Weight off the Shoulders

Balmain might be known for its enormous, padded and sometimes bejeweled shoulders, but this time around, I noticed Christophe Decarnin's fabulous dresses. No doubt they'll be coveted by the fashion flock next season— just like everything else his hand graces.

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Good Sport

Now this is sportswear I could get used to. Nicolas Ghesquiere's collection for Balenciaga was so innovative it actually blew my mind— if I had been at the show, I might have actually started shouting as if it were an outdoor event. But seriously, who thinks to make boots out of laser-compressed melted down leather and hand-looming or lattice skirts? Ghesquiere does, I suppose. And I'm ever so glad.

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Making a Comeback

Versus, the defunct Versace line, just debuted its first collection with Christopher Kane at the helm. A taste of Kane's own SS2010 work was there in cut-outs and pleats. Yet here he worked with Versace's more obvious sex appeal, incorporating darker colors, safety pins and even chain mail (a material that Donatella gifted him when he was a student). Talk about coming full circle.

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Je Sais Quoi

I'm so obsessed with the latest Rochas collection by Marco Zanini that I'm resisting the urge the bust out these styles in tomorrow's 50 degree fall weather. Looking this good is surely worth suffering for. It's exactly the type of effortlessness I love in fashion. Typically, it's hard to put your finger on exactly what makes such chic, Parisian nonchalance. Yet I'm specifically digging the teeny socks with platforms, retro high-waisted bottoms, coquettish underpinnings mixed with funky menswear and touchable fabrics in plum and metallic. They're like a perfect, unexpected recipe. And then there's the jumper in smoky charcoal silk. It's the first time I've ever wanted to slip into one, and Zanini's vision makes me believe I could pull it off.

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Going Soft

Gareth Pugh, fashion's prince of darkness and sharp angles, lightened up this season— going so far as to branch out from his signature black to a light gray. I personally enjoyed his change of heart, as it makes his brilliant fabric manipulation easier to appreciate and the pieces a lot less weighty overall. Though admittedly, I do have a bias towards feather headpieces.

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Show with a View

Alberta Ferretti's demure collection stole my breath when I saw it— and held me together over the past few days while I've been smothered with work. I heard someone compare it to the film A Room with a View and I wholeheartedly agree. Everything from the straw hats to the degrade pastels to the belted (standard belts, no less) waists to the sweet little lace-up flats recall an old-fashioned, simpler time with a touch of modern cool.

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