Mother nature – fashion designer? Absolutely. This season botanical prints dominated, and they were not just beautiful, but demanded attention. “The prints were very sophisticated and they really brought the element of art to fashion,” says trend forecaster Tom Julian. “They also bring more femininity into the equation.” At DKNY dresses and pants were festooned with a poppy print that optimistically referenced both Andy Warhol and Marimekko. Peter Som blew up roses, Altuzarra cleverly worked a Hawaiian print panel on skirts, while the bird print at Carolina Herrera was just charming. But the most talked about prints belonged to Prabal Gurung, whose violet and pink pixelated Rorschach flowers were inspired by Japanese artist Nobuyoshi Araki’s photographs. "I'm always interested in women being in power, and sometimes it's obvious, sometimes it's not", Gurung told the Wall Street Journal. Any woman entering a room wearing these vivid prints will certainly be the centre of attention.

View the Spring 2012 runway video on the Prabal Gurung homepage

Old Hollywood loved Technicolor, and designers seemed to go to the same well for inspiration this season. The streets of New York in Spring 2012 will be awash in citrus brights of orange and yellow, along with electric hues in blue and pink. Jason Wu showed a bubblegum pink ball skirt that proved the colour isn’t just for little girls. At Monique Lhuillier, a cobalt blue ruched fitted cocktail dress had the wow factor. But it was all the shades of orange on the runways, from neon dresses at Nanette Lepore (cleverly under lace) to a cute shift at Marc by Marc Jacobs and an elegant jumpsuit at Derek Lam that made it the colour of the season.

See the Spring 2012 lookbook on the Derek Lam website

Layering and asymmetry continues its hold on designers’ imaginations. Not just a response to our new trans-seasonal lifestyles, there is a languid, sensual, beauty in the silhouette. Former child TV stars Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen again impress with their label The Row, which for Spring 2012 played with layering dresses over sheer pants. At Helmut Lang, working in a palette of white, black, grey and yellow, asymmetric sheer layers delivered the perfect edge, while master minimalist Narciso Rodriguez displayed his sophisticated cutting with transparent panelled dresses. “The long over short approach to dressing is perfect for Sydney to Los Angeles to Spain”, says Tom Julian. “It will definitely catch on”.

Go backstage on the Helmut Lang homepage

Why should athletes keep their style to themselves? That was the thinking among some designers this season, who took elements from the adrenaline charged sports world and incorporated them into their designs. At Lacoste, look for rugby shirt mini-dresses. Marc Jacobs worked in track suit jackets and sweatshirts, while at Alexander Wang, the motocross-inspired botanical print separates, exposed zippers and mesh bomber jackets drew raves. "I've been looking at motocross, Nascar racing, and all the clothes those guys wear," Wang told Vogue.com of his inspiration. Tom Julian thinks taking a trend from menswear to womenswear is a positive: “It allows women to have feminine performance wear in day dressing”.

Watch the runway video on the Alexander Wang homepage

No question the Duchess of Cambridge loves dresses. There’s also no question that whatever she wears quickly sells out. But did the 'Kate effect' hit the runways of New York? Though there were dresses galore, the silhouettes were less conservative, more directional. The silk slip dresses at Calvin Klein softly skimmed the body, while Victoria Beckham’s body con looks wrapped it firmly. Marc Jacobs took his aesthetic to the twenties, while Diane Von Fürstenberg, queen of the wrap dress, reworked the silhouette into something softer, more modern. Jenny Packham showed stunning beaded gowns you can bet will be worn by Kate Middleton at a royal event sooner or later. While Marchesa’s tulle architecture and Oscar de la Renta’s gravity defying ballgowns will surely grace red carpets, it was Rodarte’s fifties style dresses bearing Vincent Van Gogh sunflowers and starry nights that stole the week. They took the museum to the runway and made art come to life.    

Find out more on the Rodarte website