NEW YORK, Feb 19, 2003/ FW/ --- When Y&Kei's husband and wife design team Han-hee Yoon and Jin-young Kang won FGI's Rising Star Award last month, they did not learn about it until the next morning because they were in Korea that time.

Considered the biggest upset of the evening having bested more popular nominees Zac Posen and Peter Som, the Fall 2003 collection shown by Y&Kei last Wednesday at Bryant Park proved why they are the winners.

A little bit of punk, a little bit of avant-garde and a generous dash of femininity, the "Water&Earth" collection does not follow any of the trends but more about the designer and uniqueness.

Watching it reminds you of Mel Gibson's Mad Max series. It was easy to imagine Tina Turner in the silvery green uneven hemlined skirt with thigh-high slit at the front, matched with tight fitting blouse with ruched bell sleeves embellished with fur.

It was futuristic without looking sci-fi. It was meant for the downtown crowd of today, not the future.

In short, this collection just elevated Y&Kei's cool status to 'uber-cool.'

The most memorable piece was worn by Omyhra. Constructed from beige satin, the pants was loose, yet you can still see the model's svelve figure. The top was made of chiffon and silver lame, sewn like a vest and embellished with striped gold patent leather with buckles. Talk about being wickedly sexy!

The shoes, gold high heels which were barely showing because the pants was wrapped with raw hide reminiscent of the Nepalese sherpa.

The designers used different kinds of fabric - from silk and chiffon to leather and denim.

Known for their fabric experimentation and masterful tailoring techniques, the light fabrics were given dimension through ruching and the heavier fabrics looked lightweight hanging loosely through draping techniques.

My personal favorite is the ecru long coat made of raw leather.

Worn with beige denim pants and chiffon blouse with a gold applique, the model looked like a Mad Max princess. Mel Gibson would have been proud.

New element this season - bags! Believe me, they are worth a look the moment they hit retail stores this fall.