Balmain showed its Fall 2011 collection today without Christophe Decarnin, who has reportedly been undergoing treatment for depression. Instead, the collection was designed by Melanie Ward, who was previously supposed to be collaborating with Decarnin on the collection, but ended up designing the whole line with the help of Balmain's in-house team. In turn, Balmain's Fall 2011 collection was absent of any studs or shredding effects — with the exception of a couple of sliced tanks. The punk vibe was still present, but with a much more polished feel via cuffed trousers, clean leather pants, metallic leather blazers, and simple streamlined tops. The major pizazz came in when Ward introduced a selection of funky gem-encrusted long-sleeved minidresses and beaded miniskirts perfect for a night out on the town. Shimmery deep v-neck jumpsuits and metallic tweed coats also caught our eye.

Dries Van Noten stayed true to his decadent eclecticism for Fall 2011, supplying us with a full-throttle experience filled with tweedy textures, snakeskin swirled skirts, shimmery knits, and a heavy helping of outstanding collage-effect prints. Sounds busy at first read, but look closely and you will soon become entranced with the designer's genius story. The inspiration, which Van Noten cites as David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust and Ballets Russes founder Sergei Diaghilev, came together to form a mixture of marbled tweed jackets, tuxedo striped trousers, fur-lined coats, and a bevy of multicolored patterns made into knee-length skirts and blouses. There was an eye-catching button-up work shirt — one of our favorite pieces — smartly remixed with a bold silk print trailing down one arm and across the back. And then the dresses appeared: languid, loose, and seductive, cut almost like a loose tee up top and sliced all the way up to the thigh on down below.

• Trends: Collage prints, tuxedo trousers, metallic tweed.
• Colors: Bright rust, blue, gray, black, gold, silver.
• Key Looks: Collage print pieces, especially the gowns.
• Accessories: Snake print, fur, and velvet booties along with multicolored sandals.
• Who Would Wear It: Eclectic glamorous women like Cate Blanchett and Julianne Moore.

As new Spring collections debut, Winter goods hit the sale rack — and we've discovered some that have amazing potential for the warm weather ahead of us. On that note, we've found the best sales and put together a list of our favorite pieces including a leather jacket dipped in the lightest shade of gray, the perfect trench, and booties that transition easily to sunnier days. Believe us, you'll be feeling sunkissed in no time at all. So what are you waiting for? Get a head start and click through for 15 amazing Winter-to-Spring finds!

Zac Posen chose to show in Paris again, but for the most part he eschewed his standard dramatic eveningwear in favor of a more staid collection of polished daywear. Everything was super fitted, befitting of women with curvy silhouettes a la model Crystal Renn, who walked in his show. Many of the jackets and dresses had ornate leather detailing, but for the most part it was all about sharp tailoring. Peplum jackets were paired with straight cropped trousers, and most of the collection was done in dark autumnal colors, save for some sweet injections of peachy pink. It was all very wearable, although it would have looked better without the thick tights and boring pumps. The moment we were all waiting for, his eveningwear, was a relief, and when Carmen Kass strode the runway in a silver silk halter dress, it seemed like the best of Zac.

• Trends: Peplum, ladylike, leather.
• Colors: Dark teal, purple, peach, silver.
• Key Looks: The evening dresses with mermaid bottoms.
• Accessories: Thick tights and pumps might be functional, but they were a downer on the runway.
• Who Would Wear It: Polished ladies who want to feel sexy.

Source: Catwalking