Miuccia Prada’s obsession with eye-popping color spilled over from Prada to Miu Miu. Vibrant hues all but leapt off the runway, especially when color-blocked with black or white. And topping off this entire show was some music roots, as seen in the rockabilly-like leather jackets.
There were a ton of beautiful, pretty pleated dresses. Simple save for their color or the loud star, lightning or swan printed or appliqued across them like a superheroine’s badge of stylishness
The collection satisfied in two ways. One, it was graphic and bold for those girls who like a little extra oomph. Two, it was simultaneously stripped-back in all those clean, modern silhouettes that don’t need a lot of extra sprucing up. Just add a neon bright shoe, neutral clutch and go.
Missing was any kind of pants. This was a strictly skirt-and-dress show...
...but you didn’t really miss the mannish element thanks to the vibrancy and graphic interest of what was going on.
Hermès
How does Jean Paul Gaultier end his brief tenure at Hermès? With a galloping good giddy up, that’s how. He took the house classic—variations of the horse-loving woman—and gussied her up with some signature Gaultier elements. Namely, sex. It was subversive, to be sure, but it was there, starting with a tight black leather suited gal swinging a whip.
Strip away the gaucho hats and sawdust runway, though, and these clothes have real currency on a city sidewalk—tailored black dresses, jackets and pants both trim and slouchy.
His suits were pretty terrific. Several jackets like they had been deconstructed to the point of being a blouse, layered over a top and then tucked into or belted over flowing trousers. Sounds messy. Looks elegant.
There was tons of leather here, and this is where the subversive sex comes in. There were bustiers (worn over perfectly lady-like dresses), wide and skinny belts and a few harnesses. Or, subtly, models wore bridle-like chokers. Worn with a slouchy t-shirt and fluid pants, you might not even notice this cheeky detail.
In the end, this was a very tony, equestrian Hermès affair. But it was also classic Gaultier—ironic and totally luxe.
Louis Vuitton
When show notes quote Susan Sontag—"Camp taste is by its nature possible only in affluent societies, in societies or circles capable of experiencing the psychopathology of affluence"—you know you’re in for it. Especially if it’s Marc Jacobs’ Louis Vuitton inspiration. How that translated to the runway was via a colorful romp through chinoisery and animal prints (not just their stripes and spots, but actually recreating their adorable mugs on tops and dresses).
Jacobs picked up where he left off in New York, throwing tons of color at the runway—lacquer red mandarin jackets with eyelash fringes, slick purple pajama suits, hot pink orchid prints on dresses or sequined cummerbunds on Lurex knit dresses with a 70s silhouette. Even at his most subtle—a gaggle of lacy shorts, sheaths and blouses—he was flashy...they were sheer, sheer, sheer.
That 70s show rolled out in flouncy, YSL-ish peasant looks in bold color duos and offered something to the Vuitton shopper who might not go in for the new jazzy standard Jacobs set elsewhere.
That 70s show rolled out in flouncy, YSL-ish peasant looks in bold color duos and offered something to the Vuitton shopper who might not go in for the new jazzy standard Jacobs set elsewhere.
His final look was totally primal—a model, nude on top and painted with big cat stripes and a high-waisted pair of tux pants. The trousers were terrific, of course, and the idea was provocative. It his tongue-and-cheek way of saying that taste is in the eye of the beholder.
Alexander McQueen
It's tough to carry on the mantle of a man who was near idolized in the industry. Just ask anyone who's ever worked at YSL after YSL. It must be that much more difficult when that man was your mentor and friend. But Sarah Burton, Alexander McQueen's long-time top lieutenant, proved she was up to the task. And then some. Her spring collection, the first since McQueen's death in February, captures all the elements of signature McQueen—tailoring, construction, drama, narrative.
Amid beautifully cut suits, from soft cream to embellished black, Burton added in various prints and patterns: A wheat theme implemented on short, tightly ruffled dresses and military jackets (was this her message of growth?) and a pheasant feather motif worked into textured jackets, skirts and molded dresses.
There were moments of peasant-like prettiness—sweeping dresses with an earthy quality and cinched with wide belts detailed with metallic leaves.
Perhaps most poignant was a pair of sculpted mini dresses crafted from butterfly wings— black-and-white and Monarch. The wings created an arresting pattern from hem to neck, where they almost literally burst forth in a flutter around the models' necks.
Yes, there were looks that rang very referential, as if it was a greatest hit brought out for memory's sake. But Burton's own vision of drama and technical savvy shone through in her final parade of tightly pleated and ruffled gowns. Today, she did Lee proud.
