Magda Butrym opened her store on Mercer Street in SoHo this week, and I think that explains the energy in the room. The United States is her largest market and her fastest growing, even with tariffs landing on her merchandise last year. For a bootstrapped brand, a New York shop is a huge step, and she said the city has made her think harder about wearability.

The collection borrowed from Natalia LL, a pioneering Polish artist who arrived in New York from the other side of the Iron Curtain. "She was fighting for women in art and came here and nothing was easy, and I feel the same sometimes," said Butrym.

What surprised me was the lightness, because Butrym is the designer I associate with leather jackets and cinched waists. Those structured pieces are still here, so let's start with the jackets.

A big part of the show was an apron reworked from a tender image of her grandmother cooking at home. Butrym stacked sheer silk layers on top of each other in different combinations, and I find that far more moving than a literal apron would have been.

My favorite look was a nude midi worn under a translucent trench with roses stuffed in the pockets. It managed to feel airy and self-possessed at once, and a mini version would make sense downtown.

For tops, I keep thinking about the draped lace corset and the floral-appliqué silk top. Feather or fringe trim showed up in about one in five looks, and it is the playful part of all this softness.

The tights are what I would watch. Opaque tights appeared in about two in five looks, which is a big share, and some were made with crochet-edged underwear. It is a cheeky idea that still looks wearable.

The last look was styled with a 1960s hairdo, polite tights and pearls, and it felt a little haunted. I loved that. Nara Smith sat in the front row, which made the tradition-versus-modernity conversation feel pointed.

With all that happening on the legs, the shoes in this edit should be simple and polished. I would pick leather mules or embellished pumps, and let the tights be the loud part. Sleeveless button-front dresses over slips also echoed the house dresses she showed for resort.

Butrym is working out how to bring her high-octane instinct into everyday life, and I respect that she says so. The bags were part of that conversation, with about half the looks carrying one, so the clothes felt like they had somewhere to be.

The feathers on a structured blazer and the cocktail dress with them at the bust gave her fans what they came for. Only a handful of looks were all white, which makes those looks stand out more.

I would wear the blazer with the feathers at the neck over something sheer and soft, with pearls. That mix of rigid and breezy is the point, and I think the New York store will teach her more every season.