Coming in 4^th place might not be as bad as people might think. When it comes to the fashion calendar, it is actually a golden ticket, the one that helps define and  complete the emerging trends that we saw unveiled over the past month on both sides of the Atlantic. New York officially began the journey; Paris closed it –both to great fanfare and excitement. One could say, J’♥ la fourrure.

There was lots and lots of fur in New York, then we saw as much in London. But by the time we arrived in Milan, we weren’t sure if we were actually looking at fashion collections or fur collections (for us, a happy conundrum!)  By the time we arrived in Paris, well, the hand’s down trend for Fall 2012 – Winter 2013 was loud and clear… FUR is the global fashion trend to follow. The French like to refer to leathers and furs as “skins” (peaux) –some types are woolly or furry, others are patented, glossed, or even distressed. From broadtail to shearling to leather-fur combinations, the choices were endless….and quite tantalizing!

By the look of it, it seems only undergarments didn’t get the fur treatment this fashion cycle! Of course outerwear reigned supreme,  with layers of fur treatments of all sorts, but creative and beautiful fur adaptations were prevalent in daywear and eveningwear too. We’ll find out soon enough, come September-October, whether the next Spring-Summer cycle chooses to expend on the idea.

The other global trend that we literally saw bloom in front of our eyes was color. There were so many bursts of colors that next Fall-Winter will feel more like Spring-Summer. Hey, optimism is  addictive!  A few designers opted for a somber palette, but still managed to insert a few colorful notches. Stefano Pilati, at Yves Saint Laurent, was one of the only ones who chose to deny color, perhaps his final misjudgment for a house that was born on vivid color combinations.

But Paris being Paris, there were some great treatments and material experimentations combined with various historical and ethnographic references. Many designers feel more free to experiment with their craft in the haute couture fashion lab “mode” that is Paris. After all, savoir-faire is what separates the greats from the wannabes. This fashion cycle was truly inspirational.