Coming soon to a Nordstrom near you, the pre-fall Victor Alfaro collection. Full of convertible jackets that turn inside out or zip effortlessly from their sleeves as well as menswear tailored trousers with of-the-moment, relaxed lines and pinstriped jackets in really cool cropped-sleeve cuts, it might just be the season-to-season transitional line you've been waiting for.

Key to the New York-based designer's internal process is one central question: "Where is she going in this?" Victor began his career in the mid-80s and made a strong name for himself as a designer of eveningwear and gowns (this is actually his second round at Nordstrom), but some years back he hit pause on that business and five seasons ago he started over with a fresh approach for daytime. He understands that "because of the revolution," (he means your lady boss, feminist revolution) women don't want to be "uniformed" anymore. They want strong, chic clothes that work as hard as they do. So that's exactly what he makes.

I hate to sound glib, but when I saw the beautiful materials of the finely constructed piece below, the thought that popped into my head really was, "Well, that puts the 'suit' in jumpsuit.'"

While his collections are full of pieces that work well on their own as they are, there's also something he calls The System at play. It's about the reversible, changeable pieces, but it's also about cutting arm holes and lengths in very particular and meticulous ways so that layering actually works-so that it feels really good and looks totally expert.

With that in mind, you know Victor's all about the longline sleeveless vest. This one is an excellent example of the two-for-one thing. Check it out:

Hardware is a specialty too; Victor's mimics men's furnishings-as in this cufflink-esque closure on a smart wool jacket.

Would you believe his jewelry and accessories are convertible too? Necklaces and chokers are easily made to be worn at different lengths-or as bracelets.

Here's Victor explaining his design approach:

http://blogs.nordstrom.com/fashion/files/2016/03/The-System-2.m4a

After Paris Fashion Week, Victor's Fall collection video will debut on Vogue.com's Video Fashion Week series. Watch for it-and other cool things-to come.

SHOP: current season Designer Collections

-Laura Cassidy