Designers at this year's Fashion Week featured some of the prettiest fabrics seen in recent years -- yards of it in light, diaphanous streams. At left, a model walks the runway at the Calvin Klein Spring 2007 fashion show.

Designers liked their pretty fabrics so much they used miles of it, often in complex layers. At left, a model walks the runway at the Marc by Marc Jacobs show.

Designers talk a good line about creating for "the independent woman," but that can't be what's on their minds when they re-introduce the "baby doll" dress last seen in the 1960s. At left, a model shows a dress from the Michael Kors collection.

It's been a long time since any American woman fretted about wearing the "wrong" dress length. But women will find plenty of short dresses in the stores if they're looking for them. At left, a model shows a dress from the Narciso Rodriguez show.

Short or long, skirts next year will be wide. No more mincing along in those lousy pencil skirts. At left, a model wears a dress from the Vera Wang Spring 2007 collection.

They're in the stores now for Fall 2006, and designers hope they'll still be on our legs in Spring 2007. At left, a model shows an outfit from the Heatherette Spring 2007 show.

and big belts, and big trim of various kinds. Designers are into big details right now. At left, a model shows an outfit from the Betsey Johnson Spring 2007 collection.

That flapper nostalgia thing is so over. Designers showed cinched waists with their big skirts this year. At left, a dress from the Oscar de la Renta Spring 2007 collection.

Designers in general seem allergic to color and pattern, but some show a decided tendency to look back to the '60s for inspiration. At left, a model shows an outfit from the DKNY Spring 2007 collection.

Lace is not the kind of thing you see a lot of in the stores these days. It's the kind of labor-intensive detail that costs big bucks. But it's returning now, as trim on those luxurious fabrics designers rolled out at New York Fashion Week. At left, a model shows a lace-trimmed dress at the BCBG Max Azria show.