While averting frostbite was a concern for fashion folk in a snow-clogged Manhattan, the extreme weather proved a good primer for imaginatively testing out the new Autumn/Winter styles. It proved a season of severity not just in climatic conditions but in the new linear, strident attitude of fashion. The hair styles might be gelled back and harsh, the settings angular and urban but it was all carried off with America’s sense of ease. Pragmatism, after all, is in this nation’s DNA.

“It’s all about a beautifully tailored coat - a cozy slightly oversized sweater with a soft mid-calf skirt,” says Lane Crawford’s fashion director, Sarah Rutson. While the promise of those items might not immediately make your heart skip a beat, the allure was in the Bauhaus influenced colour palette where flashes and panels of cobalt blue, ruby red, neon pink and yellow appeared against shades of grey and white. Desire will no doubt be stirred by the hand-crafted textures and finishes that gave knitwear an extra special dimension.

There’s also a feel of DIY. For 3.1 Phillip Lim, that equated to outsize shearling gilets (arms sawn off) worn with flippy jersey skirts and pointy boots; to skater dresses at Proenza Schouler crafted from a patchwork of wools, leather and speckled print; and raw edge hide coats with utility pockets at Alexander Wang. This notion of mismatch or ‘bricolage‘ has its roots in punk but it also reflects our era when looking too over-fashioned or contrived simply does not feel right. It’s all about allowing individuality to shine through a fashion world that has increasingly become a ‘paint by numbers’ formula.