THE FASH PACK

Balenciaga might be the future of futurism. Nicholas Ghesquiere's latest collection took urban, athletic elements and injected a bit of space age this Paris Fashion Week.

It was all about illusions. What seemed to be jeans were actually vegetable-dyed leather trousers. A hooded sweatshirt was actually made of leather and foam. Recycled fabrics and hemp weaves were even around to keep the futuristic but eco-friendly crowds pleased. All in all, these were clothes for a fashionable city warrior - someone with a tough edge ahead of her time.

"I wanted to do something urban," Ghesquiere told Style.com "No more history for the moment!" Well, Mr Ghesquiere, it doesn't look like anything's a do-over here.

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Marco Zanini's first collection for Rochas didn't come out with a bang. Instead, the designer gave us a taste of the '30s, with dignified shirt dresses, simple trousers, mid-calf skirts and sweet little day shorts. The prints were a bit Dries van Noten, with rich solids of mulberry, lemongrass, teal and caramel.

Zanini wanted to bring out the French colonial spirit, he told the New York Times. "What is French apart from the Eiffel Tower?" he said. "I didn’t want a cliché, so I looked East, to the colonies, to Indochine."

Our favourites were the nuanced touches - a flower on a belt, a muted ribbon on a hat - that took the collection to the next level. Mr Zanini's going places, we say.

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Anja Rubik is hot property at the moment. Having starred in a number of high profile ad-campaigns and magazine covers this year alone and bagging an exclusive with Gucci this season, we were a little curious as to how the Polish supermodel maintains her enviable figure and mental well-being whilst juggling such a globe-trotting lifestyle.

It seems that Yoga is her secret to looking and feeling good so it was only a matter of time before she starred in a yoga fitness DVD. Rubik's new venture, which surpasses the average fitness video, sees her teaming up with Jo Woord Production and Dream Catcher to produce a virtual yoga class which comes complete with an animated guide to take us through the various positions.

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As the catwalk shone with what looked like the moonlight., and models appeared with whitened faces, there was an ethereal, mystical feel to Gareth Pugh's Spring/Summer 2010 offering, which was somewhat less dramatic and more mood-enducing than his previous collections.

Soft shades of grey were hardened by charcoal, and Pugh mixed menswear amongst womenswear. Although the collection still contained the structured elements we have grown to love Pugh for, pieces were softer the drama had been toned down with only the occasional flamboyant headpiece, with many of the models simply sporting wrapped heads.

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Razor sharp shoulders and lots of glitz saw us lusting after the A/W09 serving from Balmain, so we were excited, to say the least, to see what they would dazzle us with for Spring/Summer 2010 at Paris Fashion Week.

Still with the much loved Balmain edge, Christophe Decarnin produced a softer collection, with a palette of shimmering bronzes, dull golds and leathery blacks -shoulders were still accentuated on the classic Balmain leather jackets and Libertine-like golden dresses, and evening attire took a less sharp feel with draping low necklines and Grecian style metallic dresses. Once again, they got it just right.

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Back in May, Giorgio Armani was diagnosed with hepatitis which he had contracted through poisoning. 'King Giorgio', as he is often referred to in the Italian press, said that the fashion house would continue to operate as usual, with him at the helm. In June, he unveiled his Spring 2010 collection, which received rave reviews, but has since confirmed that he will be taking a slight step back in the running of the label.

He admitted that "the illness made me understand that you can't joke with your life. For years, I ignored myself completely until I received this blow, which hapened for a reason. I realized I had to be more careful." With a business portoflio boasting difusion lines, hotels and spas worldwide, he will still be overseeing the brand as a whole, so expect more classic, elegant and show-stopping designs from the Armani camp.

Bally, the Swiss label who was taken over by the Labelux Group last year, has been a household name almost from its inception in 1851. Known for it's chic, conservative and classic shoes and accessories designs, it has gone from strength to strength over the years, especially since Brian Atwood took the reins as Creative Director in 2008.

Atwood, brought his quirky and off-beat designs in a bid to update the label on a whole. Having worked at Versace and on his eponymous line prior to his stint at Bally, Atwood won himself legions of fans along the way with his artisitc craftsmanship and eye-catching prints. Worryingly however, rumours have recently been circulating that the designer will be leaving Bally by the end of the year and a new creative director will soon be announced.

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