The best of American designer Donna Karan's Spring/Summer 2014 collection showcased at New York Fashion Week on Monday were classic Karan ideas, from day-to-night stretch dresses coats, to a menswear-inspired tailored, colored in tobacco, terra-cotta and navy.

Opening the show was a series of indigo-colored viscose dresses, followed by beaded, wrap miniskirts with silk tunics barely tucked into the waistband. The eye-catching piece was the scarf skirt, which was light and had a lot of life.

"It was all about a search for a scarf. I think as signature to what Donna Karan is about is a bodysuit and a scarf and the tailoring," said Karan in a post-show interview.

She had spied a scarf she fell in love with and it took her on a journey to India — and she came back with a suitcase full of new ones.

"If somebody would say to me, 'What's the most important item to own?' It's a scarf ... because it covers up what you don't want to show, and it shows what you want to show, and it just flows with the body."