NEW YORK, Sept 13, 2007 (AFP) - New York wrapped up its fall Fashion Week Wednesday September 12th, promising retro elegance, light femininity and longer lines for next year's spring and summer ready-to-wear collections.

A model wears a creation by Carlos Miele during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York - Photo : Nicholas Roberts/AFP

Top designers like Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Diane von Furstenberg and Oscar de la Renta showed their collections, along with dozens of relatively unknown aspiring young creators wanting to become the next big thing.

The darling of the New York fashion set, Marc Jacobs, as usual bucked the trends of the week with a wacky collection featuring seemingly half-finished pieces, exposed underwear and slinky dresses, while mixing silk and plastic.

He offered a refreshingly stripped-down take on pieces such as cutaway dresses, but some fashion professionals were fuming over Monday's show starting two hours late.

"It's not as if he's some young 19-year-old," Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of American Vogue, vented to Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper. "He's a grown-up with a huge organization behind him."

For her part, Vera Wang, well known for her wedding dresses, offered draped tunics finished with colorful glass jewelry around the neckline, a long grey satin dress and figure hugging evening wear in silver lame.

One of the highlights of the week was a party to mark Ralph Lauren's 40 years in the fashion business, attended by celebrities such as Hollywood stars Robert DeNiro and Dustin Hoffman.

A few designers, including the creative duo of Mark Badgley and James Mischka, sprinkled their collections with mini-skirts, but otherwise the baby-doll look and the empire lines of last season have all but disappeared.

Out go too the boyish look, pencil pants and shorts, and in come Great Gatsby style elegance, with wide-brimmed hats and longer flowing dresses, either ankle-length, half-calf or at least below the knee.

There was a certain 1920s flavor, but with a nod to the 1970s.

BCBGMAXAZRIA delighted crowds with a collection of pleated knee-skimming frocks, cinched at the waist, petticoats in beige and bronze tulle and small chocolate-colored jackets cut tight on the shoulder.

Erin Fetherston, a now well-established and promising young designer, offered a fetching collection of supple dresses, some accompanied by matching spring overcoats.

She also presented skirts in grey crepe and pleated ivory silk, muslin blouses in old rose or grey stripes.

Breaking up the classic elegance were turbans, white coral hair clips, even feather headphones worn with a Swan Lake style tutu-dress.

Brazilian designer Alexandre Herchcovitch shone with a much less structured collection, dominated by bright colors, apron dresses with a single shoulder strap, black Bermudas and patchwork or red shirts.

The Little Black Dress was also on show, cinched high on the waist and matched with a white false collar and black laced boots.

By Paola Messana