An Vandevorst Anniversary

An Vandevorst and Filip Arickx celebrated the tenth anniversary of their label with a highly choreographed show in which 14 video screens tracked the models' progress from backstage down a flight of stairs to the runway. It was followed by a cocktail party: In place of a finale, waiters streamed out with trays of Champagne.

As guests, including the designers' fellow Belgian Dries Van Noten, lingered on the runway, Arickx explained the concept for Fall: "We noticed that every season there's a dualism to our collections, and this season we decided to play with that more."

Hard versus soft and tailoring versus lingerie are among the dualities this husband-and-wife team is best known for. Here, they turned their signature shirting into a kind of foundation; nearly every look began with a black or white button-down and cotton leggings to match.

On top, representing the hard part of their oeuvre, they layered narrow, tailored capes or doubled jackets (a single piece that looked like a shrunken suit jacket over a longer one); for the soft alternative, they offered oversize Fair Isle cardigan coats with even bigger scarves, and shiny puffer jackets with split sleeves that ended in mittens.

A few dresses, worn undone at the back or loosely quilted all over, alluded to the schizophrenia that Arickx mentioned. But others with soft tucks above and below the waist looked perfectly sane, not to mention pretty. The same goes for most of this collection.

Louis Vuitton Fall 2008

The new, punctual, be-suited Marc Jacobs stood backstage after his Louis Vuitton Fall collection and briskly rattled off the need-to-know: "We just worked with shapes.

Darts, folds, and pleats. I don't like to use these words because they sound pretentious, but if you like, last season was painterly, and this season's sculptural."

In essence, what he'd just shown was a more shapely and pulled-together version of the eighties-inflected collection he'd sent out under his own name in New York. If it led to puzzlement at first viewing, now, at least, his intentions can be read in context. Four weeks is a long time in fashion, and in the interim other designers—most notably Stefano Pilati at YSL—have been pushing big pleated pants, scrolliform necklines, and standout dirndls in heavy fabrics.

Orange Marina

Orange pure raw silk hand embellished shalwar kameez. Scoop neck has red appliqué with bead and diamantes work. Lined shirt. Fully beaded shirt has floral patterns in green and red shades.

Heavily beaded hem has appliqué and diamantes. Orange pure chiffon dupatta has red silk edges. Plain shalwar.

An amazing outfit for Mehandi, Mayoon or any special occasions. Embellishments made with bead, sequins, cut-pipes, rehsam with crystal diamantes detailing.
Made in Pakistan.

Sheer Runway Looks

If the last time you donned something sheer was during an unfortunate early '80s Madonna infatuation, prepare to be pleasantly surprised.

This spring, designers as diverse as Chanel, Donna Karan, and Rodarte are proving that sophisticated and transparent can happily coexist in the same style sentence.

While many of the looks gave the nod, not surprisingly, to all things ethereally romantic, others—like Calvin Klein's shocking citron frock with its corona of translucent fabric that seems to hover around the body—are the very essence of contemporary chic.

Botkier Frankie Satchel

Botkier bags have become a fan favorite in the handbag loving world. As the brand has developed over the past five years Monica Botkier, the designer, has kept true to her fans producing more hip and usable bags each season. Recently there was a release of Botkier shoes, which I look forward to seeing in person.

The favorite of mine is still the Sasha (which you all went crazy over). I saw the Botkier Frankie Satchel at Saks last week and it immediately caught my attention. The bag contains all of the familiarities of Botkier bags, but adds a special touch with the silver patent leather. Now this patent is not the very glossy patent that we are used to, it is toned down a bit.

There is also a detachable mini coin purse, which is always a nice accessory to add to your bag. The frame top gives this bag a dressed up feel and the braided detail handles gives a fun edge. Dimensions are 15″W X 11¼”H X 5¾”D . This is a great option if you have been looking for a little glimmer and spunk. $695 via Saks.

Bustier

Shirley of Hollywood Embroidered net and stretch mesh bustier. Sophisticated embroidered net and stretch mesh bustier with sexy underwired demi cups.

Stretch mesh back with hook and eye back closure, cute embroidered adjustable straps, big ribbon tie back, and removable garters. Comes with g-string.

Price: £64.80

Less is More

Spring is quickly approaching, which means less skin needs to be covered and brighter colors are a must. Fortunately, Prada took both of the above into consideration when developing its spring line of footwear.

Thanks to Manolo's shoe blog, I was able to catch a sneak peak of a few of Prada's Spring 2007 shoes.

In our opinion, the new shoes by Prada are fabulous. Prada has done a great job of capturing style and grace with less material, which is no easy feat. Big designer brands like Prada typically set fashion benchmarks for the entire industry, which means we're likely to see more shoe designers working bright colors into ballet flats and strappy sandals this spring.

Shoe trends for 2008

Our favorite shoe blogger in the blogosphere, Manolo, recently vowed to share his predictions for what's going to be the hottest shoe trends in 2008. In our opinion, fashion is a hard thing to gauge and changes faster than the weather.

Nevertheless, Manolo's opinion is as well-respected as they come in the realm of online shoe knowledge, so we won't argue. After all, he did do well with his speculation on the return of the pointy-toed pump.

Pointy pumps haven't exactly gone out of style, their popularity is now greater than that of Britney and Kevin's custody battle. We've always loved the witchy-esque look of pointy pumps, but having Manolo reaffirm our love is refreshing. With all that said, what do you think about pointy-toed pumps?

A Classic Suede Pump by Coclico

New York based Coclico is pure Parisian fashion! This classic two and a half inch suede Bird Pump by Coclico is as comfortable as it is stylish. Paired with cropped jeans, these pumps are perfect for pedaling to the farmer’s market on a Saturday afternoon or meeting up with the girls for a Campari and soda.

Coclico, which means ‘poppy’ in French, is the ultimate ménage a trois of urban, sophistication and femininity. The opening is detailed with a leather cord flattering the foot and adding personality, while the round toe and modest heel echo the softer stylings that are popping up everywhere this spring.

So stash away your vampish pointy-toe stilettos, and fill your bicycle basket with fresh flowers - pretty is back!