ruffled feathers

The interesting thing about looking at lots and lots of clothes, is that they begin to blur at certain point, and what begins to stand out are the well-cut pieces that are so beautiful they don't need to scream out for attention. In a season that's a veritable riot of ruffles, some of my favorite Spring '09 looks were the more subtle takes on the obvious trend to end all trends.


I think this gown by Richard Chai is just lovely. Surprisingly there were some stunning incarnations of what is usually referred to as the world's most boring color.



3.1 Philip Lim stays on trend but keeps it sleek.



This was one of my favorite looks at Oscar de la Renta--so low key and beautiful.




Does it get sexier than Carlos Miele? You decide. I love the way he does pared down American Sportswear with an unmistakable Brazilian twist.




Despite a mixed review, I thought Alessandro Dell'Acqua's debut collection for Malo had some really nice pieces.








I was curious to see what all the fuss was over Kai Kühne, who recently scored the same backer that helped launch Proenza Schouler. The dresses were so gorgeously constructed, they blew me away.






Doo.Ri, who I have written about many times,(I'm a fan), did not disappoint with her carefully evolving line. Although I wasn't crazy about the jersey pants, I love her dresses as always.






Marchesa was the hands-down winner of gowns sure to appear on the red carpet. I loved all of them, but if I had to pick, I'd take the edgier fringe numbers, mostly because they're a little different.




This silver one is so blingy--the ultimate cocktail dress--but really great, don't you think?

While fashion has cooled considerably on the lbd, if you're going to wear one, you better make it a super-embellished tunic or shift, and it should definitely be one by Anna Sui.




All photos courtesy style.com.


I'll be back soon with coverage of the final shows. In the meantime, hope you're having a wonderful Friday!