I really liked the Elie Saab show - I mean, really liked it. The collection was a lot more understated and less about evening dresses than we've come to expect but it worked. Daywear was elegant and feminine but unfussy. A black high waisted knee length skirt came with a skinny black belt teamed, leather jacket and a fur shrug. Tailoring was simple but strong as black cropped cigarette pants came teamed with Mary Janes and a structured clutch and a leather blazer came accentuated at the waist and feminine two piece skirts came in black showing off the feminine form.
Although the collection started with a selection of black looks, it later developed into a handful of multi-coloured floral prints on maxi and mini dresses and later, red appeared on a beautifully cut two piece skirt suit teamed with a gold choker and red clutch bag. Maxi gowns were as elegant as always but in a discrete way. Karlie Kloss hit the runway in a beautiful strapless gown with subtle draping in aubergine and grey evening dresses were covered in silver embroidered sequins came in asymmetric styles.
There's definitely a reason why Louis Vuitton always falls on the last day of fashion week. It's almost as if they've been placed there purposefully in the knowledge that by this time, our energy is flagging and we're all losing the will to live after a month of living out of a suitcase attending the shows so are in desperate need of a fashion miracle - dramatic I know, but very true.
And that's exactly what the brand did this morning. In an ironic twist, Marc Jacobs sent Kate Moss down the runway to close the show - in high waisted hotpants and a black feathered top with cropped sleeves - puffing on a cigarette on anti-smoking day when the news has been rife with discussion about the new measures proposed by the government intended to take the glamour away from smoking. So it looks like they have Marc Jacobs to blame for a rise in smokers - in the fashion industry anyway - because as Derek Blasberg tweeted after the show, "I pity anyone who quit smoking and saw the LV show. The image of Kate Moss saucily sucking a cig this morning is burnt on my brain forever."
Although the Collette Dinnigan collection featured a selection of easy feminine pieces this week, I can't say I was impressed with the brand's fall offerings. Black dresses came in lace styles that sat just above the knee and jodhpur-like trousers came with volumous detail around the pocket that wasn't flattering even on the model.
The pieces that did work a bit better were the outwear like a white coat that came with a thick black belt teamed with wide leg trousers and femine blouses came in nude with black squares and blue polka dots teamed with a high waisted blue metallic skirt and the print also featured on a floaty skirt teamed with a simple black cropped top.
Hannah MacGibbon usually focuses on one theme and sees it through but this season there was a lot more going on at Chloé. First of all, snakeskin was the print of choice and appeared on a range of pieces such as on panels on crewneck tops for the more conservative girl and also on coats with large sleeves, turtleneck tops styled with volumous trousers, dresses in green that came belted and styled over shirts, as well as on sheer chiffon dresses. The print was given a modern twist when styled with a feminine skirt that came with block vertical stripes in yellow, grey, nude, red and green.
MacGibbon also introduced a selection of fabrics working with suede on wide leg trousers teamed with simple knits and brown leather appeared on a tracksuit. Denim also appeared in light wash styles on high waisted wide leg cropped trousers teamed with a yellow short and black leather featured on a pantsuit teamed with a simple white blouse.
We've definitely got a soft spot for Ennio Capasa. Season upon season, he plays with Costume National's clean aesthetic but in different ways. This season shift dresses, jackets and coats came in strong shapes and simple lines on thermo-welded fabrics that gave the collection a futuristic feel.
The collection opened with a selection of monochromatic looks, like a white sleeveless knit layered over a black turtleneck and styled with tailored trousers. Dresses came with white and black panels, teamed with oversized clutches. As the collection progressed, Capasa introduced block colour, such as a blue two-piece trouser suit that Anna Dello Russo was sporting on the front row. Although the collection did feature head-to-toe colour looks in both blue and red, the majority of colour came blocked against black - that's perhaps the best way to introduce colour into your wardrobe if you're not typically colour-loving.
After showing her fall collection this morning, Stella McCartney explained that she really wanted to push her aesthetic forward this season. It definitely showed. The collection was a lot more experimental than we've seen from her in the past, but we did get a hint of a change from her last season with the printed fruit dresses.
Proportions were the focus, with Natasha Poly opening the show in a subtly pleated dress with voluminous sleeves, and black and gold printed two piece suits also came in voluminous silhouettes. Playing with her penchant for all things menswear, McCartney teamed some masculine tuxedo trousers with a blouse with large sleeves. Dresses came with dramatic bat wings, and her signature all-in-one appeared, as did a selection of oversized boyfriend blazers and coats teamed with brogues. The strength of the collection lay in the selection of dresses with polka-dot embroidery that appeared towards the end - and will no doubt find themselves on the backs of A-listers very soon.
Although I commend her for stepping out of her comfort zone this season, I couldn't help but wish that she focused on developing the signature pieces that we all love and expect, as opposed to moving down a completely different route.
Albert Kriemler always does minimalism so well at Akris. For fall, the collection continued with the brand's signature pared-back aesthetic showing an assortment of looks that were simple but still oozed luxury.
The collection was polished, and models were sent down the runway with flawless skin, a simple brown smokey eye, and a side parting and hair slicked back into a low ponytail. The colour palette was beautifully autumnal with a suede all-in-one appearing in camel, and suede also came on ankle boots, which appeared throughout. Dresses were feminine and often sat just above the knee - teamed with simple skinny belts. Others came in long-sleeve turtleneck styles. Kriemler also incorporated fur into the collection, but where so many designers go wrong by making it look fussy, he managed to introduce it seamlessly on the collars of heavy wool jackets teamed with tailored trousers.
