It’s no surprise that the most lovely outfits this month would come from haute couture designers, or that said outfits would be worn to the Paris haute couture shows or at least to their afterparties.  But who could have expected the showing that Chanel would bring in?  In recent weeks it seemed like everyone who was anyone in the fashion capital and erstwhile City of Lights was wearing a design by the revered house.

1. Hana Soukupova

The impossibly tall former Gucci model chose a white column dress with a silver beaded bodice and an oversized black clutch.  Paired with red lipstick and simple straight hair, this look spells out a mixture of ease and glamour that is Paris personified.  Dazzle like Hana did in a neutral jeweled dress by Chloe.

2.  Liya Kebede

The Estee Lauder model looks pretty as a fairy-tale princess in a sparkling-but-demure minidress and a classic Chanel bag.  Dress up in a sequined mini by Vivienne Tam.

3. Diane Kruger

At the Chanel show, the National Treasure actress was the portrait of laid-back luxury in black chiffon and cozy fur with a sequined handbag.  Co-opt her slouchy and statuesque style with a gown by Nicole Miller.

4. Clemence Poesy

The Harry Potter films’ budding style star, also a spokesmodel for Chloe’s latest fragrance, looked girlishly elegant in a red jumper-style dress and a shrunken black blazer.  Capture her Parisian charm with a sweet, structured shift by Akris.

February is already upon us and where, oh where, have my New Year’s resolutions gone? My resolve to go to yoga, be a bit friendlier to mother earth and drink less coffee has not exactly been a big theme for 2008 thus far. In fact, quite the opposite. If you are anything like me, I think I may have a solution that will at least take care of 2 of these. Cute, earth friendly workout clothing! I am a firm believer that the best way to motivate yourself to the gym, yoga, or a run around the neighborhood is to have an outfit that you can’t wait to put on and that only makes sense as exercise duds. I know, some gals will scoff at the idea that you need to look cute while working out. Good for them, they have motivation that I, alas, do not.

Stella McCartney makes amazing pieces for Adidas that are perfect for such an idea. First, they mix McCartney’s avant garde styling with Adidas’ athletic credibility. And second, both McCartney and Adidas are known for their animal and environment friendly manufacturing requirements. So you can look good and feel great at the same time.

Some looks from the Spring 2008 Adidas by Stella McCartney presentation:

Some Adidas by Stella McCartney looks for you (click on images for more info):

As for less coffee? Well, you’re on your own. I’ve got to leave something for 2009!

While she is best known for her role as Summer on The OC, or to your boyfriend as the scantily clad babe on the cover of February’s GQ, Rachel Bilson has been getting recognized for her effortless chic by girls-in-the-know for a long time. Ms. Bilson is our girl crush, because she always gets us talking. Not for her diva antics or out of control behavior, but because we always want to steal what she is wearing!

Whether she is casual:

or Red Carpet ready:

Ms. Bilson is the perfect fashionista to emulate for many reasons, and we will touch on a few. She is a very petite, and she knows how to dress for her size! She wears clothing that fits her frame, for example, even her leg jeans (in the first picture) aren’t overwhelming. Rather the long hem serves to elongate her leg. Dressing for your body type is an important lesson for girls of all shapes and sizes. She also dresses appropriately for her age, namely, she isn’t afraid to try a bold color or youthful funky cut. Finally, she pulls off dressed down without looking sloppy, sexy without looking trashy and conservative without looking dowdy.

