There is something so sexy about an exposed arm. I love this look, it's very stylish and chic. I have a few similar designs in my closet. This shirt is Just Cavalli and it's just fabulous. It's a simple cotton shirt with 'Just Cavalli' spelled out in sequins around the neck line. This shirt looks great with jeans or black, shiny leggings. Available at zappos.com $384.

In an economy like ours, a store like Bluefly that offers discounted high end fashion is a good thing. Here is something warm and beautiful from BCBG, one of my favorite brands. I can always find something when I'm shopping at BCBG, and they are a reasonably priced label. I love the way this sweater looks like a shawl. I love shawls, but they aren't easy to wear, so faking it is great. This sweater is a soft wool blend, available at Bluefly, $91.80 (nice).

This wrap silk dress from Diane von Furstenberg is sooo beautiful in pink silk faille. I absolutely love her wrap dresses, they flatter almost every figure and they are so comfortable. I have many in my closet and will probably add this one. I love the up turned fringe, it looks a little like an old school up turned collar except more stylishly chic. This is a great year round color and works in the office or in the evening.  The dress is from the Fall runway collection. Available at Queen Bee Girls fashion $425.

The theme for the Spring 2009 Versace Runway collection was hearts and zippers, both of which were everywhere. In past collection, Donatello tends to favor the really bright, and busy look, but not so with this collection (thankfully). This season Donatello opted for mostly neutral colors, with a bit of yellow, and she used a lot of crocodile and snakeskin embossed leather, which always delivers a nice, rich look. Though the heart and zipper theme was big and bold, it doesn't overwelm the garments. Like many other fellow designer, Donatello chose to design a more subdued collection. Due to the global economy, consumers are predicted to spend on luxury items that will outlast a trend or single season. Her handbags were designed in the same vein, as well as her shoe collection. Personally, this is one of my favorite Versace collections.

I came across this great little theory.

Financial analysts have loosely used it to determine where the economy is headed. So far it’s been pretty accurate. In the '20s and '60s, hemlines were at a high and so was the stock market. And in the '30s and '40s, the stock market was so low that women were almost tripping on their skirts. The hemline theory was also on the ball in 1987. Miniskirts were all the rage, and the stock market was at a matching high. But then the market quickly crashed in October, right when designers such as Bill Blass decided that miniskirts looked ridiculous. Hemlines dropped and so did the market.

In which case all of those sexy minidresses we are seeing on the runways of Balmin, Herve Leger and Versace might just be our ticket to better times. In which case if this a potential buy strategy for Henri Bendel could they just be saving us from the recession?

One of the more interesting things we saw at the Paris Spring 2009 Fashion shows was the Chanel guitar and guitar bag. It was a simple black guitar, but it discreetly spells Chanel on the end. It comes with a wide guitar strap in brown, black and white stripe, with the Chanel logo on the leather detail. We also say a white, quilted leather guitar case, to hold the Chanel guitar I'm assuming. My question is, would any real musician buy and use this thing? It will undoubtedly be grossly overpriced, so it seems more like a showpiece than something anyone would actually use. I think we are seeing a trend with Mr. Karl Lagerfeld... remember the Chanel bicycle.

Here is a look at some of the accessories (excluding bags and shoes, other blogs for those) seen at the Spring 2009 Fashion shows in Paris.  

Philip Lim

 Louis Vuitton

 Alexander McQueen

 Chloe

 Alberta Ferretti 

 Viktor & Rolf

 Marni

If you are feeling glum from all of the grey we saw on the catwalk, the impending financial doom, our imperiled ecosystem or are just plain out of sorts we have the fifty best prints of Spring 2009 here to cheer you up. From Gucci to Pucci, Miu Miu to Marc Jacobs we cover New York, Milan and Paris' best prints.

Pierre Cardin Spring Summer 2009 ready-to-wear collection show in Theoule-Sur-Mer, southern France, on October 6, 2008.

This is simply an insult to our sensibility. No one on the planet will actually buy and wear any of these clothes. Can you imagine sitting down in these dresses? Pierre Cardin likes to create a serious shock factor with his clothing designs, and he certainly did in this collection.

As early as the 1950's Cardin was known for his avant-garde style and his space age designs. He prefers geometric shapes and motifs, often ignoring the female form. He later advanced into unisex fashions, sometimes experimental, and not always practical. He introduced the "bubble dress" in 1954. 

Seriously, that blue jacket looks like a wearable blue slice of pizza. The psychedelic print dress (last pic), is truly dizzying. It hurts my eyes. Well, if Pierre Cardin wanted to shock, he did.

After the spring 2009 Valentino show in Paris on Friday, company CEO Stefano Sassi told reporters it was designer Alessandra Facchinetti's last collection for the house. Over the weekend the company confirmed Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, who have designed accessories for Valentino for ages, will take over as creative directors. However, Facchinetti wrote in a public e-mail the media heard of her dismissal before she did:

"It was with deep regret that I learnt from the press that I would no longer be working with Valentino…

"This news came as a great surprise since the company's top management has not yet seen fit to inform me. I would like to thank Valentino s.p.a. for showing their appreciation of my 'creative contribution and my sophisticated talent' although I deeply regret the fact that this talent and contribution do not seem to have been adequately acknowledged."

 

Here are some of my favorites from her last collection.