Runway

Full skirts, tea-length dresses, black and white, animal print, pastels and floral. Giambattista Valli’s couture collection hit all of the trends we’ve been seeing from the runways.

It’s snowing in Paris, but Raf Simons’ couture showing for Dior was all about spring in full swing. Floating down a winding runway lined by greenery and trees: gowns in a predominately pastelle palette fastened with beaucoup des fleurs. Whether trickling down a sheer faux-slit of a leggy column dress or worked fully into the sheer organza of a deep-v swing dress with matching sheer floral gloves, petals peppered the entire collection. Strapless gowns with voluminous skirts were another big statement (as was the case for many a leading lady on the Golden Globes red carpet). Of the non-botanic variety, standouts included an asymmetrical below-the-knee silk strapless periwinkle dress with black bodice, plus a canary yellow gown with a sideswept bubbled peplum and long skirt connected via wisps of sheer mesh. Odds are Raf will have critics and the tapis rouge-bound alike singing his praises again this season…

Bienvenue à Paris, cheris! Haute couture took off last night in Paris with Atelier Versace’s star-studded show. Princess of Monaco, Charlene Wittstock, kept the paps busy with her gaggle of bodyguards. She later caught up with the bodyguard himself, Kevin Costner, who was attending with his wife, Christine Baumgartner. Also sitting front row were actresses Olivia Munn and a newly brunette Melissa George.

Tibi: Angular graphics grooved with slouchy layers and hits of colorblock in Tibi’s offering for that innately buyable Pre-Fall season. Black and white presided over the alternations of minis and stovepipes, with a few knee-grazing shorts and skirts cut to the same general hemline in the mix.