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.

BLAND AND BASIC OR BOLD AND BALLSY?

fashionable and fit: gaultier runs down the runway. (style.com)

paris - blaynistas, you be the judge. for some reason the last collection i saw from hermes bored me to tears (it wasn't by gaultier though, woman designer, but i forget who). i was fully prepared to slag off this years collection by the legendary jean paul gaultier, but something about these supple, sultry belted leather jackets won't let me. the 57 look collection did have some painfully basic moments, but the highlights above really made the collection worth a second look for me. at the end of the day, as nicole phelps said in her review on style.com, this collection isn't making fashion news as others did in paris this season, but it's solid enough to hold its own.

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!

WOMENS ISSUES: RALHP RUCCI'S MATURE LINE UP

above are my favorite looks from rucci. simply beautiful. (thank you style.com for photos)

paris - wow. i only looked at the chado ralph rucci collection out of curiosity. i had no plans on liking it (no matter what it was) let alone, posting on it. so you can imagine my surprise when i actually ended up loving it. ultimately, a lot of houses are churning out youth-focused fashion, but rucci served up a collection that was distinctly womanly and one that any age category would appreciate. by the way, if you aren't familiar with this designer, it's worth doing your research. rucci is the son of a philadelphia butcher and attended temple university. after graduating he moved to new york, got a degree at f.i.t and began an amazing career in fashion. in fact,he is the ONLY american designer to be invited oto show couture in paris. (even big wigs like ralph lauren, calvin klein or marc jacobs have not had this honor) he has also been twice nominated for the cfda designer of the year award, but has yet to win. if he continues with such stellar designs though, i am sure his day will come.