Life has become less formal. And dress designer Pat Crowley expressed this view with her autumn collection. Here was stark and simple dressing: a raj jacket was a recurring shape and trousers gobbled up skirts.
She says these clothes are dead easy to wear. With their almost "weekend" feel, they are a departure from her once more mannered style. Take a tweed jacket, in a green-and-black fleck, put it with toning trousers and a black wool polo and the sound of trotting hooves can be heard. Match it with a satin tee-shirt and the mood changes.
For her, country life is in multi-coloured tweeds, ribbed sweaters and soft trousers. But she must appeal to all and there is a group in black wool, designed into raj jackets or frock coats, that skim the body. Good city stuff, they team up with long, bias cut skirts, shorter ones, or trousers.
Occasionally there is a flash of red in a check flecked with gold which looks dressy while still being very stark.
Her popular "house" dress continues this season with minimal changes. Designed in wool crepe with deep pin tucking around the waist it was shown in red, navy and black but can be ordered in any colour.
While shapes do not change throughout the collection, fabrics get richer. The strong lines of a gold-and-black silk raj jacket worn with black satin trousers maintain the designer's aim to keep it easy and simple whatever the occasion. A long, lean dark blue silk velvet tunic and skirt is less dramatic but still eye-catching.
She introduced a chenille and chiffon fabric for a flowing skirt putting it with a toning burgundy tunic, because tunics are popular.
Pat Crowley finds it extraordinary that lengths are coming down, and she is at her best in long bias cut skirts. She was wearing one with a tight sweater and velvet belt tied in a bow, and all in black. No jewellery at all or any other accessory. Party dressing is not forgotten but now it could be a short grey lace number, a brown velvet tunic and long chiffon skirt.
Understated and low key, these plain, clothes reflect the mood of the season. Dead easy, absolutely nothing flash.