The squared-off aggressive shoulders at Bruno Pieters could have gone very wrong, but under the trademark clean tailoring of the Belgian designer, the added structure offered a fresh outlook on power dressing. In some ways the exaggerated shoulder is a bit of rehashed water — Martin Margiela and Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga have already covered this ground in recent seasons — but Pieters’ pieces fitted closer to the body with a practical wearability that acted as a comment for less ebullient times. Indeed, the black, white and taupe palette offered looks that could have easily walked from the runway to the boardroom. Necklines ran high, in step with the more covered-up looks this season, in body skimming sheaths and a stunning black one-piece pantsuit paired with a white turtleneck, but was overly somber in mock neck dresses that fell to the calf.  As with his Fall 2008 collection, Pieters continued in the vein of androgyny, folding blazer lapels inwards to create notch detailing that he used throughout and an elongated tuxedo vest made looser in silk that had a breezy sense of movement. Since his appointment as art director of HUGO at Hugo Boss, Pieters has also learned to restrain his use of unnecessary accessories and the unadorned models he sent down the runway were a better canvas for his impeccable tailoring. By Bee Shyuan Chang

Bruno Pieters