Nobody wants the word fussy attached to their clothes, and it is hard to avoid in evening wear. Monique Lhuillier took that on directly this season. She wanted to simplify her cocktail dresses and gowns and wondered whether her fanciful creations could be a little less froo-froo.

She summed up the mood as "modern, dark romance." I love that, because it still sounds like her but with the volume turned down.

The drama was not gone, which I appreciate. But look closer and you see the stripping back, especially in the draping. About a third of the looks were one-shoulder or off-the-shoulder, and gowns are where that shows.

The best idea here was draping. Lhuillier said she found joy in it and wanted silhouettes that felt Grecian. She opened with a cobalt-blue jersey gown draped off the shoulder, with a high leg slit, which is a formal look in the comfort of a T-shirt fabric.

Her floral dresses are the other half of her story, and to my eye they were the softer answer to all that draping. Many gowns came with removable capes or jackets, so you can commit to the full drama or not. It was nice to have the option.

About a quarter of the looks had a leg slit, and about a quarter were strapless, which makes the flowing silhouettes feel modern and a little bold.

Lhuillier also found balance when she kept things simple and striking. Her silver-champagne slip dress, with beads that follow the natural lines of the body, worked beautifully. A tulle T-shirt gown covered in a grid of beads almost resembled tweed.

She said it felt like an essential in a woman's closet, and I would take that seriously, because a bedazzled floor-length tee is a very good idea. I would reach for lace in the same spirit: a dress with clean lines, where the texture does the work.

Not everything was pared back. A strapless pink mini dress with metallic-foiled raffia was a light answer to crystals, and only a handful of looks were minis or capes. The red mermaid gown with tulle was not for me, and that is okay.

What I keep coming back to is how honest the attempt was. Lhuillier did not abandon glamour. She let her over-the-top side out for a few looks, including a slinky gold sequin dress with an asymmetric knotted tie, and she kept the rest cleaner.

That balance is what I would wear. I would take the draped gown in a deep shade and skip the heavy shoulder straps, which look like a workout. I would add a cape for the entrance and remove it for the dance.

It is a collection that proves evening clothes can be dramatic without being fussy, and I think that is a lovely idea.