alexander mcqueen.

& what fashion week coverage would be the same without a dosage of McQueen? I have so much sympathy for Sarah Burton in that she will always, for the rest of her days, have to listen to comparisons to the late grand-master himself. But Burton is no pale-imitation, on the whole these comparisons have been nothing if not favourable. One opinion, held by many it seems, is that Burton has created the McQueen image to evoke a whole new feminine edge. Sure, McQueen was the best in his field, that much was ever-evident. But the nipped in waists & the way in which Burton interprets the female figure is more obvious in this collection more so than her past offerings.

She has played around a little more with soft blush pinks, florals & delicate ruffles in the the former half, before this collection takes a delightful turn to the risque & dangerous. This foray into lingerie for Burton, (even lace bondage masks at one point!) is highly effective. I found myself audibly gasp at the pure audacity, how something with so many filthy connotations look so fragile & beautiful? I don't think it's too soon to say Burton is a continuation of what McQueen left, with no hint of exaggeration. Sublime.

jean-charles de castelbajac.

I kinda loved this! I think after going through all these beautiful Paris & Milan shows, I definitely was aching for something a little kooky. Comme des Garcons was strangely beautiful and Viktor & Rolk was utterly horrendous, the two houses I always rely on to astonish me with their eccentricities. But it was not to be! This collection however, I loved. Again, maybe it was because of the distinct lack of weird. I even loved the Mickey Mouse prints, quelle horreur! To be honest though, these printed pieces were far superior to the rest of the collection which was a touch underwhelming. Perhaps if de Castelbajac had continued in this vein, it would have made more of an impact.

givenchy.

I've little to say about Givenchy, in that there was nothing ground-breaking here, but the tailoring was just wow, perfection. More pastels and nudes than you can shake a stick at, but I felt these pant suits definitely required your love and attention. Also worth a look if you like sparkly dresses, but not my thing..

pucci.

Everyone loves a Pucci print. The prints are always the main feature every season, but for me it was the delicate black lace that was woven through this collection. It had a sort of religious-gothic feel to it, and we all know how much I love anything remotely gothic-era.

chanel.

Never on this blog have I sung Chanel's praises. I mean, there is an unspoken mutual agreement that the Chanel name is revered and respected worldwide. & yes, there are times when Karl Lagerfeld has played the wildcard but he continually pushes his creativity to depths other designers merely dream about. This collection, those depths extended to all things marine, with an under-the-sea theme being evident from the offset. The total grandeur of the Grand Palais was magnificent, on a massive scale. The urge to add the video was unbearable alas, & I know it's lengthy but I promise it's worth those 15 minutes of pure brilliance.

The theme was not too literal, although pearls did feature heavily in the form of hair-embellishments, belts & even interpreted into an oversized clutch. The pearlised paillettes adorned tweed jackets & (that eponymous) 50's silhouette dresses alike. Delicate layers of mille-feuille panels added a touch of intricacy, & the backless jackets brought a contemporary edge to this fine collection. Never mind those Chelsea boots, which were simply incredible, a little androgyny thrown into the mix too to offset the sometimes overtly feminine pieces.

The make-up was kept simple, a pearly white shadow shot through with pink, a simple slick of black gel liner on the top lash line, natural brows , a very nude lip (it looks like a rose-coloured rip with perhaps a little clear gloss) & a peachy-pink blush kept simply to the cheekbones. I always appreciate Chanel, but this time I'm distinctly impressed.

I love Phoebe Philo & everything she creates. She is constantly reinventing minimalism, and she must be respected for that, at least. I loved the little flecks of red, and those shoes are to die for. The belts however, were utterly atrocious. The pants with the silk-panels were magnificent though!

balMOAN,

Another season, another samey collection from Balmain. Not even the departure of Christopher Decarnin could spell a reincarnation for this label. I'm sure Olivier Rousteing is getting plently of blog inches right now and being hailed as revolutionary but I'm just not convinced. The concepts here, they are all the same as before. A little less trashy, admittedly, but the only main difference here is the looser silhouette. Disappointing, as always.

balenciaga.

This is one of the first Balenciaga seasons that I've felt particularly underwhelmed by. There are very few stand-out, wearable pieces. Nicolas Ghesquire raided through the old Balenciaga archives for this collection, and it's easy to see where he has tried to modernise a few of Cristobal's old classics. The elongated cloche hats were a beautiful touch on a bewildering collection. Some of the super short running shorts were a edging a little on nappy-like and so unflattering, however the cigarette pants were sublime. Undoubtedly though, Mr Ghesquire will feel the Wintour-Wrath for the collapsing benches..