March 16, 2002/ FWD/ --- Last season the husband-and-wife team of Clements Ribeiro hit a homerun with their sultry and sweet ensembles.

This season, however, their Cacharel girl is much more subdued, even a bit too much so.

For the fall 2002 collection, the house collaborated with Celia Birtwell, who designed prints depicting her former husband Ossie Clark in the ‘70s.

The result was a much more restrained collection, in both color and pattern.

The palette was mostly of muted greens, blues, grays and pinks. In terms of pattern, there were a lot of leaves and some vaguely geometric shapes.

The Cacharel girl was tough at times, in a collared shirt and tight red windbreaker jacket, or in loose fitting jeans and v-neck sweaters.

The show’s best looks, though, were the more innocent ones, like the fluid ruffled cocktail dresses in cool colors, and the gorgeous black cardigan with meticulously crocheted sleeves, which reflected the pair’s roots and expertise in knitwear.

Although some of the skirts flowed nicely and a few blouses were reminiscent of last season’s triumphs, the collection was not as sexy or innocently suggestive as in the past.

The silver tweed skirt suits were more bookish than smart, the cuffed shorts weren’t flattering even on the models, and the velvet and denim pantsuits also fell flat.

At the presentation, the label also introduced its new fragrance line “Gloria,” which includes eau de toilette, body mist, body lotion, bath and body oil and scented candle. The scent, youthful, sweet and crisp, will be available in Europe April 15.