“It's the emotional aspect of what inspires me,” she continued. “When I'm sitting at the beach, looking at the clouds [I think] how do I take that inspiration and put it in something grounded?”

In other words, Karan's latest collection took her love of nature and its elements - air, earth, wind, fire - and adapted it for a sophisticated, urban setting. Think of it as the vacation of the future, the “staycation,” where the city dweller need not look any further than her own body for a good dose of the great outdoors.

The influence of nature was evident in everything from matte twill jackets textured like a rock weathered by the sea and fit for sea maidens, to semi-transparent crinkled organza shells that evoked the wind with its airy, feathery movement. Muted blues and grays lingered against sandy shades while pops of fire coral kept Karan's shore color palette from getting too monotonous.

Ever one to be a proponent of clothes that cocoon, Karan used the idea of the wrap in jackets, full-skirted dresses and draped and twisted jersey. She attributed this look to her passion for being able to get up in the morning and just “wrap it up.”

Particularly striking were the contrasting silhouettes she was able to create using this idea of wrapping, from cinched and shaped against natural curves, or loosely draped and left to billow. And a trend that carried over from the fall collections, many jackets featured a strong ‘40s shoulder.

“When the first four looks came out, I said, ‘I want that one, and I want that one, and I want that one!'” said Bernadette Peters, who praised the collection's use of light, transparent yet form-fitting fabrics.

Ethereal, moody, sensual and light, this tour de force from Donna Karan possessed the melancholy of a gray day in Montauk fit for the sidewalks of Manhattan.

photos courtesy of fashion wire daily