Lanvin S/S 2010 Paris

I think Alber, no matter how repetitive he could be, has the ability to be never boring for the simple fact that he is not trying to push the boundaries of how to correctly dress a woman, instead to simply make her more beautiful than she already is. This S/S 2010 collection was a hymn to the regal, shimmering beauty of women, though it was an extension of what Alber has been doing for quite a few seasons. I do miss when he would drastically switch things up every season, but it seemed that he's finally found his stride... and it's a beautiful stride. Over-the-top insanely gorgeous.

Alexander Wang S/S 2010 New York

I have always had a fascination in general clothing that sort of lacks a sense of glamour. You know, the kind of street-style idea of just randomly wearing what you want effortlessly and not doing it to look sexy. I think that has to do with a matter of taste anyway, some may like that sort of stuff, I personally do, or some may prefer Versace red carpet gowns or that sort of glam rock Gucci type of thing.

Therefore when Alexander Wang tried something slightly different than his normal clubby downtown chick looks for his S/S 2010 show, I just couldn't help but loving it. I guess it's also because of his all-American football inspiration; I've always been a huge sucker of all sort of romantic fantasy of high school drama: the handsome jocks, the beautiful cheerleaders, the cliches... Letterman jackets, homecoming and prom night. I like how Wang has taken bits and pieces from the football uniform (and what is worn underneath the football uniform) and created a cohesive collection of young and hip clothes... and I like that this time, the girls looked a little cleaner. In fact everyone looked really fresh, and I love the side braid hairstyle.

On the down side, although there were some really adorable pieces, the styling on some looks were so contrived and heavy-handed, that it detracted from the collection overall. However I applaud Wang's smart move that he didn't want to dwell on the hype he had gained over past seasons (Hello, Mr. Decarnin), instead he made an unexpected turn by trying to update the image of his brand and push his image towards a wider range.

Celine S/S 2010 Paris

Image source: www.vogue.co.uk, Jak&Jil

In 2009, Phoebe Philo, one of the biggest fashion stars of her generation whose hip-yet-girlish clothes and coveted bags catapulted Chloé into the designer big leagues, said she’s ready for her comeback after three years out of the spotlight to focus on her young family. Her first creation as the head designer for Celine was being one of the most anticipated collection during S/S 2010 fashion week.

The result wasn't disappointing at all. In fact, Phoebe Philo simply took this work to another level. Her take on the asymmetrical closures and hems looks refreshing. I was totally enamored with this summer leather trend, and Phoebe has done it better than what I've seen almost anywhere else. There's such precision to the leather looks presented here that they have the longevity to get worn over one's brisk spring ensembles and carried right over to one's fall/winter wardrobe seamlessly. The overall feeling was a mix of clean lines with femininity: it was beautiful and very womanly without being overtly sexual or placing an unnecessary emphasis on the form. The clothes simply evoke the feeling rather than visually asserting it.

I have always loved Phoebe Philo. She's smart and sharp about taking the design directions - keeping the Celine ship steady and following the direction of the more respected French collections: neutrals, minimalism, classic with a modern approach. The fact that I didn't see any of the old Chloé spirit in this collection was actually making me glad. I respect her a lot more for going for a more sophisticated, minimal look this time instead of the old giggly-girly Chloé. This will sell to the old Celine customer, and win over some of the old Chloé customers as well who are die-hard Philo fans, so in all business calculations, this works even though no grounds are broken. I appreciate that fashion often goes a bit minimal during recessions,and I can't really blame the houses for wanting to make money and cashing in on their designer's popularity!

Proenza Schouler S/S 2010 New York

I always imagined a Proenza Schouler girl as a carefree, girl-about-town, cocktail hardcore, night-queen-party-crasher type of girl. And if the duo were envisioning the same girl while creating this collection, well I guess they have done a brilliantly good job! The S/S 2010 collection is definitely one solid, cohesive collection; there's a rhythm created by the colors that emphasize the aggressiveness of the girl wearing it.

The collection was personally so eye-crashing due to the mix of heavy optical materials with bright fabrics and opulent appliques. I also found the punchy beautiful colors chosen very intriguing, and the prints give a realistic and very refreshing Amazonian feel to the collection. It was definitely the edgiest color palette on a collection during the fashion week!

Marc Jacobs S/S 2007-2011 New York

Marc Jacobs has always been one of my favorite designer, so I've been wanting to make an illustration of his outfit since like, forever. But somehow I never manage to do it because simply I couldn't choose which collection should I sketch! Then one day I came up with the idea of sketching one outfit that I like most from his spring collection from four years back until the recent spring 2011 collection, and what an idea it was; I certainly had a lot of fun drawing it. (:

Among all the collections, S/S 2008 would be my favorite Marc Jacobs' collection, ever. I never ever get tired of this very wearable interpretations-of-the-surrealist outfits and these misplaced pumps are just adorable, and remember the bag-on-bag bags? Well they just counts as another layer of adorableness, which makes this collection....hang on a second while I make some quick calculations...mmhmm...carry the three...ah yes, double adorable.

Miu Miu S/S 2010 Paris

This spring season, Miuccha was questioning youth and innocence in a world that's so opposite. That explains the key of the collection, which seems to be a juxtaposition of the childlike motifs and the 'adult scenes' prints that I think were done in such a brilliant way, as it was used pretty tastefully, not in Jeremy Scott kind of way.

Overall I think it's a quirky and fun collection! It's definitely not for everyone, but I personally love this. There are times when I actually prefer Miu Miu's collection over her big sister Prada, and this season is exactly just one of those. For once they did make playing grown-up looks like a lot of fun!