VERY NECESSARY: RAPHAEL YOUNG

The Korean born, French raised shoe designer is raising the bar on chic shoes.


paris - blahnik's are classics, louboutins remain lust worthy and yves saint laurent will always be legendary. but hear ye, hear ye: raphael young is haute on their heels. this phenomenal young designer is commanding attention, respect (and a portion of everyone's budget) with his innovative footwear which incorporates dainty materials (precious snakeskin, patent leather, etc) with masculine silhouettes (architecturally influenced heels and towering platforms.) in a word: the shoes are breathtaking and i am genuinely excited by young and what he represents: a new movement in shoe design. he debuted only two years ago and is sold at a handful of stockists in the u.s and abroad. log on to www.raphaelyoung.com to learn more while i log off to figure out a way to buy my first pair.

BEHOLD THE NEW FACE OF BALMAIN: POLISH MODEL ANJA RUBIK, 24

JULIANNE MOORE ON THE COVER OF PARIS VOGUE

you like? (dlisted.com)

paris - as you can see, american actress julianne moore made the cover of paris vogue. the photo is brilliant, edgy and very fashion forward. but i'm sort of over moore on so many magazine covers. i think it's great that she's almost become a muse for editors, but at this point, i'm bored. i would much rather have loved to see the other red head (and my fave one to boot), tilda swinton on this. what do yall think?

THE HOUSE OF BALMAIN IS THRIVING

above are looks from balmain's fall 2008 show. i love the sleek, languid, sexiness of it. it has a definite rocker chic to it, yet manages to still drip feminine sensuality. i live! (style.com)

creative director for the brand, christophe decarnin. sexy. no? (style.com)

paris - are you familiar with balmain? the legendary french luxury label is right up there with the house of dior, givenchy, balenciaga and chanel. in recent years, they've seen their profits and prestige plunge, but it is now experiencing a turn around. this summer, balmain will relaunch its menswear line, designed by balmain's creative director, christophe decarnin. the house has also debuted a womens fragrance: ambre gris. if that's not enough, they are testing a new childrenswear range and are in talks with luxottica to create a line of sunglasses. balmain is feeling bold after rapid growth last year which culminated in a three million euro profit. according it its c hariman, alain hivelin, they are looking to more than triple that amount to ten million euros this year.

BUT WAIT!? HOW DID ESTEBAN DO?

paris - another story that slipped through the cracks.....so earlier this year, i blogged about esteban cortazar, he is the 23 year old designer who was recently hired as the creative director of ungaro. it was a plum assignments, but at the time ungaro was definitely a house divided. it had already gone through four designers quicker than britney goes through frappucinno's, and the pressure was definitely on. cortazar had a matter of months to pull together a fierce collection and prove his talent and worth to the company and industry. well, in my opinion, our boy came through! i've been checking out reviews of his collection and though reporters are not gushing, they are suitably impressed with what he produced. i for one ADORE the fall 2008 collection. the pieces are soft in pallete, structure and touch (i imagine.) they are at once feminine and sexy and they are bold without being over the top. i am currently looking into investing in a few key high-end pieces and ungaro is definitely on my list. young esteban has made me a believer.

cortazar's collection for ungaro was very restrained, refined and mature. i loved it. do you? (style.com)

ANNA: IS THAT YOU?

what would anna do? we are sure it's none of the above. (dlisted.com)

paris - i just spied this photo on dlisted.com. it's suppossed to be anna wintour, editor in chief of american vogue (and alleged inspiration behind the book and movie, the devil wears prada.) so is that her? i think it's a really, really good fake. like canal street in new york city good. but whoever that chick is, it's not anna. she wouldn't have time to stop, pose and flip the bird. plus, she's too classy for that.

PAST PERFECT: FASHION WEEK (S) IS OVER, BUT MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH STEFANO PILATI IS JUST BEGINNING

just wow. from head to toe, these looks are amazing. i even like the wigs. (style.com)

paris - judging from the yves saint laurent show, the shape of things to come (in fashion) will be high-waisted, loose fitting, yet still sexy. the genius in this collection - and with stefano pilati (designer for ysl) for that matter - is that it manages to echo trends we have been seeing on runways all season (the return of the high waist, or rather, the natural waist/ harem style pants versus slim leg/geometric shapes and structure) YET elevates these trends to a level all its own. these clothes are bold, not only because of their styling, but because they mark a clear turn in fashion trends. as you look at them, you may NEVER see yourself wearing pieces like this. but in a matter of months , or even a year, once high street brands and mass manufacturers have grown comfortable with these new silhouettes, we will all be wearing them. guaranteed.

PRETTY (PISSED OFF) PRINCESS: MCQUEEN'S ROWDY ROYALS

words aren't enough to describe mcqueen's fall collection. (style.com)

paris - now i don't think i've ever thought this, let alone said this before: alexander mcqueen is a genius. or at the very least, his recent collection with. it managed to pull of being incredibly fanciful, yet totally wearable; being unabashedly girly, yet totally womanly; and giving off dark vibes, while still playing a pretty princess. i truly loved it. it was just visually lush and inspiring and makes you want to dress up. critics have been praising the collection as his best in the 14 years he's been designing. apparently consumers agree. mcqueen announced the day of the show, that it's the first time his company has turned a profit. cheers all around.

STILL THE DON: JACOBS' SUPREME COLLECTION AT LOUIS VUITTON

paris - clearly, i am one fashion writer who has no problem being enthusiastic about my subjects. i just finished reading sarah mower's hot/cold review of the marc jacobs collection on style.com. she ended it off saying " otherwise though, (i.e. with the exception of a few looks) it was lumpy going." i beg to differ, yes - the shapes (like what a lot of other designers offered this season) are blousy, big, and bulbous - but no, there was nothing at all lumpy about it. the genius is that these pieces, many of which resembled spheres (can you tell i read my thesaurus this morning!?), still managed to be sleek and sexy. as a designer, marc jacobs has either confused me (never got the frenzy over his collections) or alienated me with his (increasingly) anti-press attitude. but with this collection, i am officially a fan. there are no two ways about it: it's fresh, bold, and simply good clothing. oh and don't even get me started on the dope, fez-like headgear!