The finale walk at Chanel, in the Grand Palais.

Chanel is among the world’s most admired fashion houses. It’s also, indisputably, the most fun. Who else but Karl Lagerfeld would stage a fashion show around an immense rotating globe, with boutiques marked with little double C flags? The message was global fashion and global appeal, underscored by the soundtrack: Daft Punk’s “Around the World” which had editors from nearly every continent nodding their heads to the beat.

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Gucci, Fall 2013. All photos by ImaxTree.com.

Sure, Fall/Winter 2013 is still two full seasons away, but it’s never too early to start planning your wardrobe. Here are the standout fashion trends from the first day of Milan Fashion Week:

The palette: Jewel tones

Alberta Ferretti Fall 2013.

The print: Tartan or houndstooth

Gucci Fall 2013.

Alberta Ferretti Fall 2013.

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This season, Brunello Cuccinelli says he was inspired by androgyny—hence the ladies-who-lunch (with-the-boys!) vibe.

My first appointment of the day was the Brunello Cucinelli presentation, in an absolutely beautiful showroom on Viale Montello. As models milled around in charcoal cashmere, quilted leathers and slouchy trousers, editors chatted softly and sipped champagne (I stuck to espresso, because it was a little early to be breaking out the Veuve). But I couldn’t resist some of the incredible appetizers on display—cheese and croissants? Count me in! (And yes—that is a prosciutto carving station. Only in Milan, friends).

The gorgeous Brunello Cucinelli showroom. 

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 Christopher Raeburn, Fall/Winter 2013. All runway photos by Imaxtree.com.

It’s the tiniest fashion show invitation I’ve ever received. For his seventh namesake collection, British designer Christopher Raeburn (who also moonlights as the creative director of Victorinox), sent out thumb-sized bottles (complete with a cork cap). Inside each one was a little rolled piece of fabric with the show details—a true fashion-forward message in a bottle. How cute!

I caught up with Christopher after his runway show.

On the invitation

“The message in the bottle links to our naval theme for the season. We do unique invites every season—we’ve done everything from a toy parachute to fabric and texture-based invitations.”

Click through to read about Christopher Raeburn’s Fall 2013 inspiration & see more pics from the show!

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Runway photos courtesy of ImaxTree.com.

The security to get backstage at Vivienne Westwood’s Paris show was rather intense. But that’s what happens when a fabulous fashion spectacle is staged at the British Ambassador’s Residence on Embassy Row. Once I made it through the gauntlet of buff, tall MI5-looking men, I entered the fashion tent in the spacious backyard where Westwood’s inventive, quirky world was taking shape.

Makeup is never a simple, scaled-back affair with this British designer. “It’s about playtime,” makeup artist Val Garland explained to me, while she was painting the outline of a heart onto a model’s face. “It’s a little bit Marie Antoinette. Basically, it’s about putting all the makeup ideas into a bag, juggling them all up and seeing what comes out. It’s about playtime. Theatre!”

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Photos courtesy of ImaxTree.com

This week, every model worth her 5’11″ is sporting a leather jacket. Take New Jersey-born up-and-comer Juliana Schurig (above, snapped after yesterday’s Prada show), who paired her jacket with another ubiquitous trend: the studded loafer.

Click through for six models going hell for leather…

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Image from Zoologist by Charlotte Linton collection courtesy of Anthropologie.

Jason Wu did it for Target; same for Marni with H&M. Now eleven established and upcoming designers will roll out capsule collections created exclusively for Made in Kind, Anthropologie’s new online platform for seeking out one-of-a-kind talent.

The hybrid shopping/gallery one-stop site launches today (April 5) and includes upcoming as well as some well-known New York Fashion Week faves (yes, there’s a Gregory Parkinson capsule line in there).

Here’s an intimate look at the 11 curated new and vintagey collections culled by around-the-globe designers available only at this online gallery of the best kind of art: the kind you live in.

Drawings by Florence Balducci
An artisan of all trades creative—illustration, fabric design and acting—Parisian designer Florence Balducci is naturally an Anthropologie vet. Her hand-sketched printed scarves and silhouette-engraved chinaware have been available at the fashion-forward retailer for years. Now Balducci releases a collection of vintage-inspired military jackets (approx. $300)—the kind her dad wore—only embellished with ornate floral detailing and whimsical animal sketches.

Gregory by Gregory Parkinson
A British expat, Parkinson understands the colourful prints and air-light fabrics of his adopted L.A. homeland—in fact, he designed most of them. For his capsule collection created exclusively for Anthropologie (from approx. $214 to $464), he departed from the all-white, minimalist dresses that defined his Spring/Summer 2012 for a kaleidoscopic smattering of tie-dyed fabrics.

Image from O by Organic collection courtesy of Anthropologie.

Hi There! From Karen Walker
Rarely does a designer perfectly embody both of her polar style opposites: feminine and downtown edge, demure and eye-catchingly bold. Yet such is the trademark of New Zealand-based designer Karen Walker, whose collection, only available at Anthropologie, is a New York Fashion Week staple. Hi There! From Karen Walker (from approx. $140 to $160) is made up of six classic, paisley-patterned frocks with a distinct, vintage wallpapery twist. Read the rest of this entry

 Image by Savo Sok.

WHO: Michelle Gerrard, film student
STYLE ICONS: Taylor Momsen (for some pieces) and Rachel Bilson
TREND YOU’D NEVER TRY: High-waisted flared jeans because I’m short and could never pull it off.

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I started off my day with a double dose of Canadian style. First up was Jeremy Laing who presented his collection in a glossy white loft space in Chelsea.

The show opened with a zip-back jacket and skinny pants in bleach-print velvet, which reflected the starting point for the collection: tailored jackets and textures. “I frequently will start my design process with dresses but you can kind of get bored with the way you work, so it’s nice to try a different approach to see what happens,” Laing told me. This season, he made a conscious decision to opt for “something with a more tactile sensitivity” rather than the digital prints, for which he is well-known. “Bleach printing is a reactive process that removes dye and ink from the fibre, so it’s harder to control. But that’s the beauty of it, you get variety, which is cool.” Read the rest of this entry

Finally, my first full day of shows … and it did not disappoint. I woke up to snowflakes outside—and inside—at Lacoste, my first show of the morning. The center of the runway showcased giant rectangular snow-globe boxes filled with flurries. The soundtrack? Sleigh bell music. The look from Lacoste artistic director Felipe Oliveira Baptista was “rugby dress meets ski suit” inspired by pics of the French national men’s ski team circa 1966 (outfitted by Lacoste, of course) and a mountain motoring expedition from the 1930s. The oversized “egg-shaped” parkas with morphing hoods and multiple zippers were standouts. And the ski sweaters with alligator patterns were a nice touch.

Later in the day I met up with ELLE Canada’s Anthony Mitropoulos for the Herve Leger show where equestrian corset-harnesses added a layer of complexity to Leger’s famous bandeau dresses. Plenty of pleats, fringe details, and models sporting true PONY tails, swished and swayed down the runway.

Anthony’s take: “Leger had Gladiator women emerging from the Colosseum ready to fight for fashion in knee-high, stappy stiletto boots!”

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