It's time to kick off your (uber-high) heels, because low heels (3 inches and below) are breaking ground. Seen at runways like Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, and Peter Som, this demure heel height isn't just more walkable; it's also right on trend. Watch our video to check out four pairs that will put a little Spring in your step right now.
David Beckham addresses critics who say he used a body double for his H&M underwear ad.
Want to know what's really happening at Paris Fashion Week, right now? Luckily, our fashion editors are on the scene and bringing you the scoop straight from the City of Light. Watch as they fill us in on H&M's very first runway show and afterparty, as well as Carven's Fall 2013 collection — which was filled with oversize coats, mod skirt suits, and surprising pastels.
H&M's Fall 2013 collection — the brand's first runway show in eight years — spared no expense or detail. From the location (a posh mansion "set" at the Musée Rodin) to spotting A-listers Emma Roberts, Ashley Olsen, and Chloë Moretz in attendance, the multiroom stage provided the perfect backdrop for the apropos Parisian-sleek wares to debut. And the verdict's (already) in. The cool girl has everything she needs to punch up her off-duty style right here: newsboy caps styled with furry turtleneck dresses and knee-high boots, gold-buttoned military jackets paired with slim-cut pants, and studded leather shorts galore. And for afterhours? It's all about the peachy-pink minidresses (sparkle included) paired with feather capes, sheer black maxi dresses topped with structured black blazers, and full eyelet skirts mixed with fitted turtleneck tops. In effect, H&M has supplied a Fall '13 collection that's cool, on-point, and accessible. See it all inside.
It's hardly fair when we're still bundling up, but H&M's forecasting a Summer that's rife with breezy pants and maxis, printed florals, and a little leg. The brand is giving our warm-weather styling a dose of the Far East with open, kimono-style jackets and gauzy, slouchy pants. Even in the accessories, we get a little of that Asian infusion — beautiful tasseled earrings and flat, minimalist sandals to complement those inspired silhouettes. For a more traditional nod to Summer, look to the line's well-worn denim shorts, albeit finished with socks and heels (not your usual beachy espadrilles). Together, it's both laid-back and modern — and like the clothing we most look forward to wearing in Summer, it's easy. Click on to see the gorgeous Julia Hafstrom show off the collection.
While Peter Som and Cacharel are skipping Fashion Week for one reason or another, H&M plans to return to the runway with a show at Paris's Rodin Museum this February.
The Swedish retailer is following in some big footsteps: Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior once showed their designs at the Rodin Museum too. But other than the shows H&M staged for its collaborations with Lanvin and Versace, this will be the first time the brand's main collection has appeared on the runway in eight years.
But other mass-market retailers have come to the runway in recent years too: Topshop Unique has been on the London Fashion Week calendar since 2005 and sponsors the venue where Peter Pilotto, J.W.Anderson, and Louise Gray show, and there's no question that J.Crew's Lincoln Center debut in Spring 2012 was one of the most talked-about of that season. Now it's one of the most anticipated — and well-attended — presentations on the New York calendar.
But what does it mean when mass-market labels are staging the kinds of shows once reserved for brands that deal in four-figure price points? It could be a simple matter of cost. In 2009, Forbes reported that the price of a runway show "can easily hit $75,000," and last September The Independent found that designers were "often running up bills in the hundreds of thousands" during Fashion Week. It may simply be easier for a big company like H&M to foot the bill than it is for smaller operations like Chris Benz and Betsey Johnson — both of whom have canceled their shows in New York next month.
"We felt excited about the collection, and we really wanted to show it," H&M spokesman Hacan Andersson told WWD. If H&M is proud enough of its own wares to put them up against the likes of Chanel and Sonia Rykiel, then that excitement makes sense. Will other brands like H&M be emboldened to do the same?
![Versace for H&M Full Collection [Pictures]](http://media3.onsugar.com/files/2011/10/42/4/166/1668379/6ca43721024a1c2e_VersaceforHM2_6_highres.xxlarge/i/Versace-HM-Full-Collection-Pictures.jpg "Versace for H&M Full Collection [Pictures]")
