With its glass dome covered, the salon at the New York Public Library in Bryant Park was bathed in soft purple light for the debut of the new Victorinox 1909 line on Wednesday. Providing a welcome relief from the manic tents next door, the old-fashioned venue was the perfect location for a Fall 2009 collection that looked to the storied heritage of parent brand Victorinox—makers of the iconic Swiss Army knife as well as watches, luggage, and apparel—in celebration of the company’s 125th anniversary this year. In crafting the identity of this high-end collection, new creative director Pierre Henri Mattout also turned to another fabled element of Swiss history: “I was really looking at the Amish guys on rumspringa,” he explained backstage. “When they turn 16, the teenagers are allowed to leave the community to think about whether they want to continue their lives at home. I thought of the duality of those two worlds—the community with their own rules and our civilization where we can do whatever we want—and this collection is really about that contrast.”

This contradiction manifested itself in vintage-looking patterned shirts layered under sleek and technical insulated vests and sharp shearling coats paired with backpacks that looked like sleeping bags. The collection had a soothing palette of light purples and pale blues, a refreshing change from the black that seemed to be everywhere during this fashion week. The clothes combined the label’s famed technical expertise and heritage of sleek tailoring, Mattout explained. It was a promising debut for a designer who can count, if the front row was anything to go by, Sarah Lerfel of Colette and a relaxed-looking Marc Jacobs among his fans.

KEYWORDS: fashion, New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 09/10, Pierre Henri Mattout, Victorinox 1909