Well Red

Paul Smith

Nicole Farhi

Marios Schwab

The runway often likes to sing its own siren song, and by siren this season, I mean siren red. While New York City seemed to tilt orange last Fashion Week, and there was plenty of that in London as well, designers just couldn't seem to let go of their "primary" (tehehe) urges and use this strong, bold red in their collections. All pictures Style.com.

Sheen, Not Heard

Paul Smith Women

Pringle Of Scotland

Aquascutum

Through-out the London shows I had be getting a distinct feeling that people were telling a story about texture. And in between long bouts of bouclé and teddy-bear fur I could see how designers also swung the pendulum the opposite away. Those designers wanted things so smooth, the were shiny. The shiny seemed to take things all things tasteful into more exciting territory. I say shine on designers, shine on. All pictures Style.com.

Graphic Designs

Peter Pilotto

Clements Ribiero

Antonio Berardi

All these graphic pieces are going to give me writers block. What to do when everything seems pieced together into such graphic shapes? Hopefully At you can at least enjoy looking at the pictures. All pictures Style.com

Back to Nature

Nathan Jenden

Marios Schwab

Erdem

Don't lie. We all know where you got this idea for your wacky biomorphic prints. We all saw Alexander McQueen's Spring 2010 show last season, and we all know it RULED. And that you can never be him. But we respect that you tried. We will assume it's just homage to a great great man and look the other way. All pictures Style.com

Return To Simplicity

Antonio Berardi

Jaeger

Jonathan Saunders

There's something in the air. Think of it as a yearning for simpler times, an urge to get back to basics. With a number of designers in London and in New York exploring their roots, and simplifying color and silouette, you have to wonder. Whatever was going on the catwalks, it was an understatement. All pictures Style.com.

An Ode To Ice Dancing At Vancouver Olympics

I have been so excited about seeing how much fashion plays in the figure skating in the Vancouver Winter Olympics. This was a favorite performance of mine. Here Sinead and John Kerr skate to Linkin Park's 'Krwing'. The are acting a story where the man has fallen and the woman is his saviour. I found this performance very moving. I also love how contemporary the artistic choices they made were. Sinead looked like a stunning swan in her white dress, and John made an risky choice with denim. He showed that there's really nothing you can't do in a good pair of jeans. Here's a link if you want to check it out on YouTube. I highly recommend it.

And, I would love to celebrate more good fashion in the world of ice (there's a reason why I love it!) I love how all of these athletes have used fashion to enhance their performance in their sport.:

Evan Lysacek in Vera Wang...que sexy!

Johnny Weir in Rodarte, photo New York Times magazine. Just stunning.

Let The "Real" Fashion Show Begin

Backstage mayhem: a model in make-up

Carnivale came complete with some very sexy siamese twins

Anna Mccraney, looking fabulous herself

A girl saunters down the runway in a fabulous hand painted suit accesorized with a top hat and cane. And so began the theatrics that are always a part of Anna Mccraney's fashion shows. Since winning the first season of "The Fashion Show" with Issac Mizrahi, Anna was finally ready to expand her presentation. The theme this season was "Carnivale". It was pleasant to see the evolution her shows from venues with dubious logistics to proffesional runway presentation. This show was a fine example of Anna's gift for whimsy, pattern, and color. She was right in line with the most important trends from this season: the strong shoulder, crayola colored dresses, and sheer insets. If I voiced one gripe it would be that some of the items weren't a seamless fit with her Carnivale theme. There was a checked plaid, that although lovely and wearable, didn't seem to mesh with the rest of the collection. Even so, what good carnival doesn't have a few misfits in tow?

Going To Great Lengths

Marc Jacobs

Erin Fetherston

Tibi

After years of subjecting us to an overdose of too much bare leg, it was refreshing to see hemlines come down a bit. I found Tibi's printed version especially fresh. The new length helped contribute to the 70's vibe in the air. All photos Style.com.

Let the Sun Shine In

Zero Maria Cornejo

Marc Jacobs

BCBG

As if designers wanted to find one more way to brighten your day up, they included yellow in many of the presentations. Like the blue they used, it wasn't a color for the faint of heart. It was a brash, shocking yellow. It sometimes left models looking as if they swallowed the canary. All photos, Style.com.

Whole Lotta (Seventies) Love

Erin Fetherston

Tibi

Sophie Theallet

There were enough 70's references are enough to give a person Saturday night fever. Most went for the 70's rock-star sort of vibe, but it looked as if there were references to a night at the disco in a few places as well. Maybe this explains all the velvet? All photos Style.com.

Layering It On Thick

TSE

Charlotte Ronson

Michael Kors

Whatever is going to happen next fall, designers certainly aren't going to leave you out in the cold. They're telling you to pile it on, and are allowing you to look chic while doing it. Look at Michael Kors version of this trend. Only he could create a look where you're all bundled up and still looking glamourous. All photos Style.com.

Shocking Blue

Donna Karan

Charlotte Ronson

Elie Tahari

After colors trending warm for so long, it was refreshing to get a whiff of some blue. And blue it was, in on of the most saturated forms imaginable. It was literally electric to view this hue again. It's been a long time coming. All photos Style.com.

Animal Instincts

Elie Tahari

Donna Karan

Acne

Fur took every shape imaginable on the catwalk this season. From warrior girl tops (Karan), whimsical accent (Acne) and the ubiquitous coat (everywhere!) one may have felt like a heat of beasts had stormed the catwalk. And maybe they had. After all, aren't there many who would agree woman is the most magnificent beast of all? Listen to me roar. All photos Style.com.

Penny For Your Thoughts

Devi Kroell

Elie Tahari

Elie Tahari

Fashion week brought us enough copper to make Abe Lincoln jealous. Part wearable luxury, part of a movement back to mother earth (as far as the urge designers have had to use such a range of earth tones), this color may be as stunning as it gets. Like copper does with age, I'm turning green with envy over these clothes (tehehe). All pictures style.com.

Mad For Plaids

A Détacher

Jill Stuart

Chris Benz

Just when you think something is, like, so over designers come around and decide to do something. Again. So here it is, the plaid that I was thinking was so 2 years ago, the first harbinger that maybe grunge would come back, has returned. With a vengeance. Seems like everyone is mad for plaid. I especially loved Chris Benz's whimsical interpretation. All pictures style.com.

Caramel Delight

Cynthia Steffe

Zero-Maria Cornejo

Adam

Mother Earth has spoken. It seems she has been whispering to designers about her dryer parts...like the Sahara. Tan was a key color on many of the runways from Cynthia Steffe, to Derek Lam, reminding me of the vast African desert. The leather that designers used so many times in this color made it speak all the more of earth. This may have been a riff on last season's Celine show, but who cares. That was one show I couldn't get enough of, so designers doing their own interpretations makes it all the more relevant. All pictures style.com.