Trendy Fashion Week Spotlight - Valentino

The Grand Master of supreme opulence is back at it again and as usual the famed designing house doesn't disappoint. The entire collection was lovely and "fairy tale" like and it definitely proved beyond a doubt that Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli are a winning team. It was a delicious and vibrant showing of dresses structured dramatically with the use of ruffles and the petal detail. Organza was the favorite fabric of choice draped in a way to inspire romance and youthful appeal. The colors invoked a vibe of an airbrush painting, with swishes of nudes in gray, primrose, ashes of roses and muted yellow. It was all about having "a fabulous night on the town" and not much daytime wear. But its nice feeling to have the opportunity to dream and dream BIG. And I am sure Mr. Valentino would agree!

Trendy Fashion Week Spotlight - Giambattista Valli

Sophisticated, youthful, playful and inspiring, those are some of the adjectives that could be used to define Giambattista Valli spring collection. It was definitely geared toward young hollywood starlets who are slaves to fashion and the ever-evolving trends. The colors were fun and lively and there was a heavy dose of fringes, ruffles and bouncy skirts. There was also an interesting and updated take on the animal print which seemed to be one of Valli's efforts to reach out to the more mature crowd. Overall it was a more sedated showing than most of his fans are used to but it was nice to see a healthy balance and even distribution of the theatrical and the more adaptable pieces. He still had fun playing with his favorite accessory - feathers, and managed to incorporate them in some of his cocktail dresses and skirts. But the one staple that continues to be attached to Valli is his sense of adventure and fantasy. Two things none of us should ever do without.

Trendy Fashion Week Spotlight - Emanuel Ungaro

Okay, so I guess there is a reason why not many actresses are top designers. This is because you actually have to have a sense of style, talent and endurance in order to consistently produce that "Wow" factor that keeps people coming back for more. For reasons that are hard to fathom, actress Lindsay Lohan was appointed the new Artistic Director to Emanuel Ungaro after Esteban Cortazar sstepped down as head designer. Lohan was partnered with Estrella Archs, a relatively unknown designer to help bolster the Ungaro name and bring a fresh youthful vibe to the troubled designing house. But from the looks of things and based on their showing on Sunday, there are more troubles on the horizon. Most of the looks were outdated and hindered on simply cliche. It resembled a closet filled with rejects from the 80's that nobody would ever think of wearing now. The colors were bright and repetitive and the bondage dresses and wrap tops were uninspiring and ill-fitted. It definitely looked like this collection was put together at the last minute and Lohan confirmed this backstage after the show when she pointed out that the collection "had to be designed very quickly". Both Lohan and Archs are too inexperienced to be given the responsibility of rescuing a once respected label. If this an indication of what to expect from Emanuel Ungaro, then I think its time for them to officially declare an SOS.

Trendy Fashion Week Spotlight - Gareth Pugh

The Ultimate Scene Stealer! That is what best describes Gareth Pugh's showing at Paris Fashion Week 2010. The London Club boy turned costumier has at last proven his capabilities of being an accessible designer. Enhanced by the cool goth-like theme, the models were completely in their stride as they played into the high octane theatrics courtesy of Pugh's self proclaimed Palais de Tokyo show. The color scheme was consistently muted with a range that played on different shades of gray and, brown and blue. Gauzy dresses, chiffon pieces and sheer fabrics were coupled with one-of-a-kind accessories which included lace-up leather leggings and feathered headpieces. Gareth Pugh pulled off his most refined production to date without losing his edge, proving there are more goodies to come from this budding designer.