It’s officially Day Two of New York Fashion Week and the word “America” has been coming up a lot in designer-inspiration sound bites. Sylvie Millstein dug into the glamorous side of the American desert after a recent trip to Utah, seeking to layer sun-faded colors and the rugged romance of a road trip on her otherwise refined aesthetic. She thought about what Lauren Hutton would wear were she a Hellessy client. “She’s an all-American beauty but also a free spirit,” Millstein said. “She was also breaking the rules a bit on the red carpet, wearing pant suits and a lot of separates.” A separates approach to eveningwear is Millstein’s sweet spot. She has done well with statement tops and pants and successfully used the desert palette of pink, aqua and scarlet, as well as prairie prints to energize the collection with an undone glamour. Updates on novelty tops came in off-the shoulder versions with blouson volume on the sleeves in textured fabrics, or done in gentle seductive wraps. Oversize men’s shirts became relaxed cocktail options and pants were layered with open skirts meant to add drama to a long stride. Since there’s nothing more American than blue jeans, Millstein worked denim into the mix with a cool long ruffled skirt and ultrawide cuffed trousers.