Raf Simmons said it himself, “a shift is happening.” The truth in this statement could be seen in his anomalous sense of color in his clothing as well as the makeup look that complimented the collection.

To say that today’s Christian Dior Haute Couture show was possibly the most anticipated fashion moment of the past decade is probably no hyperbole.

One would be hard-pressed to recall a more accessible line-up from one of fashion’s most wayward artists. It was burgeoning, bustling, ebullient punk.

Versace put on a stunning display on the opening day of Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week that drew an A-list crowd.

Raf Simons’ debut couture collection for Christian Dior drew a designer crowd including Marc Jacobs and Donatella Versace.

It’s no secret that Balenciaga’s menswear shows and presentations are a considerably sobering experience compared to its universally lauded sister outings.

Gender roles as a theme has been a major story during the menswear shows for the past week and some change.

Iconoclasm and recalcitrance have always been staple tenets of the male Simons mode. First look out, those motifs weren’t announced so much by the tangled gutter punk hair, but by those parallel slits that hit way above the knee on a pair of black tailored shorts.

Perhaps what’s most impressive about Phoebe Philo’s expedient course to the tip tops of today’s fashion heap is how she’s managed to cultivate so many house staples for the resurrected house of Celine in so little time. Well, if the striped flared silk trousers and pastiches of leather and animal print weren’t already signatures, they are now.

Marc Jacobs is not through with bombast. After a boisterous double-whammy last February and March with his eponymous line and Louis Vuitton, Resort finds Jacobs upping the quirk quotient with a colorful line inspired in part by artist Cindy Sherman’s clown series.

When was the last time the house of Balenciaga showcased a floor-length gown? The only instance that comes to mind was over a year ago when Cate Blanchett hit the Costume Institute Met Gala’s red carpet in a stunning gold goddess gown, arm in arm with the designer, Nicolas Ghesquiere.

Pierre Cardin will present his Spring/Summer 13 offering at the Parisian menswear Fashion Week next month.

Karl Lagerfeld showed off his latest collection for the luxury label at the Château de Versailles in Paris last night, saying Chanel’s Resort 2013 collection was inspired by Marie Antoinette.

It was the strongest season in recent memory. Even those brands who faired well in the summer collections uped their game for fall, making for one nonstop month of grade-A capital-F Fashion.

The collections in Europe have made it exceptionally difficult to focus on the clothes. Not because there’s lackluster design by any means—Paris and Milan have definitely delivered the goods—but because some of Fashion’s most influential houses are in a state of limbo.

When you think about fashion trends you think of those readily available abstractions, such as minimalism, color-blocking, peplums, etc.

For fall 2012 Gareth Pugh took the term “man eater” to the next level. Set on a stage of black fabric discs fallen from the ceiling to resemble the debris on the ground of a post-apocalyptic Amazonian village, Pugh’s models were fearless cannibals, satiated by male flesh.

Alber Elbaz‘s grip and understanding of Lanvin‘s legacy has been so thorough it’s hard to imagine a time when he was not creative director of the house. He’s truly captured the moment. See the entire Pre Fall 2012 collection right here.

Expect the unexpected is the constant protocol du jour on show or press day at Balenciaga. The guessing game is only a halfway fruitless endeavor with a Nicolas Ghesquiere collection.

For Pre-Fall, Philo hasn’t completely abandoned the rounded cuts, nor the baggy fits, and as evidenced by a tapered color-blocked trouser, champagne in the front, matte white on the back, she obviously isn’t ready to forsake what’s been making her loyal following covetous and hungry for the hot-again brand since taking over the helm in 2010.

With Tisci’s help, Couture has its bite back, and pre-fall–usually a collection of basics used by retailers to freshen up the floor–is now a veritable space for new, interesting and bold design.

What you have to love most about Alber Elbaz’s time at Lanvin, is its evident selflessness. The design is always about improving “the house” and hardly ever about personal branding or celebrity. It’s refreshing to say the least.

Fendi girl is all grown up, apparently. There were no wild colors, radical silhouettes, no frills -well, save for the use of folded organza as an appliqué for some pencil skirts and a few of the evening looks.

How to begin to discuss one of Karl Lagerfeld‘s collections for Chanel? With almost 80 looks that walked down the runway in Paris’ Grand Palais space for Chanel‘s pre-fall foray, Uncle Karl doesn’t make it easy.