Buttons from the designer’s Resort collection are a recurring motif in the Prabal Gurung Pre-Fall 2018 collection—at the midriff of a blue and silver velvet fil coupe version of the pink best-seller, and tracing the thigh-high slit of a twist-front, black-and-white gown.

The designer, famed for his event dresses, has proven that he can go beyond that aesthetic in a couple of different ways. In one case, he layered a slouchy turtleneck over a bias-cut plaid slip dress trimmed in black lace. Ditch the sweater and you actually do have a cocktails-worthy frock. The other day looks shown were a pair of suits, one in black with gently puffed shoulders and tails and the other in a heathery shade of gray with deep slits to the elbows.

Those delicate touches distinguish Gurung’s suits from the many others that designers have lately trotted out now that tailoring is trending.