Designs of the Day | Sharon Wauchob | Barbara Bui | Nina Ricci | Lanvin

Lanvin Spring '14

For all of the contrived then anointed "stars" that fashion markets to the public some of the top designers really are amazing. Alber Elbaz can nail a moment as well as anybody in the business. 

Nina Ricci Spring '14

Quintessential Copping. 

Barbara Bui Spring '14

Proof that you don't have to reinvent the architecture of every piece of fashion in order to make a look feel fresh.  

Sharon Wauchob Spring '14

The fact that a gown that possess this level of intricacy still doesn't feel busy is a tribute to the designer.

Designs of the Day | Gareth Pugh | Undercover | Balenciaga | Ann Demeulemeester |

Ann Demeulemeester Spring '14

Part of Ann's genius is her ability to layer shapes and structures in a way that feels almost careless but is very calculated. 

Balenciaga Spring '14

Alexander Wang is still being cautious at Balenciaga which is definitely appropriate. That noted he is moving towards developing a heady brew of his sporty signatures and the refined shape play that is the heart of the house. 

Undercover Spring '14

Jun Takahashi delivered a collection full of delicious deviance done right.

Gareth Pugh Spring '14

One of the deepest joys for an observer of fashion is to watch talented designers evolve. A distilling occurs causing their signatures to intensify. The ability to deliver more punch with less effort creates a sense of effortlessness that is utterly transfixing.

Designs of the Day | Christophe Lemaire | Dries Van Noten | Guy Laroche | Alexis Mabille

Alexis Mabille Spring '14

Rough and tumble with sophisticated swagger from one of the fresher collections from Paris.

Dries Van Noten Spring '14

Print Master, Print Faster, with cowrie shells no less.

Guy Laroche Spring '14

Fashion's feel never falls far from the nature of the moment that is happening in the city it was created in. The designers connection to the desires of their client is informed entirely by where they live and what matters to their fellow urbanites.

Christophe Lemaire Spring '14

Classic restraint which is one of the hallmarks of Parisian fashion. Smart, sharp and aggressive which equals sexy but without saying so.

Designs of the Day | Fausto Puglisi | Marni | Giorgio Armani | Gianfranco Ferre

Gianfranco Ferre Spring '14

Marvelous fabric, magically cut. A refined and elegant look from Federico Piaggi and Stefano Citron. 

Marni Spring '14

Consuelo Castiglioni's work in the past to me has felt a bit plain but these lovely rough ruffled treatments popped up a few times in this collection and they're really charming :) 

Giorgio Armani Spring '14

The idea of a "suit" that is as vibrant and informal as this is a delicious act of rebellion.

Fausto Puglisi

The collection featured a lot of stiffly structured skirts, (Horsehair?), which is a technique that I really like but the market never seems to embrace all that much. Designers show a lot of very stiff structured work around the waist and hips but I don't see it that much on the streets. Is it more popular outside the U.S?

Designs of the Day | Dolce & Gabbana | Missoni | Marco De Vincenzo | Salvatore Ferragamo

Salvatore Ferragamo Spring '14

There is an incredible ease and poise to Massimiliano Giornetti's designs. The fashion press is fond of coining phrases that are devoid of actual meaning. One of them is, "understated luxury". In fact there is no other kind of genuine luxury. Real luxury is incapable of vulgarity, as the word as we intend it simply means paying for the best and the pinnacle of something can not be tasteless. The look above and in fact the whole collection serves as the definition of luxury.

Missoni Spring '14

Brands should cleverly reinvent themselves every three to five years. One of the easiest and smartest ways to do this is to deconstruct your signature until it feels new but is still recognizable.  

Marco De Vincenzo Spring '14

The fabric that this lovely dress is made of is actually more like lace than a woven. The dark gold side is made of circles and the merlot side is a pattern of circles and rectangles. Both halves are attached to a refined mesh. Brilliant idea, brilliant dress.

Dolce & Gabbana Spring '14

They're aren't master craftsmen and they no longer push the boundaries of fashion very much but they do marvelously fun and joyous clothes. They really don't need to do anything else.

Designs of the Day | Fendi | Costume National | Antonio Marras | Philipp Plein

Philipp Plein Spring '14

Whenever I have encountered the woman who is at home in this type of dress she has without fail proved to be magnificent. I'm overjoyed that they keep getting created.

Antonio Marras Spring '14

The unbalanced curve in white that apexes towards the left shoulder and then disappears to reappear in a cascade of flowing fabric at the hips is an element of design genius. 

Costume National Spring '14

Ennio Capasa has been excellent for a very long time. This piece is so well designed it attracts rather than projecting. The fashion equivalent of a come hither stare.

Fendi Spring '14

There's a reason Karl Lagerfeld is so talked about. He rarely if ever makes a mistake with volume or proportion and he always gives each design something that makes it feel fresh. With his workload, he's an absolute marvel.

