YSL

With the largest Yves Saint Laurent retrospective ever just around the corner, Stefano Pilati did the house right by making a collection of black tailored pant suits interrupted by splashes of satin dresses in wild colours. Had it not been so strong, the collection might well have been overpowered by James Murphy's (of LCD Soundsystem) possessed, magical drumming during his live performance from the front of the runway.

Posted by Caroline Gaimari | 09 March 2010 2:07 pm

Giambattista Valli

Giambattista Valli's '60s-inspired collection was presented in the old home of the BNP Paribas, which has become an ideal location for fashion shows with it's high ceiling and dilapidated but beautiful wood-carved murals. The shapes are always strong and structured (which is probably why Moncler chose Valli to design their Gamme Rouge collection) but this time there was an obvious Yé-Yé touch with powdered pinks, lots of black shift dresses, tamed bee-hives and Bardot eyes.

Posted by Caroline Gaimari | 09 March 2010 1:40 pm

Ice Cold

I am not even going to try and guess how Karl Lagerfeld knew that this fashion week would be so cold (maybe he willed it?) and that an arctic theme was in order. Gathering around the glaciers in the Grand Palais that Mr. Lagerfeld had constructed for his Chanel show, the packed house chattered their teeth while watching massive floor-length furs and shaggy fur-covered knee high boots tromp through puddles of melting ice. More go-to pieces for the perfect holidays in Gstaad, Saint Moritz or a quick weekend in Saint Petersburg included: fur pants, a fur-trimmed tweed skirt suit, an ice cube hand bag and sharp icicle finger cuffs and necklaces.

UPDATE: All the fur was fake!

Posted by Caroline Gaimari | 09 March 2010 11:10 am

Maison Martin Margiela - Marketable Once Again?

This is the second season since Martin Margiela officially gave up the reigns as designer of his maison. Last season's collection was a rocky start for the design team meant to follow in his footsteps. The fate of the brand seemed to lie in limbo, but this season the vision seems more clear, refined, and—most importantly for this Diesel holding—marketable. The brand did a 180 from last season, where they seemed to be creating a collection to prove they were as avant garde as the man who may as well have invented the term. The greatest attention to detail was given to the bottoms: pants had structured cone-like waists, and some were sarouel-style and tucked into structured leather boots. Volume was used in coats with oversized sleeves and ample knit scarves. It did get a little weird at the end with the crazy, oversized fur headdresses. But weird is okay.

Posted by Caroline Gaimari | 09 March 2010 11:10 am

Lavin Does Everything Right

Aside from any fashion preferences, when talking just about the pleasure of going to a fashion show, I think that Lanvin is quite possibly my favourite out of all the international fashion weeks. You arrive, there are plenty of seats and a perfect view from each one, you are greeted by fun cocktail party music—this time around American sock-hop jams—and of course you enjoy champagne and chocolate lollipops while watching Jared Leto look longingly at hot, French actress Cecile Cassel. But I digress. The clothes maintained the powerful shoulders and trimmed waists that make Lanvin pieces timeless classics, with touches of oversized wooden plastron necklaces and long luxurious feathers in nuances of black, grey and burgundy. It was a far cry from the loud colours Lanvin had been showing for the past few seasons.

Posted by Caroline Gaimari | 09 March 2010 10:56 am

The French Look: Isabel Marant

Isabel Marant has fast become the go-to brand for internationals looking to cop the French look, along with A.P.C. and Vanessa Bruno with a little splash of Sonia Rykiel and Chloé. This season the look is modern rockabilly with suction-slick clam-diggers, dangling bling, and tailored boyfriend tops with the sleeves rolled up just so (one of the finest French arts is the maitrise of the cuff).

Posted by Caroline Gaimari | 07 March 2010 6:30pm

Dior

Through his own fantastic vision of fashion, John Galliano manages to put the show in "fashion show" (and more importantly the brow in "high brow") at Dior season after season. This equestrian-themed collection mixed classic cropped riding pants with intricately beaded flowing sheer dresses.

Posted by Caroline Gaimari | 07 March 2010 5:30pm

Giles Deacon Takes Us Higher

This season is all about high heels, high hair and lots of diva attitude for Giles Deacon, who brought supers Carolina Kurkova, Susan Eldrige, Angela Lindvall, and Carmen Kass down a cloud-covered runway.

Posted by Caroline Gaimari | 4 March 2010 11:01am

Dries Van Noten Leaves an Impressionisme

Hotel de Ville Ballroom

For what many can consider the first major show of Paris fashion week, this season Dries Van Noten chose a breathtaking location in the heart of Paris: the opulent ballroom of Paris' Hotel de Ville. The setting was perfect to watch oversized New Look skirts and trim-cut '50s-style dresses on the runway, but it was the designer's vibrant watercolour prints at the show's end that left a lasting impressionisme.

Posted by Caroline Gaimari | 4 March 2010 10:00am