Fashion Week in New York

And so, while candles were lit and flowers laid outside McQueen's flagship store on West 14th Street, Betsey Johnson's runway production for autumn/winter 2010 featured a more colourful tribute – when one of her models walked down the runway, made up with oversized waxy red lips, carrying a bunch of blood-red roses and waving a sign declaring, "Long Live McQueen."

Johnson worked the Wild West theme, while Kelly Osbourne's presence on the runway in saloon-girl frock and moustache proved quite a talking point.

Elsewhere, at Alexander Wang, DKNY and Diana von Furstenberg, the cross-dressing continued with pinstripes, preppy tweeds and tartans, and men's jackets teamed with girly dresses and soft knitwear.

However, things were unashamedly feminine over at Peter Som, who featured richly coloured jacquards, fox-fur trimmings, printed silks and feathered skirts. It was a gloriously extravagant collection, hinting at (or perhaps wishing for) more prosperous times to come.

Dubbed "the one to watch", Prabal Gurung has celebrity fans ranging from Demi Moore to Oprah Winfrey. He made his debut in New York, with Anna Wintour and her daughter Bee Shaffer sitting side by side in the front row. No pressure there, then. Playing with colour-blocking, his show featured a white-on-the-front, black-on-the-back cashmere coat and coloured panel inserts in sleeves to create an sharp, structured silhouette.

There were the celebrity designer shows too, though Marc Jacob bucked the trend by banning big names from his shows and using mostly unknown models. Victoria Beckham sent a procession of stick-thin models down the runway in her elegant 1940s-style frocks, which she says were inspired by the Dick Tracy cartoon strip. There was plenty of draping, cartoon-bright colours, trench-coat styling and, of course, the much-talked-about in-built corsetry that is said to enable her clothes to be worn by women of all shapes and sizes – from Elle Macpherson to Jennifer Hudson.

Then Gwen Stefani stepped up with the latest collection for her LAMB label. Appropriately, it bore a rock-star edge: tight leather jacket teamed with matching bloomer shorts; leopard-print coat with biker boots; and vibrant prints and checks giving a nod to the 1960s and 1970s.

Of all these looks, the ones most likely to have high-street wearability will be the ever-popular blazer or riding jacket. Skirt suits too, as seen at Jason Wu, are likely to make a comeback, but in masculine tailoring. So expect to see lots of pinstripes on the rails at Topshop.

As for colours, though the industry is still in mourning, along with sombre shades of camel, tan and grey, there are vibrant splashes of jewel shades, from turquoise skirts and fuchsia gloves at Lacoste to stop-the-traffic red at Georges Chakra and Gurung.

Fur, too, may be making a comeback, with appearances on the runways of Som, Gurung and Adam by Adam Lippes, while Alexander Wang featured a leather trenchcoat with a mink trim running down the back.

For the record, however, Kelly Osbourne's Pomeranian was the real thing – her pet dog Sid.

This article was originally published in Scotland on Sunday on 21 February 2010