Designers put wearable clothes on the runway at New York Fashion Week

Working women rejoice: You'll actually have stylish-yet-appropriate clothes to wear next fall. Even better, there also will be clothes for you to wear to dinner, parties and play dates, with or without the kids.

Photo: Designers put wearable clothes on the runway at New York Fashion Week

The collections previewed Sunday on the runways of New York Fashion Week were mostly wearable. But there were some misses, too, especially the short bubble skirts and knickers that have graced more than one catwalk.

Designer shows continue through Friday with Chanel and Fendi designer Karl Lagerfeld making his runway debut in New York with his new Karl Lagerfeld/Lagerfeld Collection as the finale.

Diane von Furstenberg brought back the '80s power suit, down to the slim pencil skirts with high waists, puffy sleeves and oversized lumberjack-check and houndstooth prints. But von Furstenberg modernized the look by slimming the silhouette and adding feminine details, such as a peplum on a jacket or using a rosebud-print chiffon fabric for a blouse.

The newest incarnation of her wrap dress, which she first put on the runway in 1975, had a fuller skirt and was made in brushed cotton and suede instead of the classic jersey.

A black belted shirtdress with vertical pleats was one of those chic outfits that easily go from day to night. For Badgley Mischka, eveningwear designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka marked their return to Fashion Week after sitting out a few seasons by courting the funkier Grammy crowd instead of the more staid Oscar-goers.

Several styles featured accordian-style vertical pleats. The best were a bright yellow strapless cocktail dress with a bow under the bust, and a printed silk satin and chiffon gown in plum, black and white.

The duo also offered a cool daytime look, at least a daytime look for celebrities: sheared mink skirts with unsheared mink hemlines.

However, a shapeless red dress with a separate piece of fabric in the back that stretched from the neck to the mid-thigh hem looked a bit like a boat's sail, and it was a dud.

The show closed with an unexpected black satin trench coat with a skull made out of fancy beads on the back.

Londoner Luella Bartley offered something for the woman who likes the look of both country crooners and punk rockers, but still dresses up in a dress with a pearl collar and bow around her waist for tea with her grandmother.

Shrunken jackets, one in textured leather with studs and another decorated with pearls, looked hip with tailored trousers or super skinny jeans. A light pink patent leather trenchcoat was a lighthearted version of a practical item, reports the AP.