The Leftovers: Paris Fashion Week SS10

We've come to the end.

Unlike Milan, where the trends already seen in New York and London felt stale and worn, many of the collections shown in Paris found new ways to interpret those ideas for next Spring and Summer.

The Neutrals

At Bruno Pieters:

At Akris:

The Prints

At Stella McCartney:

At Giambattista Valli:

At Giles:

The Sheer

At Sophia Kokosalaki:

At Chanel:

But even in These Times™, there were some who still took the time to innovate. It's an element that has been noticeably lacking this season. Some did offer looks that were slightly more commercial than those they've sent down the runway in the past. But for the most part, they strove to provide a solution to the industry's never ending search for something new.

The Innovators

At Gareth Pugh:

At Rick Owens:

At Yohji Yamamoto:

At Viktor & Rolf:

Alexander McQueen, however, truly took this task to heart. Like Burberry, he streamed his show live on the internet. I sat and watched, not knowing exactly what I was seeing at first. Confused by these creatures that would have fit in either under the sea or in outer space.

On closer inspection, I knew exactly what this was.


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Favorite of the Day: RM by Roland Mouret

Paris has been the city of favorites with tumultuous recent histories. There was the shuttering and reopening of Rochas. The new direction at Nina Ricci. The pair of designers making their mark at Valentino following some initial uncertainty following the departure of the legend.

Roland Mouret's first line simply carried his name. Four years ago I spent far too much time calculating how long I could last on shallow breathing so that wearing one of his dresses would be a possibility.

Fall 2005:

Spring 2006:

The Galaxy dress, pictured in blue and black above, was one of the most coveted pieces of this decade. So it was with an immense amount of shock that the fashion world met the news of his departure from the company that bore his name. Not even owning part of the company, he had to leave behind that item which defines most of us from birth.

But that also meant a fresh start on his terms.

This season there was a touch of air that I have never seen in his clothes.

I'm sure I would be able to inhale and exhale deeply this time around.


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Favorite of the Day: Valentino

When clothes meander into the soft and girly and sweet, I prefer the hemlines on the high side like they were at Valentino.

Longer gowns are often the stuff of daydreams.

Shorter ones can fit firmly into my reality.


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Favorite of the Day: Celine

I expected there to be a day with no favorite for Paris, and yesterday was that day. The absence of a favorite had more to do with my general clothing fatigue. After clicking through hundreds of pictures, I decided that I should spend my time outside enjoying the last breaths of good weather before the hammer of winter falls. I put on my green swing coat and spent most of the afternoon with a friend.

But today I can see the end in sight. And that sight has reinvigorated me.

I, like many people who pay attention to such things, anxiously waited for news about Phoebe Philo's return to the fashion world after she stepped down from her position at Chloé. So it was with far too much excitement that I greeted the announcement that she had been chosen to helm Celine.

After three and a half weeks of outfits that were sometimes loud, sometimes sheer, and often devoid of pants, this was what I really needed. There were no awkward adult diapers here. No overt references to past decades.

Just the kind of simple luxury that I so often crave.


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Favorite of the Day: Haider Ackermann

Avoiding dowdiness can be hard with a long skirt. It takes a skilled hand to make it flattering and sensual. Haider Ackermann has those hands.

His clothes are body conscious in a way that appeals to me. You become a long, lean line instead of a heavily strapped doll afraid that one false move will lead to a moment of indiscretion.

These are dresses for women, not girls.


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Favorite of the Day: Lanvin

At Lanvin, the dresses were either more structural or more draped.

All were more beautiful than anything I've seen thus far.


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Favorite of the Day: Nina Ricci

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that I am generally not a fan of romance. Any hint of it has been missing from most of the collections that I've found myself loving. Nina Ricci broke that pattern.

And I can't resist a good pair of gloves.

Apparently I have a thing for brands that have left Olivier Theyskens unemployed.


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