"Prêt" (May 1986) said Davis was beginning to shake up the New York fashion scene with his elegant, dramatic cuts and sophisticated sense of style, that his designs were Inspired by the looks of Dior, Balenciaga and Chanel; and that he took a modern approach to the values and attitudes of Haute Couture and reinvented them for a new, younger generation. "Prêt" additionally observed that Davis chose to work with very basic shapes and inject something hidden or unexpected into them which he described as “classic with a twist”; that he focused primarily on playing up and enhancing the feminine form; and that to further emphasize his attention to shape, he - with a keen focus on the waist and hips for both day and evening wear - tended to stay away from loud prints and patterns and designs.