New York Fashion Week: Karen Walker, Preen AW12

This time last year I raved about Preen and Karen Walker's Fall/Winter collections and now I intend to rave some more. Last year, Walker's collection was inspired by Britain's Northern Soul scene and featured great prints, styles and a clever use of vinyl; this time around, she was inspired by Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea where boxy-woollen coats and paisley-print Chelsea boots took precedence.

Reworking her signature tomboyish aesthetic with bold colour-blocking and interesting prints, Walker's mod-influenced collection is bang on the money for Fall/Winter 2012. Cropped slimline trousers and boxy single-breasted jackets are clearly going to be huge for Winter; Walker's tartan and orange versions are especially lovely, don't you think? She used a lot of orange and yellow last year and I really love this season's interpretation, particularly when worn as a colour-flash statement under more subdued pieces.

There's something about Preen's collections that is effortlessly classy and elegant, without being stuffy or outdated. For one thing, the styling is flawless and more importantly, the clothes are always outstanding.

For Fall/Winter 2012, Preen took inspiration from Beatrix Potter alongside notions of the strong, independent modern day woman. The end result was a striking balance of intricate botanical prints and bold, geometric shapes with a contemporary 'girl power' edge. These are the kind of clothes that women in power wear, women who mean business; they're not for your everyday Jane but for someone who know's what they want and how to get it. Although not realistically practical, the suede and lace platform heels will undoubtedly appear on 'must-have' lists everywhere come the end of Summer whilst a million and one geometric-colour block suits pop-up on the high-street. Ground-breaking? No. Desirable? Completely.

Will you be investing in a boxy-woollen coat and cropped geometric trousers or botanical florals at all? I am definitely taken with Walker's collection and can totally see myself buying a single-breasted jacket, they're all over the catwalk's this season and are super versatile.

photos from style.com