"Moroccan military" is the angle Rachel Roy is working for pre-fall. Not literally, of course—we don't suppose she's been up nights studying the North African armed forces—but this collection's uniform-inspired touches, rendered in moody, autumnal colors, put the designer smack in the middle of the trends. Roy has a penchant for statement dresses, and this season's diverse offerings include a trench style with epaulets, a strapless version with beaded bustier, and clingy draped metallic numbers. The palette of ginger and taupe was livened up with a pixelated tapestry print that lent a sharply tailored jacket, a fitted button-down, and a pencil skirt a sophisticated but modern effect that should go over well with Roy's uptown-downtown clientele.
