Miuccia Prada had a very specific take on Spring 09 for her Miu Miu collection. The clothes were romantic and full of spirit but were not at all whimsical. This is a beautiful woman of consequence announced Prada's clothes. The silhouette was short and the clothes were a good balance of flow and structure. Deep rich colors played beautifully off of black and the palette and graphics evoked antiquity in a way that lent the collection an air of gravity. Serious clothes for a serious woman who isn't somber in the slightest, a significant balancing act that Miuccia Prada pulled off to perfection.

An American in Paris; Marc Jacobs' collection for Luis Vuitton Spring/Summer 09 was decidedly more Champs-Elysées than corner of Broome and Broadway. The infusion of Jacobs vision does seem to be shaking Vuitton from the stereotyped slumber that had gripped it for the past few seasons. This was a bold collection full of atypical tailoring and unusual structure. The colors were bright and vital and although some of the clothes were just over the top, it was a necessary slash across the fashion landscape to show that imagination and risk taking are back in vogue at the Parisian legend.

Rarely do I agree with the rest of the fashion media, however I too must add to the glowing reviews that Alber Ebaz is recieving for his Spring Summer collection for Lanvin S/S 09. Luxurious fabrics shimmered and glowed softly in shapes that were tailored in a creative but not shocking manner. Ebaz's colors were mostly dark for spring though at the and a few beautiful bright blues and brilliant greens and purples did appear. Overall the clothes are dramatic without being showy and are a testament to Ebaz's ability to know where to stop. Garishness and costume are avoided but the restraint is never so severe that the clothes become casual. I suspect that to Ebaz, casual is an insult.

Seth F