Crushing? Try these Ms. Bilson worthy pieces (click on the images for more info):

A fitted blazer from Laura Clement and 7 For All Mankind wide leg jeans looks fresh after seasons of skinny jeans:

A yellow scarf adds an unexpected splash of color:

A wide contrasting belt over this David Meister LBD adds a little character:

The pink of this Milly dress is fresh and the beading has a youthful vibe:

How does Karl Lagerfeld do it, season after season?  He never fails to inject his own cool edginess into the ladylike aesthetic of Coco Chanel’s atelier - all the while keeping each garment remarkably beautiful and well-constructed.  This Chanel’s Spring 2008 Haute Couture show featured fashion wonder after fashion wonder, each accented with pompadours, sheer tights, and dainty flats.  Even if flats on the runway seem a little sacriligious to some - the horror! - Karl, as always, pulled it off with chic aplomb.  The clothes, like much of couture week’s offerings, featured a Spring-ready pastel palette.  The fabrics - only the finest, of course - ranged from ruffled to sequined to pleated, on delicate gowns, neat little tulip dresses, and one-shouldered frocks. In other words, it will be criminal if these dresses don’t hit the red carpet come Oscar time. 

Meanwhile, the showstoppers at Elie Saab and Christian Lacroix held true to their designers’ signature aesthetics -  Hollywood dazzle and elaborate, colorful whimsy, respectively.  Both shows were heavy on bright Spring colors like turquoise, coral, and lavender. 

Castle Starr’s asymmetrical cocktail dress features the same icy color scheme and modern femininity as Chanel’s latest creations.  Marc Jacobs’ coral pleated satin dress perfectly expresses the vibrant mood of the season.

On the Spring 2008 runways, designers were mad for flower prints. The quintessential symbol of spring seemed to be on everyone’s mind. Getting a head start on this trend is the perfect way to beat the post- Holiday blues. It may still be cold outside, but you can have your own personal flower garden in your closet! It is easy to make this look work for chilly weather. You can belt your favorite cardigan over a long floral dress and wear with boots for a boho vibe. If structured is more your style, try a black or navy blazer, opaque tights and ballet flats with a shorter dress. While I concede that not every woman is crazy for girlie florals, this year they came in many different varieties, such as:

Bold at Gucci:

Abstract at Paul & Joe:

Girlie (for those who ARE in to such a thing) at Ralph Lauren:

Neon (fitting in with another hot trend for spring) at Balenciaga:

Modern at Dries Van Noten:

And Classic at Carolina Herrera:

This gives fashionistas the opportunity to make the trend fit their own personal style. Agree that everything is coming up roses? Try these looks (click on the image for more info):

Bold from Versace, Abstract from Lotta Stensson, Classic and Girlie from Rebecca Taylor:

The Paris Haute Couture shows are a dreamy time of year, one at which we can wrap our troubles in made-to-order, intricately beaded silk dreams.  This season’s couture shows did not disappoint.  First up was Christian Dior, with references to Gustav Klimt, Asian exotica, and the flowers of Spring.  Strutting down the runway to Led Zeppelin, wispy models showed off enormous, heavily beaded and artfully sculpted Galliano confections in eye-catching pastels and brights, with dizzyingly high and achingly modern shoes to match.

Valentino (above left) and Armani Prive (above right) both opted for an equally sweet color scheme, but these looks were far more classic in silhouette than the daring options at Dior.  Armani presented perhaps his most feminine collection in years, a sharp contrast to his usual traditional black-and-white evening looks.  Elegant pleating added a modernist edge to his form-fitting gowns and cocktail dresses.

The venerable Valentino’s presentation was a bit bittersweet - the clothes were soft, lovely, and very Valentino, but this collection is, sadly, his last.  But what a way to retire - hot on the heels of a universally acclaimed Spring showing, his couture show did not disappoint.  Mod pastel coats - tailored to perfection - and elegant floral ball gowns wowed a packed house of Hollywood and fashion luminaries including Uma Thurman and Marisa Berenson.

Dior, Armani, and Valentino presented very different shows, but all three featured soft Spring colors and plenty of pleating.  Get the couture look for a ready-to-wear price with these pieces from 3.1 Phillip Lim.

