'Handsome Femininity' From Richard Chai Richard Chai's collection was late arriving at Lincoln Center for his 11 a.m. fashion show this morning, so while the editors were waiting, they checked their e-mail. At 11:12 a.m., a press release popped in my in-box from Pantone, the color forecasting company, announcing its predictions for the fall season: Olympian Blue, Tangerine Tango, Ultramarine Green, Titanium, Honey Gold, Pink Flambé and other colors that I can't quite picture but assume to be rather bright. When Mr. Chai's designs hit the runway, they were, as usual, predominantly based in urban shades of grays, blacks and navy blue. I suspect Pantone's report is mostly a public relations stunt to get its name in the papers. It works. But I mention this as a reminder that New York Fashion Week, with something like 350 shows, cannot easily be pegged to a set of trends for the season. Increasingly, it is becoming a series of fractured voices and images, probably a healthy thing for fashion since it means designers are recognizing the need for independent thinking. "I didn't want to do anything that was tricky," Mr. Chai said. I didn't want to create looks that were just for the show. I wanted it to be approachable and believable, but also be really aspirational. At the end of the day, it's pieces that I want people to wear. Mr. Chai's gray and black blanket stripes were shown on coats, jackets and trousers for men and women, and later in his show there were sportswear options in claret velvet, wide-legged corduroy pants, and a print that looked like old wallpaper, but no Tangerine Tango. For men, he also introduced his new collection for Filson, including coats, a weekender bag and backpacks trimmed with the company's signature thin leather strips. The idea, Mr. Chai said backstage, "was obviously the idea of youthful uniforms and a fun way to put things together, but also, for women at least, handsome femininity."