Designs of the Day | Ermanno Scervino | Conchita Perez | Lug Von Siga | Carlotta Actis Barone

Carlotta Actis Barone Spring '14

There is a dishevelled deviance about Carlotta Actis Barone's collection that's deeply attractive and compelling. She seems to make calculatedly odd construction choices that unbalance her structures in a way that makes you stare.

Lug Von Siga Spring '14

There is an athleticism about Gul Agis' designs that is very, very attractive.

Conchita Perez Spring '14

Too many people do not understand the importance of those designers that create, "unwearable" or "costume" fashion. Firstly, it isn't unwearable it just challenges the perception of what the current norms are. Secondly without young designers like Conchita Perez fashion's future looks the same as it's present which defies human evolution.

Ermanno Scervino Spring '14

Great balancing of modern and classic tailoring and masculine and feminine elements. Mr Scervino has terrific restraint and a refined sense. 

Designs Of The Day | Rohmir | Hannah Williams | Nova Chiu | Krystof Strozyna

Krystof Strozyna Spring '14

Fantastically subtle architecture. I preferred the cleaner looks as I felt some of the pieces has bits that felt "tacked on" but wow does he have a refined sense of structure for one so young.

Nova Chiu Spring '14

As much as London as the capital of all things print is beginning to feel dated to me. Young talent like Nova Chiu find ways to mine new rich veins of expression.

Hannah Williams Spring '14

A mock trench dress? Genius. Keep an eye on Hannah Williams. Anyone with that kind of sly imagination compels future study.

Rohmir Spring '14

Not complex, not revolutionary. Just perfect proportion with great fabric control and a stunning print. 

Designs of the Day | Christopher Kane | Bora Asku | Bernard Chandran | Apu Jan

Apu Jan Spring '14

London will be awash in romantic color this coming spring. Lad's looking for ladies long term should arrive at the first warm breeze.

Bernard Chandran Spring '14

Lovely party frocks for lovely girls everywhere.

Bora Asku Spring '14

My favorite collection by Bora Asku of his career. 21st Century country girl chic. Lovely, soft, feminine and owing nothing to the past.

Christopher Kane Spring '14

As much as I am allergic to the anointed in fashion Christopher Kane is a marvelous designer. He's experimental and a destroyer of boundaries. I hope millions of dollars doesn't change that.

Designs of the Day | Giles | Eugene Lin | David Koma | Christopher Raeburn

Christopher Raeburn Spring '14

 The whole collection felt free and fresh. Perfect for the modern woman.

David Koma Spring '14

David Koma's collection featured experimentation with intersections and cross hatching, this was my favorite.

Eugene Lin Spring '14

A fantastic season for a rising star. This is such a "basic" piece but Eugene gives it life and originality. 

Giles Spring '14

The interplay between the graphic elements and the construction on the upper portion of the dress seriously elevate the desirability of this lovely garment.

Designs Of The Day | Claire Barrow | KTZ | L'Wren Scott | Maria Grachvogel

Claire Barrow Spring '14

I love the defiance in Claire Barrow's work. I get the sense she loves it when her sensibilities naturally run counter to fashion's norms. Eg: barefoot models :) 

KTZ Spring '14

I have long suspected that one of the primary elements that will define the future of fashion is the blending of current cultural traditions of dress. Marjan Pejoski and Koji Maruyama of KTZ are at the forefront of that arriving.

L'Wren Scott Spring '14

Overall the collection lacked restraint but this piece is wonderfully refined & elegant.

Maria Grachvogel Spring '14

It was tough to pick a design to feature from this collection. Beautiful fabric control and a fantastic print.

Designs of the Day | Mark Fast | Peter Pilotto | Meadham Kirchhoff | Marios Schwab

Marios Schwab Spring '14

A body hugging lace dress that owes nothing to the 19th or 20th Centuries? Hallelujah. 

Mark Fast Spring '14

That's wool as a woven. It's also a very distinctive and sexy dress. The below the knee long plumage might have been and editing nightmare but Mark Fast got it just right.

Meadham Kirchhoff Spring '14

A delightfully off kilter collection destined to end up in the closets of some of the most interesting women in the world. I hope I meet one in this dress in Soho next spring.

Peter Pilotto Spring '14

A goddess of volcanic power. Isn't it clever how the construction and the print echo each other?

Designs of the Day | Preen | Alice Temperley | Thomas Tait | Marques Almeida

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi

I'm grateful that Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi don't  buy into that silly notion that using prints with asymmetry is a no no because it makes it too busy. It just takes a deft hand, they have four of those.

Watching Alice Temperley grow down through the years has been a absolute joy. Her singular brand of romanticism is unlike any other designer.

Thomas Tait Spring '14

Thomas Tait is one of those designers who I don't quite have a handle on yet. Isn't a great thing that thing my understanding is utterly irrelevant and that he makes beautiful, intriguing clothes?

Marques' Almeida

A very inventive and cleverly wearable debut collection, that is undoubtedly being knocked off as you read this.

Temperley London Spring '14

Thomas Tait Spring '14

Marques Almeida Spring '14