ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST
Paris: Clean lines, metallic fabrics and sharp angles, all worked together to communicate a clear architectural theme for 21 year old designer Pedro Lourenço’s spring collection. Details and materials were safely on the luxe side, feathers, crisp sculptural leather and shimmery or metallic fabrics all felt well thought out, while the shapes themselves remained wearable and youth-centric even. Tough
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ROCKABILLY EAST
Paris: Limi Feu’s work often arrives through a rock and roll filter, inspired by her musical tastes and dissection of associated subcultures. Rockabilly is the chosen genre for Spring, an exploration which produced more feminine silhouettes than usual, including nipped waist dresses and pencil skirts. That said, Feu’s native Japanese aesthetic remained, adding intellectual edge through lace skirts layered
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FUTURE ORGANIC
Paris: Futuristic but pointedly organic, Nicola Formichetti's second collection for Theirry Mugler was as understated as a both the label and the designer might get. Largely leaving darker colors alone, Spring focused on skin-tone nudes, white and emerald, using shimmering green rhinestones to reference vines more literally articulated elsewhere via illustrated graphics. Formichetti’s silhouettes also seemed to grow naturally
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HEROINE CHIC
Paris: Always eccentric designer Marco Zanini turned to his favorite filmmakers for ideas this season; flicks from Alfred Hitchcock, Tim Burton and John Waters inspired a collection characterized by throwback glamour, fantasy and mild kitsch. Sci-fi chignon updos and severe cat-eye shades punctuated outfits ranging from full-skirted "New Look" ensembles and boxy satin suits to sparkly knit sets
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OUT OF AFRICA
Milan: After a decade-long hiatus, investors have placed the job of restoring Genny to its former glory into the capable hands of Gabriele Colangelo. The wunderkind designer presented a collection markedly different from his own, one that honored the label's heritage while oozing contemporary sex appeal. Drawing inspiration from Peter Beard's photographs of African wildlife, Colangelo dissected zebras
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LADYLIKE SPORT
Milan: Anteprima has always brought a sporty ease to ladylike dressing, and this season designer Izumi Ogino pumped up the athletic aspect. The label's signature knits were worked into seamless color-blocked intarsias that subtly hugged the body in relaxed shift dresses and bodysuits. Dresses were slashed to reveal a lining out of performance nylon; the same fabric was inset
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CLEAN WIT
Milan: Manuela Arcari’s Ter et Bantine is one of the few Milan collections to explore minimalism, forgoing the embellishment and femininity so common this week. For Spring, the label’s restraint was palpable, a message of crisp sportiness resounding throughout. Even more formal looks, such as a calf-length khaki apron dress and a collared floral column communicated a relaxed ease,
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NIP TUCK
Milan: Although the focus of Silvio Betterelli’s Spring collection was on pleating and folding, the designer was actually at his best when keeping it simple, exploring abstract prints and ombré instead of construction embellishments. Wearable pieces included a basic, marbled silk tank and a matched set of a splatter print long-sleeve blouse and floor-length skirt, rather than the peach
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MODERN APHRODITE
Milan: For S/S 12, Giorgio Armani looked to a modern Aphrodite, draped in the pearlescent fabrics he fashioned into evening gowns, one-shoulder blouses and sharply tailored jackets. Any Armani collection has an expectation of elegance, and these new pieces satisfied this expectation while updating it via an interesting use of split-leg trousers. Layered under tunics, jackets and even beaded
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BLANK SLATE
Milan: Stefano Citron and Federico Piaggi are the latest designers tasked with rescuing the ailing house of Gianfranco Ferré after a brief stint by Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi. The newcomers started with a blank slate this season, literally, as they took rectangles of supple white fabrics and wrapped, draped and tucked them into various asymmetrical shifts that can
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SOFT OPULENCE
Milan: Inspired by the Italian Renaissance this season, designers Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi decorated garments with elaborate Baroque patterns and lavish embellishments. Silhouettes were mostly voluminous and full-hipped, thanks to tulip skirts and puffy cap-sleeves. Although the collection was extravagant, drama was softened by a pretty pale palette. -Whitney Kessler
Silhouette: Cocoon / Exaggerated hourglass / Fit-and-flare
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The Look: Morning After a Fun All-Nighter
Makeup, Lucia Pieroni for MAC
Hair, Eugene Souleiman for Wella Professionals
Nails, Marian Newman for Minx Nails
Makeup
"It's like nothing, but there's something there," described Lucia Pieroni of the "morning-after," monochromatic makeup. The focus was on the eyebrows which were filled in with an eye shadow a shade deeper than the model's natural hair color. "Since it's
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SLAM DUNK
Milan: Another collection built around active influences this season, Versus was inspired by basketball players and their cheerleaders. The theme lent itself to appealing juxtapositions of masculine and feminine elements; ensembles alternated between cool hip-slung warmups, peppy full-skirted frocks, playful sheaths and pretty matched skirt sets. While design details like exposed zippers and drawstrings were ultra-sporty, a sugary sweet
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