Adriana here!

So while Claire is hopping around to shows at Paris fashion week, I decided to give you bombshells the lowdown on the hottest runway shoes for Fall.

Our Spring ’09 Paris Fashion Week shoe roundup was filled with footwear that made you lust for warmer weather and a bigger budget. Fall ’09’s shoes, er…well, at least designers can’t be accused of not taking current times into consideration. Sure, there are some gems, but for the most part designers kept it stark and somber below the knee. Here we go…
Giambattista Valli: fab croco-patterned black platform boots…but a shoe collection heavy on satin for the fall?

Givenchy: Probably my favorite of the bunch (although the black boots are somewhat similar to Loboutin’s Forever Tina boot from Fall ’09). The studded sandals are sick!

Lanvin: Practical and alive with wearability, certainly, but I can’t muster too much excitement beyond that.

Nina Ricci: I don’t see these anywhere beyond the pages of a magazine editorial, a display case at the FIT Museum, or a Sasha Fierce video. They’re fun to look at but suffer from the other extreme you find in a recession: denial!

Stella McCartney: Again, here the black boots seem the strongest to me (this time with an intricate perforated pattern in the leather). Otherwise…

Viktor & Rolf: I’m feeling the sequin boots on the bottom left–the signature, just-right V&R touch of unconventionality. I’d have loved to see the white boots on the top left in a brown leather, though.

Yves Saint Laurent : The black suede and washed out teal pumps are the business, and I love how the heel incorporates elements of a wedge, a stiletto, and a platform all in one. Loves!

What do you guys think?
~Adriana

Michelle Obama adds another tick to her ‘magazine cover’ belt with the New Yorker’s March 16th issue:

The cartoon portrays Michelle as not only a first lady, but also a fashion plate–which she is!

I LOVE the New Yorker–it’s the only magazine I still have sent to me in Paris. So I will never, ever have anything bad to say about it.

Some people have a problem with the cover, saying it diminishes Michelle’s contributions and character. I think they’re silly.

What do you think?

PS New Yorker forever! Subscribe by going here. (yes, I’m a dork)

Last night my buddy Avon and I followed the signs around Paris’ Bercy stadium for the Alexander McQueen show:

I’m a huge fan of McQueen’s edgy dresses, skirts, and big shouldered jackets (think Beyonce en concert), and I was expecting to see a continuation of his practical pieces on the runway. Most designers thus far have presented collections that were largely wearable, as YSL paraded tops that anyone could rip off a model and wear to work the next day.

Oh, not so with McQueen:

I was shocked, awed, and thrown for a loop. Gasping, pointing, and uttterly thrilled. Have you ever seen anything like this?

With a middle finger raised to the recession, McQueen offered fantasy, theater, and couture like combinations for Fall 2009. With relics of his past in a scrap metal like heap in the middle of the runway, it seemed McQueen was presenting a New World/Post Apocalyptic order, which shunned practicality in favor of color, excess, and luxe:

In the show program, he admitted to referencing Christian Dior’s hounds tooth check pattern, which was obvious with the first few looks:

But as Christian Dior said ‘bullocks’ to budgets with his revolutionary New Look, it seemed McQueen was saying the same to our current fiscal crisis, using fabrics like organza, cock feathers, nappa leather, and snake jacquard, to “turn the bourgeois fashion system…on [its head].”

The models themselves looked alienesque with their kabuki makeup, slow gates, and high as the sky shoes:

Highlighting that McQueen is thoroughly out of this world. The final walk:

All hail McQueen!

Pictures care of Style.com.

The McQueen show last night was a fantastical journey, unlike anything I’ve ever seen! Before the show I snapped these two lovelies outside the venue at Paris’ Bercy stadium:

Black on black is always chic. Add a bit of sparkle and patent for fun!

Inside, I also caught a pic of some hot shoes:

What do you think?

So Amber Rose may be refusing interviews, but Mr. West went on camera for The Fashion Bomb at the Yves Saint Laurent Show.

Kanye was very gracious (as usual)…and Ms. Amber was looking fierce in a black catsuit. Represent!

What did you think?
Pssst, a fashion birdie told me that the lovebirds are also here shooting a video for Kanye’s single Robocop. Perhaps why they haven’t been to every show on the schedule…

The room was buzzing last night at the Yves Saint Laurent show as editors and celebrities crammed into the Palais de Tokyo by the Eiffel Tower. Of course Kanye West and his entourage were in attendance, but other stars such as Catherine Deneuve, Claudia Schiffer, Rachel Zoe and Nina Garcia made cameos as well, upping the wattage for the affair:

The collection began with a succession of garments in recession friendly neutrals like black, white, and gray. Sticking to clean, simple lines, Stefano Pilati reintrepretated work ready basics like the black skirt, white top, leather jacket, shift dress, and pinstripe suit–to dramatic effect:

Fashioned for the monied woman who yearns to update her classics, the collection was unquestionably lovely and full of solidly constructed skirts, jackets, and shifts.  I especially loved the white blouses with exaggerated elements like plunging v necks, large billowing sleeves, and overstated collars:

Couldn’t you see yourself wearing one with your go to pencil skirt?

