{NM Daily}

7:11 am: Ciao Milano! Wake up begins with a knock on the door and coffee to the room.

7:53 am: Edit Paris shows – they are happening as we speak. Notice graphic colorblock and sport futurist influence at Balenciaga.

8:45 am: Meet Julee Butler, DMM of shoes, and Mary Elise McGowan, senior buyer of shoes. We head to Prada, where we left off last night. The Principe lobby is buzzing with activity. It’s another beautiful and bright day – bright, sunny, and mild weather.

9:15 am: How chic is breakfast at the Prada canteen? Almost like a art installation. Fully curated.

Daily dose of art, breakfast and beauty at Prada!

We are so excited about the shoe collection.

Mary Elise and Julee writing orders at Prada. No table is ever big enough for this project!

Ann Demeulemeester had a floor of desert sand, showing Spanish/Gaucho influences with dark romance. Spanish influences are emerging everywhere. It was a super feminine and gorgeous collection in Ann’s vocabulary.

At Balmain, Viva Liberace! Viva Elvis! Viva Las Vegaaaas! It’s been funny and unusual to find two Las Vegas references in Paris — the cityscape prints at Dries Van Noten and this. Of course more is MORE at Balmain. There was enough beading to keep the “petites mains” busy for the next decade. The beading had a Navajo/Art Deco/Casino façade sensibility.

Photos by Gabrielle de Papp and Darlys Michaelis.

Rick Owens, S/S 2012, photos by Dan Lecca

Yesterday Ken Downing described Rick Owens‘ show like this:  ”Stripes of laser light created a screen that models stepped through, bouncing bright, white light off the cotton pieces that opened the show. Shapes were architectural and voluminous – Grecian draped dresses were topped with washed leather jackets in black and white.  A cotton anoak over a wrap maxi skirt spoke to the sporty influences that are at every house this season. White leather formed architectural hoods on leather jackets. Fitted sleeves that resolve into a deep bell expressed Owens’ appreciation for Haute Couture ideas with an urban edge. Terra cotta was introduced and paired with white or worn over terra cotta silk maxi dresses. Contrast binding was shown on hems and deep cuffs. Cubism, Art Deco and African graphic tribal influences are everywhere.  Shades of grey, pewter, black and white were shown in graphic Art Deco. Tribal fabric blocked tunics and jackets, many with an open weave of leather on the back.  The subtle embroidery of an eye was a nod to Picasso or perhaps Surrealism.  Another amazing Rick Owens collection!”

Interview below by Kristen Spaulding.

With an opening on the silver screen of Lady Gaga telling us not to mess with Mugler, but in a more vivid vocabulary, creative director Nicola Formichetti set the stage for the aggressive, perversive and drama-packed collection for his second runway. Colors of tan and camel were  defined by precision and grace. Skirts were defined by asymmetrical hemlines. Jackets kept the specific DNA of the brand, but again with asymmetrical fronts, uneven hems and often dropped low in the back. Nude and camel blurred the lines between flesh and fabric. There was a subtle wave motif to the cuts and seaming. Models carried forged metal branches or underwater plant life in their hands. Strips dangled from skirts and tattered hems on pants like jellyfish. The only print was a spare blade of grass or slender seaweed that ran up and down on a white ground. Laser-cut black leather resembled fish scales on a jacket. With all of the Alexander McQueen references that are surfacing with the recent Met exhibit, it was hard not to sense a hint of Lee’s blockbuster shipwreck collection that ironically opened with a movie as well. This young man definitely has talent!

The film was directed by photographers Inez and Vinoodh and revealed a brand new Lady Gaga remix.

Lady Gaga

Shop Mugler’s Fall collection on NeimanMarcus.com.

Wednesday: London calling! I love everything about this city. The energy is amazing! London Fashion Week got rave reviews around the globe. Erdem, Christopher Kane, Peter Pilotto and Mary Katrantzou all were a part of the talented lineup.

