The first Tokyo collections of the 21st century were a surprisingly understated event -- no real controversies, no massive surprises. Perhaps that in itself is surprising since you would expect more from a no-holds-barred trend setter like Japan's capital city.

As early as last year, fashion critics polled designers only to find that the heralding of a new millennium would not result in a move toward futurism in design; the classic would still be modest and chic, and the trailblazing would be confined to reinterpreting the past with imaginative contortion.

So what does that mean? Have we seen it all? Are we doomed to warming up and rehashing?