Christian Dior Spring 2008 Couture

Every kind of decorative fabric effect was on display at Dior. Embroidery, beading, sequins, appliqué, paint, etc., and all so very beautifully done.


Very interesting shapes, and yards of duchesse satin at Dior.



A statement, certainly.



Everyone's reliving the 1960's this season, but this is special.



So intricately done, and wonderful fabrication.



This hearkens back to last year's geisha pieces. Very lovely.



Woven waistline detail, and an almost painterly jacket.



Sequins used to create a mosaic effect.



This is not moiré fabric, it is fabric embroidered with a moiré motif.



A beautiful rendition of the sacque-back suit, with fantastic beading and embroidery, shown in detail below.




More gorgeous beading, and just a fun dress.



An elegant evening coat, with touches of Klimt.

Armani Privé Spring 2008 Couture

Interesting pleating and use of pinstripes as well as shoulder volume.



Tiny woven checks and more accessorized detailing.



Tiny cap sleeves, dimensional patch pockets and another lantern skirt.



Intricate pleating; details below.




Applied triangles add a touch of whimsy.



An ethereal, yet very modern look. Tracery beading shown below.




More pleating and more of the interesting cylindrical decorations.



More pleating, triangles and stripes.



What a wonderful skirt.



Slight asymmetry in this jacket seems very fresh.

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2008 Couture

Flanges added to the shoulders to make them even sharper and broader.



Nice use of a pleated fabric.



Beautiful fabric manipulation, and a close-up below.




Interesting take on the mermaid/fish theme. You can also see a back view of the suit above.



Very pretty vest/top with shell details shown below, and jacquard pants.




Interesting use of stripes with applied bands.



Almost a millefleur fabric, with woven ribbon trim.



An intricately beaded net and scales effect. Detail below.




Lace and beading.

Givenchy Spring 2008 Couture

Some interesting cuts at Givenchy



I'm not sure this quite works, but I kind of like it.



Very unusual, to say the least.



Does this remind anyone else of Easter Eggs.

Valentino Spring 2008 Couture

A beautiful show.


Just beautiful, and how delicately feminine.



A perfectly cut coat with a bow to the retro.



Isn't the curved empire line cute with the swingy little skirt?


The perfect modern trench coat.



Beautifully wearable passementerie trim.



A perfectly charming spring frock, and below we can see a little of the construction details.




Very pretty, with lots of intriguing details.



Beautiful suit in a slightly textured weave with a soft print.



A very unusual jacquard weave.



Asian inspired embroidery.



An interesting twist on black and white.



A very chic evening look.

Chanel Spring 2008 Couture

Or, as someone said, Baby Chanel.

Honestly, it's a very youthful collection, not always in a good way. Flat shoes throughout with consciously awkward stances. I don't know that it serves the clothes well, but it does make an apparent point about who the preferred Chanel customer will be. I would think it might be a little disappointing for all the house's loyal customers to realize that none of the garments being shown were designed for them and their lives. Certainly with changes, they'll be perfectly wonderful, but it's a bit hard being second choice, for anyone.

Here are the more adult choices, in my opinon, anyway.


Gray is still in, with a minimalist trim level.



Cute pockets and interesting under-arm seaming.



I like this dress/jacket look, and I like the collar.



Looped-up pleats, and I guess fringed trim is not dead yet.



Another cute pleated bubble skirt. I think this could be pretty in a longer, more wearable length in a very soft fabric.



You can always rely on seeing a nice dropped-waist look at Chanel.



I like the neckline, and the draping on the skirt, if not the length.



So feminine, and what a beautiful line. Look at the wonderful fabrication below.




Very nice '60's ring collar and great sleeves.



Somehow, not the most flattering look in the show.



Kind of an appealing jacket silhouette, but how much better without the chopped-off skirt. The sleeves would be very tricky to wear with all that width, but the curves are pretty.



A beautifully constructed gown with a graceful skirt and not so aggressively flat shoe.



The ruffles under the sleeves remind me forcefully of the sea-creature suits of a few years ago.