Dries Van Noten’s latest collection was a whopper of a line-up… over 50 looks of pure magic. The Oriental note wasn’t Romantic, as is often the case with designers, it was, instead, Modern. The Asian references ranged from Japanese to Chinese in the form of kimonos, wrapped jackets and a plethora of reinterpreted motifs. This season, once again,  Mr. Van Noten made fur an intricate part of his collection’s message. Intellectual understated luxe may be one of his trademarks, but so are colors. This collection is such a gem. What is he going to come up with for next season?

Felipe Oliveira Baptista is fast  becoming one of our favorite designers.  He not only creates clothes that are interesting and wearable, but also edgy and comfortable.  The strong cuts and silhouettes that have become his trademark were still on the menu this week, as were his beloved fur notes. Mr. Baptista loves the modern simplicity of André Courrèges space-age work, it goes without saying; his take on sportswear is so refreshing and sharp. His outerwear was especially noteworthy, the 2/3 coats and jackets and leather/wool coat will make him a retail and editorial darling.

Rochas is also becoming a “must see” show. In a mere 2 years, this conflicted  house is now mellowing out beautifully. This time it was all about the early 1970′s, prints, prints and more prints. Seriously, this somewhat evening-leaning collection delivered some very interesting pieces. The overall look was a little loud – it exudes a kaleidoscopic frenzy that might turn a few people off.   But Marco Zanini possessed enough self-control to pull-off the line-up quite nicely.

Gareth Pugh, always an editor favorite,  is still advancing his aesthetic.  This “Techno Goth” look is his calling card and he isn’t afraid to flaunt it collection after collection, each time with a new angle. Identifying Gareth Pugh’s influence is difficult. This time, editors talked about Aztec; we see a stronger medieval Flemish painting influence à la Pieter Brüegel instead (if you really see Aztec write us and let us know). It is obvious that Mr. Pugh is placing himself within the fashion arena as a directional mind… one that should be tapped for a big name house. This season he definitely showed clever pieces that defied conventional use and played with fur as a volume-builder.

Much more to come from Paris………