This past fall, plaid came back in a big way. It was all over the runways, and all over the hipster kids coast to coast. While browsing vintage stores for the perfect worn in grungy plaid pieces, I kicked myself for not saving all those great button- downs I owned back in my Nirvana obsessed youth. Don’t make the same mistake while transitioning your wardrobe from fall to spring. Plaid was once again on the runways, just slightly less grungy. Plaid is heading in the direction of girlie dresses and polished separates.
At Brian Reyes:

Missoni:

And Luella:

Mad for plaid? Try a cute toggle coat from Billabong for colder weather (click on images for more info):

Cute dresses from Nanette Lepore and Marc Jacobs are a great way to wear the look for spring:

 Neons seem to be irrefutably drawing their last figurative breaths, and yet basic black looks rather boring as of late.  So what’s a girl to do when she wants to be on the cutting edge when it comes to ”in” colors?  Perhaps we should look to candy shades - not quite pastels, not quite brights, but certainly new and charming.

Philip Lim and Zac Posen both showed a curious pale orange color - not peach, but not exactly actual orange.  Martine Sitbon’s Rue de Mail and Jason Wu featured soft yellows, and Michael Kors and Lanvin (above) unusual tones of teal and green.  Vivienne Tam and Yves St. Laurent contrasted vibrant shades of violet with an otherwise subdued palette.

These new candy hues look particularly fresh when paired with neutrals - wear bright accessories with safari khakis, or try a colorful frock or separates with beige or gray shoes.

This dress by Milly pairs two candy colors - red and a subdued goldenrod orange - with a stark black trim that brings the look back down to earth.  Frye’s lemon-yellow t-strap flats can add a colorful punch to an otherwise neutral outfit.

Valentine’s Day is still a few weeks away (and, it’s such a lovely holiday that I might just have to post about it twice) but love is already in the air - and why not dress like it?  To be sure, nothing is fresher, sweeter, or more romantic than dressing in Valentine colors.

Pink, red, and other ultrafeminine colors were abundant on the Spring runways, so come February 14th, there will be plenty of clothes to choose from.  Katy Rodriguez’s collection featured ruffled dresses and ladylike tweed skirt suits in pink and red, and Dolce and Gabbana’s paint splatter print cocktail and evening dresses incorporated both colors as well.  Chris Benz and Giambatista Valli’s Spring collections featured a plethora of brilliant magenta pieces.  Giles Deacon, meanwhile, showed stunningly constructed floral-themed dresses in gradations of pink and lavender.

Of course, the typical Valentine’s shades are not the only ways to show your love for love this month.  Floral accessories, like the elegant floral wedge heels shown at Dries Van Noten, are unabashedly romantic, as are other feminine touches like lace.  The cute heart details made ubiquitous by Erin Fetherston and Moschino in recent seasons are also very Valentine’s.

Betsey Johnson’s Clover pumps are a darling accent to any outfit.  Rebecca Taylor’s pale pink ruffled dress won’t fail to impress at that perfect Valentine’s Day date.

 If only all of our former teen pop stars had matured as gracefully as Marianne Faithful did!  The doe-eyed swinging 60’s phenom, who dated Mick Jagger and palled around with London’s coolest crowd, had just about bottomed out by the mid-70s due to poverty and drug addiction.  But, with her seminal 1979 album Broken English, Ms. Faithfull made a remarkable comeback, and to this day she remains a clean and sober purveyor of spare, dark, and brilliantly cutting-edge indie rock.

 Through it all, she’s been dressed for success.  At the start of her career, she matched innocent hits like “As Tears Go By” and “Come and Stay With Me” with sweet, airy babydoll dresses; oversize sunglasses; and long, straight locks with a girlish fringe.  As she grew older and more worldly, so did her look - she was all rocker in the 70’s and 80’s, with newly shorn shaggy locks and tight leather jackets, and nowadays she’s sleek and refined in fitted dresses and tuxedo blazers.

In her swinging sixties dollybird days, Marianne would have likely loved this ruffled plaid dress by Juicy Couture and Gryson’s saddle handbag, but nowadays she might be more into Bloomingdales’ black velvet smoking jacket.