clothes, however, Mohapatra took a less direct approach, utilizing Bauhaus elements to keep his collection feminine. Through it all, the collection maintained something of an emotional strength-thoughtful, wistful and optimistic.

Shop: current season Bibhu Mohapatra

Unshakeable fans of Naeem Khan 's red carpet-worthy masterpieces weren't disappointed. This season's lineup traveled to the Mediterranean decked in rich embroideries, beading, sequins and raffia galore. And so much color: From brilliant sunset hues of yellow, orange and pink to garden-picked azure, rose and celadon, the runway was full to bursting. We're betting the more extravagant looks-sheer, rainbow-stripe jumpsuit to ballgown and everything in-between-will soon make the rounds spotted on this-or-that celebrity.

- Katie Joy Blanksma