AN Oscar de la Renta fashion show, perhaps more than any other, is one where show-goers are transported into a parallel universe. It’s quiet, away from the smog and heat and hustle and bustle. There’s no pushing and shoving – this is a world of refined elegance and decorum and it’s a real treat to visit. Sometimes, that can all add up to something terribly grown up but this season, the 82-year old designer presented a collection that was fresh, youthful and utterly gorgeous.

Yes, those fabrics were opulent; his jumbo broderie anglaise looked like the finest in the world, but silhouettes were whipped up into something pretty and young. There were even midriffs bared between buoyant skirts and cropped A-line tops, while his florals were all sweetness and light. Gingham is a trend to note – it’s now popped up on numerous occasions throughout the week – here, it arrived in baby pink and blue.

Stuffed toy elephants were perched on everyone’s seat, they were gifts from the Clinton Foundation to raise awareness of poachers. They were cute, and further proof – as if it were needed – that Oscar de la Renta knows the way to a woman’s heart.