So officially, New York fashion week starts next Thursday, Feb. 11. But for those in the know, the ramp up to the Tents began this week with H&M's party for Sonia Rykiel's capsule collection at Bobo. The party had all the trappings and buzz of a runway season event: off-duty runway models (check), CW actors (Leighton Meester, Kelly Rutherford, check), hours of open bar (check) and a DJ who has graced Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Victoria's Secret (Chanel Iman, check).

Nathalie Rykiel, CEO of Sonia Rykiel and the designer's daughter, commanded a candlelit booth on the second floor. The second Rykiel collection, a knitwear line in bright springtime hues, was intended to inject some optimism into the bleak retail landscape. "It's been a tough year, 2009," she said. "Rykiel's spirit, the stripes, the knits, the rhinestones are joyful. I think people need the color."

The knitwear line is the second Sonia Rykiel collaboration for the Swedish retailer. The first was a lingerie collection that debuted during the holidays. Last season, designers presented look after look that suggested that for spring, the most chic girls would be walking around without pants. Does Ms. Rykiel agree that panties could be the new miniskirt? "I think it's a question of how you put it together," she said. "Women are more educated than ever about fashion. They're very clever."

"Everything is possible," she said. "You can always wear lingerie [as outerwear]. You mix it with jeans, put a fur on it, a lovely sweater. It will never disappear from the wardrobe as something [that can be worn] to go out."

So it's only a matter of time before some girl walks around in her leotard? we asked. "Well, it has to look good, you know," she said.