Valentino
Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Picciolione’s feminine take on spring was Valentino to its core. Good thing, considering Mr. Valentino himself was sitting front and center. It started on a sweet note—a polkadotted belted dress with flounced shoulders—that would linger to the end.
The dots and ruffles on girlish shapes soon gave way to a more refined polish and a fluid silhouette that nodded to the 70s. There were still those ruffled, but now the ran tightly head-to-toe on neutral shifts and pretty blouses.
Such feminine details ran throughout the collection, even on relatively pared-back pieces, like day jackets that topped tailored shorts. There were minimal moments, at least by these standards, with tony cream looks.
Mid-way, the duo introduced a black floral lace motif they worked as fitted-then-flared dresses and one coat that would a statement for evening.
From there, evening unfurled like one of those ruffles, across diaphanous gauzy layers on short and long frocks, in a bright pink to nude to that polkadot.
Chanel
It's hard to properly explain the grandeur, scope and imagination—of both the clothes and the presentation itself—of Chanel. For spring, Karl Lagerfeld seemed to pull out whatever remaining stop he might have (really, how can there be any left after last fall's iceberg?). The collection was a staggering 85-plus exits, each one offering its own delight, and set against meandering white paths, low black hedge-like curlicues and three fountains. Oh, and full orchestra. It was inspired by the 60s film Last Year at Marienbad.
But about those clothes. There was so much to take in, and all of it good, starting with the way he tweaked house classics (black-and-white and tweed suits) into something cooler, hipper, more modern. Case in point: The iconic tweed look was revisited here as a trim layered jacket and hotpants or roughed-up with frayed edges. The balance was in the color palette—pastels and light neutrals.
There was also something, wait for it, goth about the collection. Subtle, yes, but definitely there in the black leather legwarmers, occasional motorcycle boot and moody makeup. There was certainly a note of dark edge in a series of fluttering dresses with an abstract blue, green and black print.
That broodier vibe played well into classic knits or wrap jackets belted over gauzy mid-calf skirts, all done in cool grays or black. These layers looked seasonless. Indeed, one stopped thinking, "spring," and started thinking, "wear now."
Lagerfeld's take on evening was at least 20 looks strong, at a casual count. They varied in lengths, embellishments, silhouette and transparency, but all made one singular point: Karl Lagerfeld has endless imagination and passion for offering women everything they could possible need or want. In the end, this was a collection about just that—desire—a woman's emotional connection with something beautifully designed.
Yves Saint Laurent
In a season dominated by 70s Yves Saint Laurent references, all eyes were on what the house of Saint Laurent would actually do. More to the point, how designer Stefano Pilati would reference it, if at all. No pressure, right? Well, he delivered and then some.
Pilati balanced the feminine flourishes Saint Laurent loved so much with his own more streamlined aesthetic. To wit, blouses with voluminous sleeves and the requisite bow were tucked neatly into A-line or slightly curved tailored skirts. Trenches came out devoid of any tricks other than a slightly oversized lapel and jackets were trim, tailored and precise.
There was even something restrained about Pilati's prints, a tiny subtle motif on first an orange and then teal sheer dress with a hint of ruffles at the hem. Even his ruffled peasant dresses in navy and accented with orange or pink were more sophisticated than girlishly festive.
Suits for day were lean and straight-lined with a contrasting trip and off-kilter patch pocket. The patch pocket showed up elsewhere on skirts and its contrasting outlined offered a nice architectural detail.
Evening was dark and sophisticated and even had a bit of fur seen as a skirt and a jacket. But it was his final trio of long, navy looks—two being house-iconic jumpsuits—that really proved to everyone why Pilati is the right man to carry on YSL's legacy. The 70s influence was there in the long, fluid lines but there was nothing referential, old-fashioned or cliche about them.
Chloé
The mark of a good designer is how much she can do with a little. Hannah MacGibbon was up to the challenge, taking her Chloe girl into a modern, minimal territory for spring. The palette? Neutrals with dashes a single look in deep red. The mood? Sophisticated, grown-up and chic.
The fuss-freeness of her silhouettes, whether cinched, flared dresses or body-skimming separates, called attention to MacGibbon's impeccable way with tailoring and draping. Her only embellishment was the way she constructed, for instance, swingy pleated white dresses or a collarless shirt dress.
She showed a pair of sleeveless leather tops, worn almost like armor, and balanced with either clingy pencil skirt or a flowing skirt that had a balletic quality to it.
