The Vogue of our fashion capitals for spring 2010

New York, London, Milan, and Paris - with three down and one to go (Paris' Fashion Week kicked off Wednesday, September 30), the reviews are pouring in from every fashion media publication out there! Although I have to flip through the pages of Harper's Bazaar, and scour sites such as nymag.com, to see the collections for myself, following are some of my very own reviews. Here's the scoop on the 2010 Spring collections, from yours truly:

New York
Mercedes-Benz's Fashion Week marks the commencement for all the other fashion weeks to come…and for good reason. Back in 1943, New York presented the first organized weeklong fashion event, and called it “Press Week.” Still pioneers in chic, collections from the likes of 3.1 Philip Lim, Badgley Mischka, Zac Posen and Calvin Klein (among many others), set “the trend standards” for Spring 2010.

While we may be “looking forward” to trying out these hot new looks, we should be “looking from behind” — at our backs, that is — as this was the most accentuated feature from designers who presented in NYC.

Exposed zippers and skin-revealing draping lent a helping hand to making backs the main focus. Another flesh-exposing trend was high cut shorts. Denim, sequins, jersey or seersucker - wear ‘em all and your legs will thank you, when they appear a mile-long.

If you're more into art than fashion, you'll be glad to hear that Dolce & Gabbana's Fall 2009 motif of painted prints caught on, and created a ripple effect for their Spring 2010 collection. Portraits, the abstract, and graphics were all prominently displayed on pieces for the upcoming season.

London
When I think of London's fashion, I think of what are referred to as “chavs”: the Burberry trench coat-loving and proper English tea-drinking Brits. Fortunately, Christopher Bailey, Burberry's young and talented creative director, is changing my mind. Although the Burberry trench remains a staple in London, it's less Sherlock Holmes, and more fashion-forward for the Spring 2010 season.

Short, silk and belted versions sauntered down the runway in shades of lavender-gray, muted mint, and yes, the classic beige. With the resurgence of 80's trends not going anywhere yet, “the power suit” was also a reoccurring runway trend in London.

Updated versions for 2010 featured several interesting patterns and prints, but kept true to their roots (and shoulder pads). Speaking of prints, many collections featured them: ranging from the dizzying psychedelics of Josh Goot to the modern graphics of Matthew Williamson.

Milan
With customer- and fashion critic-interest alike, designer heavy-hitters Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Bottega Venetta and Marni all presented their collections in Milan this past week. Romantic, softer looks were “au currant,” and lighter colours, as well as, fabrics were refreshing to see, considering this past Fall season's collections of dark and moody attire.

Fendi and Dolce & Gabbana both presented lingerie-inspired garments (Marni followed suit with an easy-to-wear lingerie-like robe), and lace, chiffon, gauze and sheer jerseys perfectly complemented the fluid silhouettes.

Going in a completely different direction, the Toronto-born Milan-based twins Dean and Dan Caten, of Dsquared, had their models walk down a dirt-strewn runway to present a collection they dubbed “glam-ping”.

Camping gear I wish I was lucky enough to have donned this past summer, also ruled the catwalk, and outfits consisting of “lumberjack” flannel, boy-scout shirts, and denim hot pants looked just right with mussed-up hair, giant backpacks and trucker hats. Ironically humorous pieces of jewellery, in the shapes of insects, were admittedly much more welcome as accessories, than the real critters seen while roughing it.

Although the shows are (sadly) coming to a close, Paris' Fashion Week is still to come and I personally can't wait to see what the likes of Balenciaga, Balmain, Lanvin, Jean Paul Gaultier, Chanel and Givenchy, among other favourites of mine, will present.
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