Paris Fashion Week

The library at Lycée Henri IV, one of the most prestigious high schools in Paris, was transformed into a runway for Hermès's Fall 2013 show. Leather chairs and benches were arranged into rows, and more than one attendee commented on how comfortable the seating assignments were.

The clothes looked plenty cozy too. Christophe Lemaire sent a variety of great coats down the runway, including a few varietals in fur and one with wide bands of brown, red, gray, and black. Of course, if you're going to show your wares in a school, then they have to be smart. So Lemaire's offering was heavy on well-tailored suiting separates, crisp shirts, and functional dresses, but it was surprisingly low on bags. Perhaps the designer — and the house — want customers to study the clothing as closely as they do the accessories.

When the focal point of a beauty look is a giant cage mask, as it was on Alexander McQueen's Fall 2013 runway, you'd think that there wasn't much you could do with hair and makeup — but not at Alexander McQueen. Models at the show were done up in such a way that they resembled monarchs of the Elizabethan era. Ash-gray pin curls and matte pink lips stood out behind embellished cages. God save McQueen!

The look: Pin curls, flawless skin, matte pink lips.
Trends: Natural makeup.
Who would wear it: Queen Elizabeth I.

The Paul & Joe girl doesn't conform to the whimsies of fashion trends. Instead — and this was evident from the moment Lindsey Wixson took her showstopping opening turn on the runway — she marches to the beat of her own nonchalant sartorial drum. For Fall 2013 that meant a daywear mashup of masculine tailoring in slouchy, feminine fits: big coats with deconstructed shoulders in cozy patchworked fur, wide-leg "Charlie Chaplin" pants in beige wool, and superluxe sweaters in chunky cable knits. But it isn't all business with the Paul & Joe girl; she also knows how to have fun once the sun sets. Thus, there were metallic brocade suits with slim ankle pants, a gold lamé maxi dress worn under a smart little jacket, and — our favorite — a wool skater dress with jewel-encrusted stripes. Just the thing to do the trick.

If you're only going to send 10 looks down the runway, as Sarah Burton did for Alexander McQueen's Fall 2013 show, those looks had better be something spectacular.

Sarah Burton said it all in just 10 exquisite looks for Alexander McQueen's Fall 2013. Ten breathtaking and bold nods to Elizabethan-era drama that we'll wait anxiously to see on the red carpet. This is not the stuff of Kate Middleton's wardrobe — the slim-cut pencil skirts and peplum-trimmed military jackets — it's a tour de force of the most intricate and beautifully crafted kind. White dresses were covered in pearls and decked in frothy white feathered sleeves and collars. Black high-collared, corseted confections, finished with caged legwear and delicate face masks were so awe-inspiring you hardly even noticed Karlie Kloss underneath all the detail. There was complexity in every look, and not just in the measure of materials (organza, lace, feathers, studding, netting, leather). It was all at once ethereal, powerful, regal, and incredibly beautiful. Burton makes crafting something otherworldly entirely possible; the bigger task is finding a real-life event worthy of wearing her work.

The finale at the Valentino Fall 2013 presentation in Paris was more akin to a line of schoolgirls walking to class than a high-fashion runway. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) The models wore a single side plait that hovered near waist-length, and their styles were topped off with basic black headbands. To add to the girlish charm, the makeup palette was soft and subtle with skin-tone eye shadow, groomed brows, and nude lips.

The look: Casual schoolgirl plaits and natural makeup.
Who would wear it: A woman out for a weekend bike ride by the beach.
Trends: Braids never go out of style — whether you're 40 or 14.

The Valentino Fall 2013 collection read like a modern fairy tale, rife with romance, beauty, and femininity. Designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli drew inspiration from the paintings of Flemish masters, and it came through most clearly in the modest silhouettes and simple red, white, blue, and black color palette. Schoolgirl shifts were adorned with embroidered lace dickies, cuffed long sleeves, crisp collars, and faux front pockets; and for evening, those same accents appeared on a range of floor-length gowns, providing a more subdued kind of elegance for the Valentino woman. It wasn't all stunning eveningwear, though. A youthful sensibility was introduced via shorter minidresses — finished with scalloped edges and subtle colorblocking — and through slightly tougher leather-and-lace numbers. To finish, we saw the house's signature red come down the runway in an off-the-shoulder gown, along with a parade of insanely pretty blue gowns, either lace-covered, embroidered, tapestry-printed, or solid-hued. See it all here.