>> At last, the denouement: Fall 2011 Fashion Month is over and out. But before you get back to your regularly scheduled program, may we introduce our favorite shoes from Paris Fashion Week: there's lots of snakeskin, lots of black and white . . . and we couldn't forget those intricately laced Louis Vuitton boots — Kate Moss's pair apparently took four people an hour to lace up!
New mom Miranda Kerr was all smiles while strolling around Paris before strutting her stuff in the Balenciaga show. Her floral Balenciaga mini was complemented by her peplum Rick Owens leather jacket, patent Prada booties, and blue Balenciaga tote. She added a gray scarf and a navy wide-brimmed fedora to complete her Paris-chic look. Shop all of the key pieces now.
Abbie Cornish sported a menswear-inspired look at the LA premiere of her movie Limitless. Her black Balenciaga jumper, satin Theory top, and Dolce and Gabbana pumps looked clean and classic. Abbie added a touch of color with a pink pout but kept her accessories monochromatic — black nails, silver earrings, and a silver cuff. Shop now to mimic her vintage style.
>> Miranda Kerr made her first professional appearance since giving birth on Balenciaga's catwalk last Thursday, and now it sounds like Doutzen Kroes, who gave birth shortly after Kerr on Jan. 21, is also jonesing to get back to it. She tweeted today: "Yesterday was a shopping day running around NYC, today I'm having my hair done, up to date and ready to get back to work;) #comeback" [@MissDK]
Model Miranda Kerr wasn't the only fashionable face at the 2011 Balenciaga Fall show, which also counted Orlando Bloom and Anna Wintour among the front-row attendees. For Fall, creative director Nicolas Ghesquière took color-blocking and futuristic textures to a whole new level. Strong silhouettes were created with roped-leather vests and jackets, as well as fishnet tops paired with floral skirts in exotic prints. Watch our video for more from the runway!
Each season, Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere is able to take a familiar silhouette, deconstruct it, and present something to us that is undeniably new and futuristic. For example: this floral dress layered with a sheer-paneled top and vest, seen left. The combination has been seen a hundred times, but Ghesquiere added a new twist to the concept via a slick lizard-and-flower-print skirt, a thick-braided leather vest (could be faux), and a sheer top. A little tough, a little structured, and a whole lot of cool. A sports theme ran through the show in the form of boxy tops covered in what looked like black soccer netting, and a neoprene-like fabric that gave pants an invincible look. Miranda Kerr returned, walking the runway in a calf-skimming skirt trimmed with a leather ruffle, and ageless beauty Stella Tennant showed that longer proportions will continue into Fall, wearing trim blue pants under a long white and black tunic dress. It was the sporty feminine modern woman, who by the way sported killer strappy stilettos.
Source: Catwalking
>> Christophe Decarnin showed a new, more "subdued" Balmain collection, according to Cathy Horyn, today for Fall 2011 — which could be in part because Emmanuelle Alt is no longer the show's stylist and Melanie Ward took her place this season. But more curious: Decarnin skipped his final bow and was a no-show backstage. "He's tired after working on the collection. He's not here. He's resting," said a Balmain spokesman. And it seems that Nicolas Ghesquiere and Carine Roitfeld have officially made up — she attended the show today, Tommy Ton tweets: "Just spotted Carine leaving Balenciaga slyly avoiding the paps." [@MeenalMistry, @HilaryAlexander, @JakandJilBlog]
>> Miranda Kerr has walked for the past three Balenciaga shows — including last season, when she was five months pregnant. Although she's been taking it easy since she gave birth to her first child on Jan. 6, she was snapped in Paris this morning, and tweeted, "Some exciting things happening guys. I'll be back in touch soon. Love Miranda xxx" Don't be surprised if she turns up on the Balenciaga runway again tomorrow. [PopSugar, @MirandaKerr]
>> Last May, when Balenciaga severed its 12-year relationship with public relations firm PR Consulting, rumors circulated that it was the result of a Balenciaga designer leaving to work for one of the firm's other clients and that some of the client's designs were too similar to Balenciaga. Now, WSJ. reports that insiders at PPR say Nicolas Ghesquiere felt slighted by the attention Pierre Rougier was giving to Versace, his newest client, at the Costume Institute gala last year. It's worth noting the decision to drop PR Consulting was made within two weeks of the gala at the beginning of May.
At the time of the severance, Rougier said: “It’s been a wonderful 12-year adventure with Balenciaga and I really wish Nicolas and Balenciaga all the best and lots of luck going forward. It’s been really great and I really don’t want it to seem any other way.” And now, he tells WSJ. simply, "I love Nicolas."
Post-Balenciaga, Rougier seems to be doing fine. Alongside Versace, he counts among his clients Yves Saint Laurent, Jil Sander, Dries Van Noten, and Proenza Schouler. He is "notoriously picky about whom he takes on," according to the WSJ., and "can lift a brand to another level . . . his job is to keep the Americans, whose critical opinions drive international buying trends, in line."
Vera Wang president Mario Grauso avers this fact — one of the first things he did when joining Wang a year and a half ago was hire Rougier: "Vera had gone dark — hadn't done enough media, wasn't dressing celebrities. Pierre helped me change that. We [at Vera Wang] can veer a little too mainstream, a little too bridal-y. I wanted to be edgier and Pierre knew how to do that." Grauso also credits Rougier with bringing top European press to Wang's shows, admitting it's "something we couldn't do without him."
But cultivating brands isn't all Rougier aspires to — apparently he wants to get more involved with advising the venture capital and investment side of fashion, WSJ. reports: "Too many backers choose the wrong horse in the race, he says, and then are flummoxed when throwing money at the problem doesn't solve it."
![Balenciaga Fall 2011 Ad Campaign with Liya Kebede [Video]](http://media1.onsugar.com/files/2011/07/28/1/166/1668379/f20b0f27ea1cea7e_balenciaga.xxlarge/i/Balenciaga-Fall-2011-Ad-Campaign-Liya-Kebede-Video.jpg "Balenciaga Fall 2011 Ad Campaign with Liya Kebede [Video]")
