Alice Pfeiffer

After several seasons dedicated to Victorian-inspired elegance, Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli moved onto something a tad more adventurous--whilst remaining true to their taste for 19th century beauty ideals.

Elie Saab makes princess dresses like no other--and the little girl inside many of us will find a special thrill in watching the all-glitter trails, bustiers and other designs so far from daily reality. Yesterday's fall couture show proved no different.

When attending an Armani Privé show, observing the audience is almost as fascinating as watching the show: a bejewelled front row in couture gowns--mostly composed of old movie stars--and frantic clapping at the sight of especially glittery dresses. The show also proved to be a moment of Dolce Vita. In a symphony of nude tones, the collection explored vintage glamour

Naturally, sexy touches ran like a red thread through Alexandre Vauthier's fall couture show.

With this latest couture collection, his third for the house, Raf Simons seemed to be honoring founder Christian Dior whilst propelling the label into a digital, multicultural age.

Uma Thurman with a pre-Rafaelite hairdo, Mena Suvari looking not a day older than she did in American Beauty: It's the beginning of Versace Atelier, classically marking the end of menswear season and the start of Couture.

From Inès de la Fressange to Charlotte Gainsbourg, French fashion has always embraced the rebellious privileged classes--it’s an Amélie-esque world both raunchy and aristocratic, wrapped in nothing but Chanel tweed and macarons. Which is not to say this perspective hasn’t led to beautiful imagery. But to locals, it might feel a tad slanted. Dior’s runway might be all-white, but France is a multicultural nation. From the May ‘68 student revolts to recent angst-led riots in the banlieues, resonant street life occupies a key place in collective memories. The latest issue of Antidote--an annual coffee table-like magazine shot entirely by a single photographer—-focuses on the street. Rather than being a spectator of ‘high’ fashion, Antidote celebrates urban life as something that ignites sartorial energy.

One thing needs to be said, it’s not easy to be Bill Gaytten right now. After Galliano’s “Hasidic” incident in the tabloids, Gaytten is somewhat treated like the son of a dictator. Gaytten is, in many ways, the polar opposite of Galliano.

Paris might be home to a legacy of traditional Haute Couture masters, but it appears that, lately, the city has become aware of its experimental, cutting-edge potential (If London had its own couture week, these might be its budding stars). Here are six designers that would make Coco Chanel a tad restless.

One of Russia’s favorite it-girls, loved by street style photographers for her Anna Karenina-inspired style, Sergeenko launched her couture line last season. The result was a nostalgic yet coherent collection. This season, she continued to experiment with traditional Russian imagery, and decided to merge the Soviet fairy tale illustrations of her childhood with Civil War era Americana--specifically in homage to Gone with the Wind. Click through to see the full collection.

From Carine Roitfeld’s risqué editorials for Vogue Paris to Olivier Zahm’s raunchy snapshots in Purple, French magazines have often tickled the imaginations of the sartorially-minded. But the country has rarely been a hot bed for indie press--one tends to look across the Channel for the kind of zine with that raw, homemade quality. Nevertheless, things seem to be changing.

Remember Zahia, the underage escort who first hit headlines for hopping into bed with half of the French soccer team, and then launching an ‘haute couture' lingerie line? Well, last night, a documentary about her premiered in Paris, directed by the young Hugo Lopez. Zahia de Z à A (Zahia from Z to A) follows each step of the creation of her last collection, all the way to the show, and gives us a peek into her candy-colored life.

The vibe was Woodstock pronounced with a French accent. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but if Vanessa Bruno can find common traits between Lou Doillon and Kate Bosworth (her two muses), there is surely a little bit of French hippy inside of you, too.

The Clothes: Every season, I wonder where Issey Miyake has gone on holiday--the brand seems embarked on an endless beachbum summer, from South Africa

The Clothes: Ann Demeulemeester shed her usual rock n’roll clerical chic for a new, cropped silhouette that was surprisingly wearable. Shorts and silv

The Clothes: Manish Arora is one of the most entertaining designers to watch during Paris washion week--nevertheless, under his cabaret-style shows li

The Clothes: Marcel Marongiu did what he does best: naughty bourgeoise chic. His girl this season was a prim and proper Parisienne whose wild side is

PARIS--Are any of you stuck in the office for the summer (everyone raise their hand), and happen to speak fluent French? May we introduce Ciel Mon Pre

PARIS--Last night, Atelier Versace, Donatella’s bespoke line, opened Paris Haute Couture week. Versace returned to the Ritz Paris for the first time

Once designed for women with budgets in polar opposition to mine, women about to take off on a fantastical and lavish holiday, resort collections were also secondary occurrences to their ready-to-wear sibling, dignified with a lookbook at best. Last night in Paris, Salvatore Ferragamo went quite radically the other way. The Florentine label, sponsors of the current Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the Louvre, used the opportunity to throw a lavish runway show at the museum, with a couture-worthy casting and front row.

PARIS--This past weekend, France didn’t only elect socialist François Hollande as its new president; the country also welcomed a first lady diametrically opposed to Carla Bruni. Please meet Valérie Trierweiler, described by the French press “a normal woman.” A 47-year-old journalist sans Botox, divorced with three children, she is not François’s new wife but long-term girlfriend--a definite novelty for the Elysée (France’s equivalent of the White House).

PARIS--This past January, Antwerpian designer and ex-creative director of Hugo Boss Bruno Pieters launched his new collaborative label ‘Honest By’.

Manish Arora picked a theme and used it in the most bizarre fashion, far removed from what it evokes for most people. Remember last season? He claimed to be inspired by the freedom of the 1960s, and designed a collection of stiletto heels merging into ultra skinny jeans. The decade appeared in the shape of a single A-line dress (and arguably the smoking of chichas on the runway). This season, the New Delhi born designer found new inspiration for his luxurious eccentricity: graffiti art. Throughout the show, street artists painted early 90s inspired bright letters that were to spell out ‘life is beautiful’ by the end of it. As for the clothes, they were only very loosely connected to the culture. The designs represented timeless classics, to which he gave a stylized urban nudge.

By now you've probably noticed that the Middle Ages are the leading theme of the season. The interesting part is seeing how each designer fantasizes about a decade over a millennium old. In the case of Ann Demeulemesteer, she imagined dark (shocker) times where women soldiers wore leather trousers, loose, thigh-high flat boots, and plenty of draped moiré tops. Oversized leather and boiled wool scarves were furiously wrapped around the neck. Paired with armpit-high gloves, these accessories reinforced a rough and tough feel, 10th century style – ideal for horseback riding in the middle of a cold night.