A ballet reference, in fact, was as close as MacGibbon came to any kind of sartorial trick. And it was a pretty and subtle one.
For all the minimalism, clean lines and pared-back styling though, MacGibbon still designed very much with a woman in mind. She might not like a lot flou, but she certainly likes to look 100% femme.
Giambattista Valli
Giambattista Valli's runway was a mix of old (Italian architectural moldings) and relatively new (60s silhouettes), but it was served up with a dose of modern styling, starting with a punch of color that quickly segued into or mixed with cool neutrals.
Dress silhouettes went from belled and mini to ultra body con—and still mini. While he toyed with volume, Valli also played with texture and pattern. Sheer mixed with flocking here; leopard print topped bold color metallic embroidery there; ornate prints detailed sheer shifts and gowns throughout.
Valli is known for hyper femininity, which this collection had in spades. Case in point: a delicate white coat covered in embroidered. It was innocent to the point of being provocative.
There were also those signature plumes and flourishes of fabric that he loves so much. But what really stood out was a swathed goddess gown done in shades of khaki, drab and yellow.
But back to those signature flourishes. Valli ended with the mack daddy of all flourishes, a giant cocoon of tightly packed tulle topped with—what else?—a crisp white men's shirt.
Stella McCartney
There are a few Europeans tapping into the American spirit this spring. Add Stella McCartney to that list. Her collection was full of totally practical work wear (with a sprinkling of evening). Here, the news was suits, some with a subtle tux feeling.
Suits came on strong with subtle variations in jacket shape or paired with flowing shorts instead of ankle-grazing pants. McCartney peppered in denim, too, most effectively a denim blazer worn with a front-slit skirt. It had a 70s soccer mom appeal to it, but sexier and more modern. Perhaps it was also the terrific brown leather bag it was worn with.
Sexiness came in all the slits McCartney employed. Make sure those legs are buffed and toned, ladies. McCartney’s silky long skirts came via two slits up the front, which created a great sense of movement on the runway.
A pop of color, via lemon yellow, lightened up the utilitarian palette. She tweaked it into a lemon tree print, used on boxy tops and skirts or as a hint of zest peaking out from under her take on Le Smoking. It was a casual-cool statement for evening.
With the economy still so-so, one could argue that this will be a sure-fire retail win. Women can look at this collection and see lots to buy and all of it easily translated into their existing wardrobes.
John Galliano
John Galliano is fashion's greatest performer. For his spring signature collection, he pulled inspiration from Maria Lani, a cunning 1920s actress who talked the era's greatest artists, like Chagall, Matisse and Cocteau, into painting her portrait for a film she was shooting. It was a hoax; she sold her portraits for a mint and was never seen again. To that end, every exit for spring was a one-of-a-kind, connected more or less only by a theatricality but also wearability.
Accented by fallen Gibson Girl hair and makeup, the models paraded out in thoroughly modern fare. Like a sporty moss leather bomber, slouchier than usual and topping a wide-legged trousers covered in sheer black mesh.
There were plenty of trim jackets, some belted, and worn over pretty, frilly dresses that will surely appeal to some young starlet who loves color, print and something different.
His pajama pants were silky and printed and while they were teamed with anything from cropped belted jackets to pretty blouses, they'd look just as right with a plain t-shirt and a camo jacket.
For evening, he dropped hems to the gown and stuck to a vintage line—from the 1910s to the early 30s. Here, one can truly appreciate the artistry of Galliano: Sequined off-shoulder gowns, a sparkling negligee, a tiered tank dress that devolved into rows of feathers. There were any number of gorgeous dresses. But what was most remarkable about these was how they all had their own unique look.
Givenchy
Riccardo Tisci likes his Givenchy girls lean, a bit mean and plenty sexy. Spring was no departure from this proven M.O. for him. It was darker, to be sure, and had some interesting layers and effects.
First, everything had zippers—easy to spot as they zipped this way and that, often multiple times in one look and seemingly arbitrarily. Second, there was tons of cheetah print. This was subtle most of the time, showing up as a tone-on-tone jacquard.
Another theme was ruffles. Where these little frills are girlish elsewhere, chez Givenchy, they're served with a frisson of sex and possibly S&M. Gussying up sheer tops, they make a less obvious purchase, but defining the loose waist of a white vest (zipped, natch), they add a cool detail to a very wearable layer.
