Au Revior Mon Amour: Paris is over

Miu Miu



























Elie Saab



























Hermes

Encore Paris

This collection from Dries Van Noten nailed the use of color.

Paris: Nobody Does It Quite As Good As You - Baby You're The Best

Balmain

Loewe

Io Ipse Idem
Haider Ackerman


Isabel Marant
Lanvin

Italy: Round Three And Hello Clare!!!!!!

Wrapping up Italy is not an easy thing to do.

On the left is Pringle of Scotland - a line done by my very close friend Clare Waight Keller. She and I know each other from Calvin Klein days, and I so thrilled she is doing so well! Her collection is fantastic, and I love all the knits, which is what she is known for. She did stints at Ralph Lauren and Gucci before becoming the creative director at Pringle. I love her dearly and she has the two most beautiful twins I have ever seen! And the most exquisite taste of anyone I have ever met.

On the right is Prada. Not usually a favorite, but I loved the 30's undertone - the suits were right on target and the feel was luxurious, but not opulent. The colors were also great with a fantastic mix of mosses and burgundies and reds.

Now we are off to Paris - Oh la la.......

Italy: Too Much To Eat and Too Much To See (A Little Bit Beautiful and a Little Bit Rock and Roll)

All photos from style.com

Last night, I went to a dinner party at my friend Leonardo's. He is new to Minneapolis straight from Lake Cuomo and he had a hankering for doing a dinner party. Who were we to stop him?

We were delighted with the tastes of buffalo mozzarella, gnocchi with Gorgonzola, and mushroom risotto. As I rolled out of his house (we declined to have a meat course), I must have been infected with the Italian bug, because the very auspicious timing with the Italian shows was fortuitous!

In order of photos
Luisa Beccaria: Check out this collection - there was something I really loved about it. It is the first time I have seen the work of this team, but the dresses were all pretty and feminine, and I loved the styling with the saloon-like feeling.

Emilio Pucci: This collection was a whole lot rock & roll (and had a lot of fur - sorry), but if I was ever to be backstage with my rock star boyfriend, I would want to be wearing what this collection offered up. Especially this outfit with the eagle on it - she is a super fox!!!!

Bottega Venetta: I have been enjoying the clothes of this collection more and more over the last few collections. This season, his choice of colors with all the dusty rose and bronzes was spectacular. The shapes are easy and the non-logoed luxery are something that I really appreciate. When you buy it, you know it is special and you don't have to tell anyone.

Fashion Roundup - It's Italy for Darn Sure

www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/F2009RTW-JLSANDER
style.com - Burberry Prorsum

So, I passed on fashion week in London (ok, 3 days - darn economy), mainly because I did not like anything coming out of there. But now we are in Italy, and boy is it a mixed bag!

So far my favorite collection is Jill Sander. Raf Simmons, the designer for the house showed a collection that was the quintessential essence of what they do well, over and over. The clothes are simple, seemingly boring - but take another look - the quality is exquisite and every piece has a little detail that is amazing - that totally makes it distinctive and wearable at the same time. Very few lines do this well, and it should be celebrated. This is especially true when people will invest one piece that is pertinent to their whole wardrobe.

I also liked some of the Burberry Prorsum collection, but the styling got the better of me and I sometimes did not like the whole look. Regardless, i adore the dress above with the fitted bodice and scarf around the neck.

And my least favorite collection (maybe of all time) is D&G:
www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/F2009RTW-DG
It looks like an Italian bordello threw up on some of the thinnest women in the world. Eack!

All the curvy girls

Style.com

I love L'Wren Scott. Not only is she Mick Jagger's current paramour who is way taller than him, she makes clothes that work well on almost all body shapes.

I love fashion, but as a curvy girl (still thin-ish, but got those jewish hips and big tatas), it can be hard to carry off clothes that do not have a traditional shape. Even if I long to.

This is the ultimate power suit (Maybe a little much for my work, I already push that envelope). It is a great color, can be split into two pieces for other wearing, and she looks all woman and powerful all at one. Fantastic!

I am loving the resurgence (for several seasons) of a 50's and 60's shapes - partly with longevity due to the popularity of Mad Men. If you are not watching it, you are missing out on a slice of fantastic television. If you are a man, you will like the manly men, and if you are a woman, you will like the manly men AND the clothes.

Those boots are made for walking - all over my heart and into my closet

www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/F2009RTW-TBURCH

This is the most recent Tory Burch collection. I in no way love all the logoed pieces of her collection for mass high end retail, but this collection is a really strong showing. It is a mix of sexy, wearable, young, edgy (just a touch). This is exactly what I want from my wardrobe key pieces. I am a little entertained by the grunge undertone, but sadly, I never kept my old docs martins and I grew up in Seattle.... I may need to rent Singles.....