Late: Paris Fashion Week

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/F2010RTW-BALENCIA

Balenciaga - While i admitted that i loathe minimalism, the way Nicholas Gesqiuere does it completely falsifies that statement, and while it may be minimal, its definitely not boring. After fawning over his take on spring (the ads alone will make you giddy) his fall line is truly spectacular. You may view fall as simply dark colors, layers, and a lot of jackets and sweaters (like some of the other Paris collections), but Gesquiere completely disregarded the norm and set out on a lovely new and fresh take. His color-blocked separates are divine, his zipper-top pants are marvelous, and the crochet dresses are swoon-worthy. Favorites from this collection include a blush-pink sweater and skirt set, complete with mint green, light yellow, white, grey, and black color blocking. The whole look is fabulous, and the expertly placed colored strips will surely make this a sellout. Another look i adore is the grey shift dress with the appliqued white, orange, and black leaves (?) and butterflies (?). Modeled over a sheer black button down, the dress screams luxury without trying too hard. Also, my favorite look from the collection is one of the breathtakingly beautiful-yet-simple crochet tiered dresses, this one in light pink. With the simple racer-back silhouette and fabulous edging, this dress is definetly the highlight of the entire collection. Practical, wearable, and oh so luxuriously amazing, the dress is purely a fantasy.