Everything was layered, too. Sheer pants topped miniskirts or vice versa; long unzipped sheer skirts flapped open over skinny pants or showed up layered like a long robe between a sheer blouse and a leather vest which was in turn worn over a mini skirt(zipped) and trousers. You get the point.
Tisci pulled the stops out on the cat print when it came to evening, using the bold motif for floaty dresses. And yet his finale was a blown up print worn over an opaque blouse and a fly-away sheer long skirt. Dramatic, yes and more buttoned-up than what preceded it on the runway.
Akris
Albert Kriemler's Akris has a loyal fan base, and it deserves more. His spring collection was an exercise in precision tailoring and a cool, modern aesthetic, starting with crisp white separates.
Albert Kriemler's Akris has a loyal fan base, and it deserves more. His spring collection was an exercise in precision tailoring and a cool, modern aesthetic, starting with crisp white separates.
He introduced color with a bang: An abstract printed dress and suit followed by an electric blue suit and blouse--a bold monochromatic look that's easily versatile in a working gal's wardrobe.
He softened the palette to light camel and pale blue, especially when working with liquid-like silk, cotton and leather dresses and loose fluid trousers.
As mentioned, there's plenty here for women who have a desk-to-dinner kind of schedule: Beautifully cut suits and feminine blouses that are meant to be mixed and matched, with Akris or another designer's wares—that's the reality of how women dress, after all.
For evening, Kriemler played with the same theme of tailoring mixed with pops of color. But here, the real news was all that wearable, buyable ready-to-wear.
Loewe
A year into the gig and Stuart Vevers seems to be bringing Loewe up to speed, albeit via an old Hollywood elegance. Spring had the feeling of a 1950s debutante on her European tour, her steamer packed with boxy tops, trim skirts and day dresses in cheerful hues.
He printed tunic dresses and short skirt with butterflies, moths and other flying insects. Vevers, formerly of Mulberry, showed everything with boxy colorful leather bags that looked like little bits of arm candy.
The black leather jacket, which has cropped up here and there on other runways, was scalloped, laser-cut and tasseled--and paired with a matching skirt.
For his finale, he fringed a pink-orange skirt flapper-style, worn with a floral applique top. Sweet and swingy.
Jean Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier is ever the provocateur. His invite, replete with 3D glasses intimated at his spring theme. Dimension, as it were, was perhaps what he was hinting at with his first exit modeled by none other than Beth Ditto. What followed was an ode to the 80s mixed with lingerie.
The 80s came via a Joan Jett-meets-Jem and the Holograms. The models' teased-out, punk mullets accented the clothes, including peak shouldered leather or denim suits with piping that lent a 3D visual effect to them.
His beloved nautical stripes showed up in a series of wearable tops, even if they were layered on the runway with lacy tights and an oversized, puffed-up dress. Gaultiers other great love—lingerie—surfaced in bustier and corset shapes (some mimicking his iconic cone bra), frilly knickers and sheer dresses that left nothing to the imagination.
It ended as it started, with Miss Ditto, replete in a tulle and rosette top that was as delicate as it was pretty, a departure from what came before.
Lanvin
Every season, women wait with devotion to see how Lanvin's Alber Elbaz will make them look and, more importantly, feel beautiful. It's become a biannual ritual, really. Lanvin's spring collection will not disappoint, but women should expect something a little bit different,as well. Elbaz seemed to take a more aggressive—albeit in his gentlemanly way—stance on dressing. There was more oomph. There was more, well, grrr.
Elbaz worked the color wheel—from cool to warm to neon—with elan and was just as comfortable with those perfectly cut and cinched dresse--including an utterly effortless slouchy shirtdress (every girl should have this.) But he also snuck in stiff, almost puffed-out jackets and a kind of severity that registered even on neon looks.
That's not to say there weren't those moments of droopy-lidded romanticism he's known for, like a series of sheer, draped dresses, from a suggestive nude to a mossy gray.
It culminated in his finale looks—short tank dresses, jackets and skirts encrusted with protruding sequins, slits and a general feeling of 'pile-on,' including the multitude of necklace on freja. Every embellishment looked like a link in her sartorial armor.
Elbaz's final note was five black models sauntering out in gathered and draped printed silk jumpsuits/onesies. We're not totally sure of the significance, but while they were similar, each look was a beauty unto itself
Christian Dior
If the bangs, red lips and spirit of coquetry didn't tip you off, John Galliano's spring muse at Dior was Bettie Page. That is, Bettie Page starring in South Pacific. Either way, he took his audience on a terrific voyage.
