For a designer who usually revels in the ultra-feminine, Francer kept things both focused and fresh by shooting up his high-society dressing with an unexpected dose of edgy Black Panther pop. It was as if the black leather-clad activists had showed up at a salon party in an Upper East Side brownstone and nobody had batted a disapproving eyelash.

Closely cropped leather jackets and stiletto boots worn over skintight black pants looked just as chic and perfectly put together as the flounced skirts and narrow pleated overcoats which also came down the runway. Cerruti's new girl has the best of both worlds: softly romantic clothes to satisfy her girly side (what girl wouldn't want a flapper-feather skirt which sparkled like icicles?), but plenty of harder, Mod looks in which to run around the mean streets.

Francer called his hard looks "radical chic" and although there wasn't anything all that radical about them, they did feature great looking sculpted designs, like a skintight strapless tuxedo jumpsuit, or fitted jackets with large collars rising up around the neck. The fedora hats worn with black leather bandanas, black leather gloves and extra tall boots, gave the girls an added kick in the pants.

Femininity came out to play with voluminous, prancing skirts and dainty waists elongated with high-rise belts or seams. For evening, Francer kept things simple, with long, deep V column dresses which swooshed in brick or black velvet.

There was nothing groundbreaking in this collection, but it was solid, wearable and attractive, qualities that shouldn't be taken for granted on the fashion planet. Francer, working with his own set of eyes, admitted backstage, "I've really put myself into this collection. It's Cerruti's dressed up elegance, but it's my vision."