On September 11, I attended the Binetti Spring Summer 2011 presentation at Lincoln Center during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City. For the Spring/Summer 2011 season, designer Diego Binetti drew his inspiration from Mother Earth. But this was no '60s hippie deity; rather, Binetti explored what you might call Empress Earth, a goddess, confident, elegant and passionate, dressed in a dazzling array of beaded, sequinned and embroidered gowns and dresses, brocade harem pants, lace, silk, chiffon and jewel-encrusted heels, draped in fine German silver jewelry and gemstones, ruling over her vast dominion with diva-like grace. Utilizing earthy color tones like beige, yellows, blues and greens, Diego managed to keep the collection from veering into OTT territory and instead presented a beautifully intriguing if at times unusual fashion fantasy.

See the complete collection after the jump.