Last Thursday, we found ourselves surrounded by SF fashion notables (Joy Bianchi, Willie Brown, et al.) and art students, all impatiently waiting for the Academy of Art Graduate Fashion Show to begin. What came next was a whirlwind of ruffles, strong silhouettes, bold graphic prints, oversized knitwear, and dramatic draping that left our hearts aflutter. Although all of these talented young designers produced impressive collections, we leave you with the five that stood apart from the rest (in our humble opinion, of course):

1. Vanessa Salazar: Salazar's glamorously edgy look stemmed from the serpentine nature of the double-helix DNA structure, and left us hopelessly in love with the high-drama ensemble shown above.

2. Aimie Ji Hae Yoon: Sourcing modern art as her inspiration, Yoon's collection won us over with its angular silhouettes and intricate stitching all in the perfect shade of grey.

3. Nancy S. DeLos Reyes: Reyes' luxurious collection, which was inspired by the golden spiral theory and shells, made loads of ruffles in decadent fabrics look surprisingly young and fresh.

4. Jessica Bergstrom: Bergstrom's bold architectural pieces managed to strike the perfect avant-garde yet wearable balance, and now we can't stop daydreaming about that chartreuse cocoon coat.

5. The Britex Fabrics Project: This collection, created by a group of third semester MFA Fashion Design students, actually previewed at Mercedes-Benz NY Fashion Week this past February. We're especially fond of the expertly draped houndstooth harem pants.

Editors' Note: Check out our coverage of the Fashion and Jewelry Design Collaboration collection, which we think deserves a post of its own. Prepare to swoon.