Structure and foundation are two things any good designer should consider when crafting a collection. Hussein Chalayan took those ideas beyond basic pattern-making for his fall lineup, titled “Earthbound,” and inspired by garment construction and construction sites. In his high-concept hands, the clothes were designed to reflect buildings in progress using techy fabrics and prints. Some of it showed real innovation — the series of gray jackets and minidresses in simple, sexy silhouettes, for example. Up close, they looked poured out of semisolidified concrete, thanks to what was identified as “a special synthetically developed fabric.”

Prints were another strong suit, as Chalayan made gritty, industrial imagery — gravel, scaffolding and soil — intriguing and even pretty at times on silk chiffon dresses, most of them short and sexy. Even more body-conscious was the finale of gray wool dresses spliced with leather molded to the breast and backside and painted in neon red, blue, yellow and nude. It’s obvious that Chalayan likes to temper his inner geek with overt sexy chic, as the majority of the collection, aside from a black cocoon coat and a few simple blazers, was cut for the cool crowd. In doing so, he’s banking a lot of intellectual ideas on party clothes.