What do women want to wear in summer? Joseph Altuzarra attempted to answer that question on Saturday with a spring/summer 2014 collection declaring effortlessness and ease.

Three-quarter-length skirts with thigh-high slits in soft cotton, and striped silk men's shirts unbuttoned down to the waist created a willowy silhouette that told women one thing: relax for spring.

This idea of ease, also shown in his soft layering, patchworked blouses and Japanese Boro fringing, was a study in subtle sex appeal that had front-row guests like Lake Bell, Rachel Zoe and the Man Repeller's Leandra Medline fervently noting down their pre-orders.

'I wanted something that women would want to wear in summer,' explained the 30-year-old designer of his New York Fashion Week show. 'Something that felt easy.'

And with an emphasis on 'woman,' as opposed to girl ('She’s someone who’s quite sensual and is very in touch with her femininity, her sexuality,' he said), Altuzarra embraced thoughtfully considered separates, pulling them together with confidence.

Even one pieces - like several trompe l'oeil dresses - appeared as layered sweaters worn over narrow silk skirts.

With tailoring, cut, and fit under control - and five years of showing at New York Fashion Week under his belt - the 30-year-old designer was free to explore such quirky techniques with panache.

Inspired in part by traditional Japanese Boro clothing farmers and fisherman, loose strings dangled from many of the skirts; a disheveled detail which translated into studied imperfection - something also seen in his skirts, occasionally turned and rolled at the waist, revealing the fabric's reverse; and like the shirt sleeves designed and stitched to appear as though the wearer had just ruched them up.

Altuzarra also brought a mature sensuality to his red and blue silk stripes, cropped cotton jackets and loose blouses, often tying them together with black.

This could have translated as unnecessarily heavy next to the collection's otherwise soft, and restrained sophistication, but instead, black actually added the perfect amount of punch - much to the delight of working women everywhere.

Indeed, fashion blogger Susie Bubble tweeted after the show: '@altuzarrastudio was impressive....can I call myself a female CEO and don his type of executive wear.'

For evening, liquid metal was paired with skinny fine-rib knits and crisp white pants; or draped onto Thirties style dresses.

The swaths of platinum and gold fabric, made from metallic threads, sat as effortlessly at the cotton pieces shown earlier - a feat of 'humble' imagination, the designer said.

Altuzarra, who also made headlines last Thursday when it was announced that the designer had joined Kering (the luxury company behind Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney), was certainly one of the most anticipated shows during New York's Fashion Week schedule; and will undoubtedly waft into many eagerly awaiting wardrobes this spring.

The collection's poncho was an unexpected unanimous hit among fashion editors, who took to Twitter and Instagram to announce it as their 'next must have item'.

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