By: Jill Klausen

Couture Week is every fashionista’s dream. It’s the epitome of opulence and glamour.

Of course, the world of high-priced high style may seem frivolous in these economic times. When people are losing their jobs, homes and savings, they don’t really have the time to worry about what frothy fabulous frock Karl Lagerfeld is sending down the Chanel runway.

But maybe that’s exactly what we need right now. With the real world in such a mess, there’s no better time to lose ourselves in the fantasy of Couture Week.

Alexis Mabille

Alexis Mabille showed a romantically girly collection for Fall 2009. He said he was inspired by the image of a woman waking from a dream and finding herself wrapped up in a tangle of bed sheets. These dreamy, ethereal elements were evident in his light gauzy fabrics and petal soft colours. Long black ribbons trailed from dresses that were twisted and twirled around the models.

The second half of the show had a heavier feel, with deep navy blues and blacks, while still remaining airy. Mabille showed some sexy silky dresses and flirty cocktail numbers alongside some longer, hooded robe-like gowns.

Bedtime would be a lot more fun if we could wake up to these pretty pieces.

Armani Privé

If the Armani Privé show could be summed up in one word it would be: pantsuits (or is that two words?). The first half of the collection showed a range of pantsuits (with some skirts thrown in for good measure) in every style, shape and fabrication imaginable. To keep the collection cohesive, he stuck with a palette of charcoal greys and deep blacks. There were pleats, zippers, sequins, paillettes and asymmetrical details.

But for those of you who are looking for those gorgeous red-carpet Armani gowns, have no fear. The second half of the show featured some jaw-droppingly glamorous dresses with sequins and sparkles galore. Nothing says elegance and sophistication like an Armani Privé gown.

Chanel

Designer Karl Lagerfeld has one of the most over-the-top personas in the fashion industry (and that’s saying a lot), so it seems only natural that he would be such a force at Couture Week. He began the show with a series of classic Chanel suits in cozy, nubby fabrics. To keep things fresh, he varied the length of the skirts and jackets.

In fact, The Kaiser played with proportion throughout the entire collection. Skirts went from mid-calf all the way up to a very sexy micro-mini and ranged in volume from slim and sleek to full and flouncy. There were also “tails,” a longer layer of fabric trailing off of the shorter skirts. While they may not be practical for everyday, they added another element of drama to the collection.

Lagerfeld’s love of drama was also seen in the details of his collection. There were ‘80s-Madonna-esque black lace tights and matching gloves. The lace was echoed in veil-like low brimmed hats.

The show’s finale was a white wedding dress with layers of stiff ruffles and a voluminous ruffled train. The dress was gorgeous (and the groom didn’t look too bad, either!).

Christian Dior

While Couture Week is a celebration of excess and opulence, John Galliano for Christian Dior opted to tone down the spectacle usually associated with his shows. But just because the show itself was a quieter affair doesn’t mean the clothes faded into the background.

Galliano was inspired by images of half-dressed Dior models from the past, which translated into a collection that included lots of undergarments (which were not necessarily confined under garments).

There was a very retro feel to the collection, which included ornate hats, tightly cinched waists and delicate, lady-like heels. To keep things modern, Galliano worked in bright fuchsias, oranges and yellows.

This collection is proof that sometimes the best things come in the most unassuming packages.

Christian Lacroix

Christian Lacroix’s future hangs in the balance; the financial side of his business is in turmoil. This collection was created on a shoestring budget (the models were paid just 50 euros for walking the show in an effort to keeps costs at a minimum).

But the good news is the design side of the brand is as strong as ever.

When forced to strip away the extravagance and embellishment typical of a Lacroix collection, there remained a quiet elegance to the clothes. (That’s not to say there was no excitement. There was beading, brooches and bows, just in smaller doses.) The clothes were wearable and chic, with neutral separates for day and glam dresses for night.

Lacroix may not have reinvented the wheel with this collection but hopefully it will be enough to secure the future of one of fashion’s greatest houses.

Elie Saab

Talk about a fashion faux pas! Designer Elie Saab took a page or two out of Karl Lagerfeld’s playbook for his Fall 2009 Couture show. For Chanel Couture Spring 2009 Karl presented a stunning all-white collection at a former Rue Cambon bank; for Fall 2009, Elie Saab did the very same thing in the very same place. Quel dommage!

Luckily, the collection was stunning despite the shadow of Chanel that hung over the runway.

The dresses tended to fall in one of two categories: short and sexy party dresses or grand and glamorous ball gowns. Saab showed the hottest shape of the year, bold shoulders, although his were bolstered by bunches of flowers and feathers. He also showed that he knows how to do sparkle right as many of his dresses were dripping with crystals and sequins and the models looked like ice princesses with their eyes coated white shimmer.

A winter wonderland, indeed.

Givenchy

Ricardo Tisci is a master at what he does, and this season Givenchy seemed to be all about skin. And I don’t mean the models strutted the runway in the buff. Tisci played with how the audience looks at skin and how coverage can still be very, very sexy. There were the outfits that looked like they were being peeled away from the models from the neck down, leaving the girls cloaked in black and grey sheer body stockings and there were gowns with strategic cutouts which achieved the same effect. There were gauzy hoods and floor-length veils that covered while still revealing. And there were reptilian fabrics on harem pants and high-necked gowns.

This collection also showcased some gorgeous jewellery. Several models were draped with multiple strands of gold paillettes around their necks, chests and faces, while others wore golden spikes on their hands and in their hair.

Once again Givenchy gives the audience sexy in a most surprising way.

Jean Paul Gaultier

Jean Paul Gaultier is no stranger to the celeb scene (his image is forever linked to Madonna, at least in my mind) and for Fall 2009 he’s paying homage to some of his favourite leading ladies.

However, for a show about Hollywood’s most iconic women, he presented a whole lot of menswear. Cone-shouldered jackets and wide-leg trousers popped up throughout the collection, as did a number of military elements. To keep things fresh, Gaultier used a variety of sexy reptile skins for his more masculine pieces, including a pair of croc overalls with a knee-length fur coat.

Fur was another recurring element in the collection, used in both the more sporty (if you can call crocodile overalls ‘sporty’) and more glamorous looks, like coats layered over sequin and crystal flapper dresses.

Gaultier played with the flapper dress, recreating it in a variety of lengths and fabrications. He also went to the other end of the spectrum and showed a number of futuristic looks with metallic-edged and leather corsets and exaggerated hips and shoulders.

Viva Hollywood!

Valentino

This is the second couture outing for Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, former accessories designers for Valentino. Although many were critical of their Spring 2009 collection, the consensus seems to say that they are slowly but surely finding their creative voice.

This was a collection of femininely beautiful party dresses. There were ruffles and bows and flowers and lace all done in deep black. But for all of the girly details this was not a sugary-sweet show. Models wore black lace masks, eye patches and towering headpieces and exposed boning and corsetry in several looks kept the show from being twee.

The downside of showing a collection based so heavily on lace and swishy mini-dresses is that some of the looks could have been mistaken for ballet or figure skating costumes. Exquisite hand-made costumes, but costumes nonetheless.