Pilati also offered new derivations of the signature YSL Le Smoking, refashioning  jackets as dresses, vests, and high slit gowns:

Honestly, I could have lived without the glitter gowns and leather jumpers:

But as a girl who loves a classic look, I could see these pieces on anyone from a young professional to a seasoned executive in a fashionable field.

With YSL’s historical recognition of ethnic models, I was waiting for some color, and was excited to see stunner Chanel Iman in the lineup:

An exclamation point to the end of a solid sophisticated show! The final walk:

Apologies for the headshots in the video. I was standing! But I didn’t feel so bad, as I spied Rachel Zoe’s assistant Brad standing and snapping pix just like me! Standing is the new sitting (I kid).
What do you think of the collection?

*See more photos and read Sarah Mower’s review at style.com.

*Shout to Avon of Style101Magazine.com!

*Read more about Yves Saint Laurent in the Fashion Bomb’s tribute post.

Drama, excitement, and intrigue infused every aspect of the Jean Paul Gaultier show this weekend. With PETA screaming outside, a 45 minute wait, and a theatrical beginning to a show that ended in a mudfight, Gaultier had to be one of the most exciting shows thus far:

Thankfully the venue was relatively calm inside, which allowed attendees to focus on the main fashion attraction. The collection was representative of Gaultier’s typical blurring of male and female, with women dressed in as many three piece suits as ruffle heavy flouncy dresses:

The letter X–representative of the chromosome both males and females share–was also ubiquitous throughout, found on garments in the form of sheer cutouts, stitched on details, and straps:

The clothes themselves were suggestive without revealing too much: a large majority of coats, dresses, and capes contained sheer and netted details for a soupcon of sex:

While I couldn’t see myself wearing much, I fell in love with the Chanel like two toned tights and shoes:

Thankfully, accessories are supremely recession proof!
Peep the video to get a feeling of the show:

Bisous!

I snapped this young man on my way out of the Jean Paul Gaultier show:

He seemed to be embracing the Malcolm X + Pee Wee Herman look we wrote about here, down to the high water pants. He made the look his own, however, with a velvet blazer with silver piping, oxford shoes with silver accents, and silver and white socks (high waters be darned!).

Love this look.

Do you?

So while New York shows are high energy celebrity affairs, Paris shows are low key events primarily attended by American and international editors, buyers, and fashion enthusiasts.

So imagine my surprise when I spied Kanye West and Amber Rose creep into the Hussein Chalayan show yesterday. Actually, I was more juiced to see Amber:

I’ve met Kanye a few times before.

After we snapped our pic, I remarked on her cute Alexander Wang dress (whose design she declined to confirm) and tried to get her on the record/video about anything: How has her life and style changed since Kanye? Does she read any of the gossip blogs? Who is Amber Rose?

Want to know what she answered?

“I don’t give interviews.“

I was so disappointed!

It seems they just got here, but I hope she’ll eventually let her guard down. More to come!

Gros bisous!

Thanks Helene!

After I finished snapping pictures of the front row dwellers, I sat back to take in the show.

Hussein Chalayan is known for his innovative designs, and has incorporated paper, delicate beading, and even flashing lights in the past. His current collection similarly mixed unusual elements: acetate foam like fabrics tailored in sophisticated silhouettes along with more common materials, like leather, molded to the body like plastic:

I fell in love with the collection as I saw the first gray garments making their way down the runway. While I couldn’t identify the material, the construction was flawless and the silhouettes classically chic.  With hemlines that graced thigh lines and deep v necks, the fall ’09 forecast was also unabashedly sexy:

Young and fresh, the collection contained many dresses that I would unflinchingly wear for a night out. Even the cowl neck options had clean, simple colors and intricate detail:

While I loved most of the items, Chalayan began moving from right on to totally off with a few cocktail creations showcasing leather details molded to the bust as well as to the backside:

Head scratching pieces aside, the collection was strong. I was also so happy to see Jourdan Dunn walking along with newcomers Kinée Diouf (middle) and Aminata Niaria. I almost cheered!

The final walk:

Do you love?

PS Pat McGrath did the makeup!

Pictures via style.com. Read Sarah Mower’s take here.