Ok, from the top of my head...
Favorites
Prada: Always raises a big question mark for me, season after season and it's usually a collection that takes a lot of time to digest. I am yet to finish digesting S/S 08. But this collection is one that I instantly loved. You either love or you hate lace and there are no in-betweens...I am on the love side.
Givenchy: This was Tisci's first true showcase of what he has up is sleeve for Givenchy. After seasons and seasons of lukewarm, so-so, alrightish collection for both RTW and couture, this was just spectactular. This collection shows that a designer should stay true to himself, because this catholic theme worked out really well.
John Galliano: In my opinion, this was better than both S/S 08 and F/W 0708, because I had the feeling that it offers more and was more relevant than just biascut dresses with pretty jackets and coats. Something that hasn't truly happened at Galliano (esp the relevance) since, say F/W 0506. Wild styling, but great pieces and amazing colors. Love the attitude.
Rodarte: This was a New York treat for me. Something wonderous, something dreamy and something soft. Such a huge contrast to the rest of New York which was seriously obsessed with the recession. Amazing.
Alexander McQueen: Paris, and the entire fashion month really, desperately needed some luxurious drama. McQueen offered right that at the right moment in time. He started with the beautiful black, signature McQueen darkness (the suits!) and ended in economically positive, rich and luxurious gowns to die for.
Notable mentions: Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Yves Saint Laurent, Aquascutum, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Jil Sander
Disappointments
Christian Dior: I cannot hate him...I just cannot. Even though this collection was irrelevant, ugly, bombastic and impractical due to its colors and dated shapes IMO. Stop reaching back in time and do something new. Let me use one of my favorite quotes here: camper than a row of tents, darling...
Versace: The artsy-fartsy dresses were truly wonderful, I liked some of the gowns and I totally felt the nineties vibe. But in my opinion, the daywear really lacked. I wasn't really jumping for the coats as I think they offered nothing new. And when I think of Versace, I think of bouncy hair and a sexy cast. Both were missing and both can be highly important in the impression a collection leaves behind.
Dolce & Gabbana: It was hard to surpass last season, because it was truly a highlight in many many seasons. They didn't surpass it, but they also didn't reach the same level. This was really bad at times and this lacked a lot sex. Some of the stuff looked like the walked right of Meisel's February editorial for Vogue Italia and that is not what you want at Dolce & Gabbana. The line-up of crinoline and tulle at the end is a clear case of been there, done that, got the t-shirt.
Nina Ricci: To start of positive, I loved the pallet. If you'd lay down in an autumny surrounding filled with the colours of fall you'd disappear. Love that. But the clothes themself were just last season with different colors, or so it felt. Nothing ugly, but just nothing exillerating.
You ain't got no alibi...
MiuMiu: The initials were cute, but ugly for starters. What the hell was this?! It was impractical, too conceptual, unrealistic, downright ugly and utterly repulsive. If this is Miuccia's way in avoiding copycatting behaviour by H&M and consorts then that's fine by me, but don't be so pretentious about it and call it fashion. Yuck.
Roberto Cavalli: Again, where was the sex? Milan was completely sexless and to top that, Cavalli was completely glamourless. That's sacrilege. The dresses were horribly fit, horribly made and horribly ugly. The tiara's? Hell no. The dresses, way too cutesy...what a let-down.
Jean-Paul Gaultier: This was way way way too much. I think entire forests must be stripped from their fauna to make this show possible. I am not a furlover, but I can tolerate it when done nicely. To see hats with tails, feet AND heads made this collection unable to be fathomed by me. The crocodile tail dangling from a coat had my inner PETA activist going berserk. I didn't even notice wether the daywear was ok or not.
And Rodarte, Sonia Rykiel, Alexander Wang and Missoni. Fendi and Emilio Pucci were decent.
And then Nina Ricci. Also WTF. Fall 07 was so great, but then Olivier went all sorts of crazy.
