If you were to mix Robert Delaunay with an ‘80s discotheque, you would get the Laura Smalls F/W 2013 show.

The Robert Delaunay half was modern and inventive: an olive-white-black body-con sheath dress with shoulder epaulets, a jacquard top and skirt set covered in monochrome hexagons, and various asymmetrical, cold-shoulder body-con LBDs struck just the right note.

It was the second half of the looks that sent the show in a very different direction. Mock-crock leggings and draped metallic tops looked more Forever 21 club wear than Orphic-inspired high fashion. Yes, there was the rare winner: a liquid silver origami strapless evening dress, a classic wine circle skirt frock that cinched at the waist just right, and a super slick, super dark teal motto jacket.

But otherwise the pieces where the Delaunay inspiration wasn’t completely obvious fell, well, rather flat. The average draping and muted silks blended into the Marriott background of red hotel carpet and tired curtains. If Smalls had simply stuck to her Cubist separates and geometric sheaths, the show would have had that much more impact, especially in a more minimalist, less hotel-esque setting.

 Andrea Cihlarova is the contributing writer. Email her at [email protected].