The offbeat, quirky and highly talented downtown quartet, Gabi, Adi, Ange, and Kai- known collectively as As Four, have become cult figures with quite a following, and have solidified their standing in the fashion landscape of New York with their creative, avant-garde, innovative spiral cuts, and highly artistic attitude. This season, they literally closed Fashion Week, showing at 9:30 p.m. directly following Jennifer Lopez’s Sweetface launch. Theirs is a singular vision and they stay true to that vision season after season- focused and consistent, though not exactly commercial, they do sell to Barney’s New York, and have reportedly signed a deal to produce a line of limited edition accessories for Andy Spade. (Many of their followers proudly carry their trademark spiral shoulder bags).

For fall, As Four continued with the spiraling, sculptural shapes that put them on the map, which were done mainly in a chic and sophisticated neutral color palette of camel, beige, taupe, brown, touched with blue, green, and winter white. Lame and leather added surface interest, and furs upped the luxury quotient. They used volume successfully in their outsized swirling toga- like tops, capes, and fur coats- such as the fox and mink coats with wide sleeves and curving hems, which were often paired with their signature leather ‘jodhpurs’ and worn with metallic heels or boots.

The group also has a wonderful way with streetwise, athletic and sporty shapes- some of which resemble zip front baseball jackets, or fur trimmed hooded parkas and anoraks (those are often paired with skinny pants for a leaner look). Like other designers this season, As Four is enchanted with bold chains, which showed (up as a tongue-in-cheek homage to Chanel?) in the multiple (5) blue alligator bags carried in cascading sizes, all boasting iconic gold chains handles, which accessorized an ombre blue silk over shirt with matching bow, worn with full camel full jodhpurs.

For evening, it was all about sensuous, graceful, and fluid gowns in charmeuse or pleated organza, many decorated with abstract, sculptural appendages resembling flower corsages (again, another major trend)- theirs were done in neutral colors to match the dress or in the contrasting vivid colors that seem to have come straight from nature.

Just a note: On Tuesday, February 22nd, it was announced that As Four is now As Three. Kai has left the design collective to pursue "other business interests".