Balenciaga
Another master class in extreme cutting and exaggerated silhouettes—pronounced shoulders, tiny waists, abbreviated hems—from Nicolas Ghesquière, this time in lush, gorgeous florals. Wearable? Yes, for the brave. Others have only to wait a season or two until the designer's ideas trickle down, as they inevitably do.
Another master class in extreme cutting and exaggerated silhouettes—pronounced shoulders, tiny waists, abbreviated hems—from Nicolas Ghesquière, this time in lush, gorgeous florals. Wearable? Yes, for the brave. Others have only to wait a season or two until the designer's ideas trickle down, as they inevitably do.
Dolce & Gabbana
After last season's S&M romp, Dolce & Gabbana worked out the kinks, whipping up frothy, fifties-style tulle dresses hand-painted with abstract flowers. A fresh, sweet, and utterly covetable collection from the longtime practitioners of in-your-face sex appeal.
Dries Van Noten
Dries Van Noten pushed his arty aesthetic a step further, layering as many as five different prints, mostly florals, onto one dress, jacket, or of-the-moment pajama pant. It made for a vibrant, Technicolor lineup, and one of his most accomplished collections ever.
Lanvin
In a season in which wearability often came second to fantasy or fetishism, Alber Elbaz turned out one light, easy, billowy reimagined goddess dress after another, and in polyester, no less. The tuxedos weren't too shabby, either. These were real-life clothes made really chic.
Marc Jacobs
Transparency, boudoir dressing, surrealism, footballers' wives—Marc Jacobs used those tropes and more in a collection that for all its kooky eclecticism was essentially about sex. And like his subject matter, it got everyone talking.
Marios Schwab
This on-the-rise London designer turned out a collection that united two of the season's top trends: watercolor florals and sculptural silhouettes. But it takes a unique mind to dream up those viscerally beautiful body-heat-generated prints.
Narciso Rodriguez
With a multimillion-dollar cash influx from Liz Claiborne at his disposal, Narciso Rodriguez was back on his game, infusing his precision seaming and exacting cuts with a fresh sportiness on the one hand—think "ninja" jackets—and a new sense of luxury on the other. Top marks for the violet finale dress scattered with caviar beading.
Prada
Miuccia Prada's collection of fairy-dusted pajama sets was one part Art Nouveau, another part seventies-era Ossie Clark and Biba, and an utter surprise after last season's strange treatise on the natural/man-made divide. But, then, that's what makes hers such an important, influential voice.
Ralph Lauren
Followed by a grand fête in Central Park's Conservatory Garden, Ralph Lauren's 40th anniversary collection touched upon many of his famous signatures without ever feeling like a rehash. It was full of bold colors, timely floral prints, and red-carpet numbers galore for his A-list fans.
Rodarte
With their reputation for breathtakingly romantic and exquisitely rendered evening dresses well established, Kate and Laura Mulleavy have started venturing into new territory. Their cobwebby sweaters and Coco-esque suits looked new, yet never strayed too far from their imaginative, utterly original aesthetic.
Style.com
