Spring reign

People with a reasonably serious view of fashion often ask: Where are the new ideas? And more often than not, this question is directed at New York designers, who tend to copy or dress up generic styles.

But until there are real technical advances in fashion - new materials, alternatives to a sewing machine - there won't be new ideas.

For many people, it seems enough that designers are sincere and straightforward, that they tackle the problems that relate to their own aesthetic (say, prints or knitwear), and have some ability to plant the hook of desire.

Top in that class for spring 2014 at New York Fashion Week were Joseph Altuzarra and Louise Goldin. Several times in the past few years, Altuzarra has moved away from dressy, hard-edge tailoring and embraced soft clothes with a sportswear feel.

He is not afraid of using something as ordinary as a skirt and a shirt, and has enough curiosity to make them interesting, taking inspiration from the everyday clothing of Japanese farmers and fishermen. Turning the practical into high fashion has been a tactic since Coco Chanel, so it's hardly new. But Altuzarra refreshes it with superlight fabrics.

Alexander Wang also had an excellent show. He told a writer he missed the days when fashion wasn't so serious, but Wang always seems at his most enjoyable when he is playful.