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VERSACE
The strong point of the Versace show is without a doubt the dress. Be it long or mini, the dress created by Donatella Versace emits a blatant sex appeal. This mistress of glamour hasn’t skimped on the ’70s looks: cuts, graphic prints and exaggerated stripes. Between the black and white, the constants in the collection, one finds shades that criss-cross between yellow and green, like chartreuse, pistachio, without forgetting the lush pieces in deep purple. Donatella has used a palette that gives a very summery tone to Versace.

MIU MIU
Cuts being more sensible this season at Miu Miu, the audacity of the summer collection translates in jewel-tone colours: sapphire blue, ruby red, coral. This sparkling palette wonderfully marries the satiny materials used. As well, one again finds plenty of graphic prints and structured cuts. Miu Miu opts for the narrow, high-waisted pant and the little white flounced skirt. Very wearable!

BURBERRY PRORSUM
Christopher Bailey covered two outstanding eras in fashion, the ’20s and ’60s. The result? Charming little dresses that are very feminine with delicate lines. This season, the designer of the reknown British house bet on watered-down shades and played with the gamut of grey, going from pearl to silver to clay. To add a bit of excitement to it all, he worked with metallic and satiny materials.

LOUIS VUITTON
Marc Jacobs decided to please his Japanese clients for his spring-summer collection of Louis Vuitton in sprinkling his creations of de-structured cuts with girly details like frills, flounces and chiffon. The designer stayed faithful to his signature by adding very big cuts and structure. Loved the idea of the oversized clothes that were almost too big for the models to wear. Very youthful … almost as if they were a little girls playing dress-up.

YVES SAINT LAURENT
With a catwalk entirely covered in luscious violet pansies, Yves Saint Laurent set the stage for one incredible show. Although the atmosphere smelled of all-things fresh and alive, the models, perched on sky-high stilettos, had a much more difficult time parading the runway. Beyond that, the collection, as recognized by many attending fashionistas, was a sincere homage to the style of YSL in the ’80s. Stefano Pilati created cuts that are pure and chic while also mixing it up with prints and psychedelic.

LANVIN
Alber Elbaz, the designer of the hour, stands out with his avant-garde spirit. For the spring-summer collection, he chose dresses, skirts and coats that were short, short, short. The style recalls that of the ’60s reinterpreted to fit into today’s fashion climate. Most notable were the plastic-coated fabrics and photographic prints that gave a futuristic side to his collection. In the shades department, black dominated contrasted sometimes by pink or bright yellow elements.

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Check out our February 2007 issue for complete coverage — plus more photos — on Spring 2007. On newsstands now!JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
The spring-summer 2007 season is very significant, as it marks the 30th anniversary for the brand. To underline the event, the show was divided into two parts. The first presented iconic clothes created by the prolific French designer. Shown on the catwalk were the infamous corset dresses, the nautical/sailor style with navy and white stripes, and gypsy skirts. The new spring summer collection followed. The designer presented a series dedicated to sporty glam: anoraks, blouson jackets, team cami’s and extra-large satin shorts.

CHANEL
Black and white invaded the catwalk this season. On top of black, everything is mini : the skirts, dresses and above all, the shorts. Without forgetting the Chanel touch par excellence, the classic jacket accompanies each piece in the collection. Karl Lagerfeld added here-and-there graphic prints, stripes, tweed, soft pink, and adorned his creations with gilded jewels any woman would love to have in her possession. The whole season recalled a chic afternoon at the beach in the ’60s.

PROENZA SCHOULER
For their spring-summer collection, Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough pay homage to the time of their childhood, the ’80s. The it designers of the New York team amalgamated two icons of fashion from that era : Hervé Léger and OP Surfwear. The result? Cropped jackets and elastic-banded skirts with stripe details. They played with sorbet shades going from a subtle butter-yellow to the quintessential colour of the ’80s … bright turquoise.

MICHAEL KORS
Micheal Kors’ show plunged us in the universe of the ’80s film Flashdance. The American designer used jersey and mesh as a foundation for his season. Large, circular cuts juxtaposed with pieces that were more fitted and curvy. Leotards and crossover tops were also on deck an oh-so-fun.
For his colour strategy, Kors stacked saturated colours against neutral tones. Lots of caramel, white and grey were also in play which is in keeping with his overall style sensibility. Once again, the ’80s have stolen the show for the spring-summer 2007 season!

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ
It was a very urban collection that Narciso Rodriguez presented in New York for his spring-summer 2007 collection. The designer stayed faithful to minimalism in his creations and added to them, this season, adornments that went against the grain of his traditional streamlined look. Plastic breastplates adorned flowing gowns; ruby red and jet-black paillettes coated little cocktail dresses. On our shopping list? The adorable patent black raincoat. Very Audrey Hepburn.

STELLA McCARTNEY
Stella McCartney’s offerings were the most ready-to-wear during Fashion Week. This is one of her biggest strengths as a designer — Providing clothes that are accessible to a number of different women. In her current collection, volume is her foundation in which she creates. The sleeves of her short dresses are big and wide, as well as her jackets. Although the palette was almost entirely neutral in shades of beige, black and white, there were some punches of periwinkle blue to add a bit of shock-value to an otherwise understated collection. Although the series of rompers didn’t elicit rave reviews from the crowds, the rest most certainly charmed the audience.

CALVIN KLEIN
The spring-summer 2007 collection of the New York house was worth lingering over, as it was entirely designed by the Calvin Klein protégé, Francisco Costa. The newbie — recruited last summer — presented pieces that were very ethereal that gently leaned towards the futuristic. The sober colours wavered between canary yellow, beige, white and black. Short dresses were the defining point with gauzy chiffon overlays. Thoughts of Helmut Lang influences come to mind in his modernized cuts and silhouettes.

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Sit front row at all the major Spring fashion shows with our NEW live runway videos. Check them out here!

— Runway notes by Denis Desro

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