DESIGNERS unveiled their autumn-winter 2013 collections at the recent New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week, revealing an eclectic melange of influences and styles. Looks included the classically elegant glamor of a Hitchcock heroine who fought it out with feather friends; the beguiling seaside town chic of a woman who finds love - and herself; French New Wave cool; not to mention plenty of animal spots and stripes and classic coats. Whichever, there was sure to be something to appeal to fashionistas around the globe later this year.

Temperley

Alfred Hitchcock seems to be in fashion these days: There's the movie starring Anthony Hopkins, a BBC drama about the filmmaker, and now designer Alice Temperley has based her latest womenswear collection on the style of "The Birds" actress Tippi Hedren.

Temperley, who acknowledged at London Fashion Week that she is obsessed with the glamour of old movies, showed high-waisted full skirts paired with cashmere jumpers, swing coats, sheer blouses, illusion necklines and bejeweled evening gowns. "It's a bygone era, but we all secretly want to look like that," Temperley said.

It was all very classically elegant, and it's easy to visualize being worn by the Duchess of Cambridge, who is often snapped in Temperley outfits.

Long leather gloves and slim silk scarves were clear references to the Hitchcock heroine, while jewel-printed jacquards kept things from looking outdated.

Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs does the "show" part of a fashion show as well as he does the "fashion."

He closed New York Fashion Week with an elaborate production centered around a giant harvest moon that gave off a light that made everyone in the Lexington Avenue Armory appear as if they were in a black-and-white movie.

Screen sirens in their shiny paillette-covered loungewear - fashion code word for PJs - and glamorous lamé and satin slip gowns dramatically circled the runway.

But that left the crowd of retailers, editors, stylists and celebrities, including Miley Cyrus, Sofia Coppola and Christina Ricci, likely wondering what the clothes really looked like.

Jacobs turned up the lights and did the model parade again to allow more focus on the details. Hints of menswear crept into the collection, especially on tiny trouser-style boy shorts. One model wore those topless, wearing long gloves and her arm positioned across her chest.

A great coat has been the big statement piece during this round of designer previews for fall, and Jacobs entered several contenders: fancy robe-style wraps covered in big sequins, classy 1940s cashmere coats and a mannish one in a metallic mini-check pattern.

Some models wore fur stoles - with little animal heads - that showed how Jacobs likes to push the needle past the norm.

Anna Sui

Anna Sui's dresses matched the tights, which matched the shoes, which matched the jewelry. The concept blossomed after Sui caught a French New Wave film - and then many more French New Wave films - from the early 1960s, an era the designer enjoys.

Sui noted that the time coincided with the revival of Chanel, and that a sort of chic ladylike dress - albeit a very young lady - was a theme.

She liked it even more that director Jean-Luc Godard used the same key players in many of his movies. "That's how I work. I like to be surrounded by people I like and admire," Sui said.

Top models always turn out for Sui: Karlie Kloss, Jessica Stam and Hilary Rhoda among them for this New York Fashion Week show.

There were a few black pieces, such as a fuzzy Mongolian faux fur and black suede pants with grommets, but this was a celebration of color - hot pink, aqua blue, red and sapphire green.

Tom Ford

Tom Ford put his stamp on London Fashion Week with a rare catwalk show in the elegant confines of Lancaster House in the posh St James district.

Of course he did it Ford style, in an elegant "royal home" typically used for international diplomatic conferences, not fashion shows.

Those with coveted invitations had to wait in the cold and show their passports or other IDs to satisfy royal security requirements. Vogue editor Anna Wintour and singer-actor Justin Timberlake sat next to each other in the front row, with chandeliers overhead.

Several themes emerged, with many of the ensembles featuring lacy black tops and brightly colored metallic suits.

Some models wore long, form-fitting black dresses set of by explosive sunbursts of sequined, metallic color.

Ford also made use of leopard-printed coats of varying lengths and - in a nod to the 1960s - soft black leather jackets with fringes in the back. Other outfits emphasized a basic color palette of black and white in interesting contrasts.

The outfits were not revealing but very feminine and flattering, with many jackets offering high neck collars and dramatic shapes.

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren didn't just have a muse for fall. He had a heroine.

His models at New York Fashion Week seemed as if they stepped out of the pages of a gripping Russian novel. The story? A woman who through strength finds herself and, in the final chapter, discovers love.

"I was inspired by the spirit of a romantic revolutionary - a timeless heroine, independent and bold, a woman who revels in her individuality and personal style," Lauren said.

Perhaps her story begins in a cold, seaside town, with a wardrobe that includes a cashmere cable-knit turtleneck with a flared leather miniskirt or balloon-leg pants tucked into her boots. And she has heavy black wool coats with strong shoulders and fitted waists. Did the officer's coat with the gold hardware, crest and embroidered stripes belong to her or her lover?

Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta did have company on the runway for his bow: models Karlie Kloss and Magdalena Frackowiak.

He also had famous fashion designers at his New York Fashion Week show, with friends Diane von Furstenberg and Valentino in the front row.

Nowhere to be seen, however, was John Galliano, fired from Christian Dior two years ago after an anti-Semitic rant was caught on video, and who is in a three-week stint working in de la Renta's studio.

There seemed distinct segments of the collection: the uptown lady who wears a belted shawl-collar jacket - black leather or aubergine stretch flannel - or a cashmere cardigan with dyed silver fox trim to go with her pencil skirt; the artsy jetsetter who wears her black-and-ivory, Toile-print quilted skirt suit with panache; and the young socialite who can rock a shocking-pink ballgown with gold embroidery.

Moving seamlessly between multiple muses is something de la Renta nailed long ago.

Burberry Prorsum

Burberry Prorsum has taken its classic trench coats on safari for a makeover. At its London Fashion Week show, that drew stars such as Kate Beckinsale and Michelle Dockery to its front row, the British brand updated its coats with calfskin and mink in bold leopard and giraffe prints, cinched in with gold belts.

The slick runway display was the latest example of how creative director Christopher Bailey has combined Burberry's venerable English roots with trendy designs. Those certainly are not for the conservative dresser. A camel trench coat has its sleeves, gun flaps and skirt made of a brown rubber, while another trench coat is made in shiny wine-colored PVC. A tight translucent rubber skirt revealed flirty heart-print knickers underneath.

Python-printed leather joined the big cat prints on skirts and jackets, and gold hardware was prominent in the collection.