This was John Galliano at his best, when he channels that sizable imagination and theatricality into real clothes. Here, the customer wins. She gets all of the Galliano joie de vivre in something she can actually wear, like classic sailor pants and no end of beach-flavored printed halters, blouses and fly-away dresses.
These Balinese island babes had balance and a viable city look though, as seen in a punchy purple chiffon-y dress worn with a navy coat. Balanced, practical and beautiful.
For day and evening, Galliano kept colors bright and cheerfully printed with sand dollars and flowers and accented with leis or feathered necklaces that sometimes actually trimmed gowns.
Finale Gowns were a parade of classic Dior dames, the kind who love the way bright, light fabrics move around them as they walk...usually down a red carpet while millions of flashbulbs pop.
Nina Ricci
Nina Ricci has been in flux and designer Peter Copping wanted to bring it back to its root. To wit, he combed the archives for inspiration. What came of it was a hyper-femininity meant for a modern woman.
There was plenty of ready-to-wear: coats, sweaters, blouses and skirts, but all of it that tapped into the aforementioned feminine vein. There were frills, feathers, ruffles, bows and strips of lace on everything.
Copping played with delicate textures, mixing them most beautifully in a collarless coat with sequined sleeves, worn over a breathy cami and tap pants.
Color was injected into the mainly blush and black-and-white palette through a poppy cerise seen on quilted coats, a ruffled, unstructured suit and a few mini dresses for evening that were frilled and feathered to a faretheewell.
He ended on a vibrant yellow note, a short gown that was tucked and manipulated into something sculptural. It's a young girl's dress, but perhaps that's the point.
Balmain
You have to love that Christophe Decarnin is 100% devoted to his super sexy, kinda tough rock chick. She remains his muse for spring at Balmain, this time with a little bit of Americana thrown in.
This now signature Balmain look requires a penchant for tons of tight black leather, often softened with a knit or in this case, a tailored cream blazer, a look echoed later but with cropped liquid silver jeans.
The palette was heavy on the black and silver but peppered in red, white and blue and in a more overt nod to the USA, he featured a louche tank with a faded print of Old Glory. For any stylish maven who's refrained from wearing her patriotism on her sleeve, this look was so cool, it might just make the cut.
But perhaps Decarnin was making a political commentary. His finale look was a studded black jacket with what looked like charred red-and-white stripes pinned into the sleeve. Paired with paint-splattered white jeans, it was rebellious indeed and just what Balmain customers love.
Balenciaga
It was a given that Nicolas Ghesquière would do something different from the rest of the fashion pack...when does he not? For spring, he played into that tough, futuristic babe he loves so much and added in a rocker vibe. He started with a handful of armor-like leather coats with grommets, panels and a houndstooth-looking pattern.
From this notedly aggressive opener, he segued into separates that toed the line between feminine (there was tons of shine and sheerness) and masculine (rockabilly shoes mixed in with laddish styling like untucked shirts).
The shoes and cuffs hinted at a subtle boy band theme. And by that, we mean any kind of band, from London punks to rockabillies and metal-heads. Of course, they were all translated through the lens of high, high Paris fashion and luxurious, tech-y fabrics.
But for all the alpha male toughness, there was definitely a strain of sex and glamour, as seen in a series of sequined dresses layered over sequined tanks. It wasn't an obvious kind of sexy, but Ghesquière never does obvious. So much of his talent lies in a different way of thinking, like patterned pastel shirts worn with off-kilter black minis trimmed with grommets.
It all morphed into the final white looks, worn by Freja then none other than Gisele. These seemed to synthesize everything Ghesquiere stands for—futurism, empowered women and technology. Otherwise known as: forward-thinking fashion.
Dries Van Noten
As the French would say, Le Swoon. It's a rare and delightful fashion feat when a designer hits all the right notes — being on trend, being commercial, and being true to his own aesthetic. For Dries van Noten, being all that is just another day at the office. Case in point: spring.
He loosened up silhouettes and employed a soft single flower motif across the shoulder of a blouse or the hip of skirt. Slouchy white shirts tucked into silky printed pants (almost palazzo-type) and vice versa.
In a subtle nod to the '80s, he softened shoulders on louche, minimal suits and coats, some featuring a dreamy ombré effect.
It all had a laid-back yet glamorous spirit, best seen in an ultra-chic sweatshirt done in pale pink sequins topping slouchy trousers. Cool. Simple. Utterly effective.
The quiet razzle-dazzle defined evening, too, in a series of black gauzy separates paired with a gold sequined jacket or skirt.
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