Peter Pilotto, S/S 2012

I go to Tom Ford’s office and showroom, a hidden treasure. Here are two handbag names you need to know: Jennifer, named after Jennifer Aniston. Maybe you’ve seen her sporting her black TF zippered shoulder bag in the latest US Weekly. Neiman Marcus sold out of it immediately, but we do have a re-order coming some time in November. My advice? Get on the wait list now! Trust me, you want this bag. Carine, named after the iconic French editrix and longtime Tom Ford muse Carine Roitfeld. The bag is timeless and chic. The signature gold clasp hardware are original and unique. I am crazy about a Tom Ford signature bag. (No photos, sorry.)

Thursday, 6:30 am: Off to Heathrow airport to catch a 9 a.m. flight to Milan. 

The Liese

Brian Atwood’s eponymous footwear label takes a step in a new direction with his latest project, a lower priced collection titled B Brian Atwood.

After a stint as head accessories designer at Versace, Atwood introduced his own line in 2001. Since then, international party girls, red carpet walkers and fearless fashion lovers have been drawn to his elaborate, spotlight-grabbing designs. His Fall 2011 collection features everything from ostrich feathers and industrial metal piping, to hot pink calf hair and eight-inch-long fringe.

So fashion footwear fans had high hopes for the designer’s first-ever diffusion line. The shoe is finally out of the bag and Atwood’s famous fringe, leopard, and loudly-hued platforms are still in step. A pair of B Brian Atwoods are about half the price of his main line, yet successfully adhere to Atwood’s signature stiletto style. 

Sin City, Hitchcock blondes, Goths at the Garage, Daphne’s hair and that was just day one. Paris is burning. I mean it’s really warm. The weather is right for the collections at least, so we want the clothes now. For the intrepid Neiman Marcus crew, some of whom flew in from Milan and others from Dallas, day one in Paris started with Guy Laroche and ended with Thierry Mugler. In between we had Dries Van Noten’s ode to Las Vegas, a Rochas riff on Hitchcock — with Tippi Hedren beehives — a truly gothic front row at the Garage in the Marais for Gareth Pugh, and a little mixed media at Rue du Mail. Off the runway, we love the sock and sandal look sported by the cooler-than-thou girls. We think the look originated with German tourists — think black ankle socks and Birkenstocks — but was made chic by uber-stylist Alex White. Whatever its origins, it sure beats opaque tights when it’s 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pattern and proportion play was the order of the day at Dries Van Noten.

Patterns: Traditional black and white Toile de Jouy, exploded and overscale. A ginkgo leaf print. Yellow roses mixed with the Toile de Jouy and a jade green print of the ocean. Color injected with a scenic jungle-green palm pattern. Black and white photo prints of an explosion of flowers. Photo prints of Las Vegas cityscapes and casinos were unexpected and injected high color on a dark ground. (The Las Vegas photo was a transparent panel on the show invitation.)

Proportions: A tunic with volume falling from a yoke, over narrow black pants. A sheath dress with a flounce on one sleeve. Jackets tied at the waist and under the bust with cotton strapping. Peplum pants with tops. Smock dresses trimmed with heavy black lace. Fitted sleeves resolved in a deep Spanish ruffle and cut to 3/4 length. Shaped sleeveless jackets with subtle peplums were worn over the fuller peplum pants. Evening skirt, fitted to the knee with a full flounce, with a cotton shirt and white cropped jacket for evening — spectacular!

The graphic strength of black and white, with the ruffled flounces and volume over narrow proportions brought much newness to a collection we always love.

Dries Van Noten’s Fall collection is in select Neiman Marcus stores. 

Nancy Gonzalez

Handbag designer Nancy Gonzalez once told us she considers red a neutral hue. So the red crocodile clutch that she created for the Neiman Marcus Shoe & Handbag Event is a timeless classic. But you can’t buy it; you must win it. And during the Shoe & Handbag Event there are two ways to win.

On Saturday October 1, we’re hiding 15 of these gorgeous clutches in Neiman Marcus stores across the country. Between the hours of noon and 4 pm (local times,) check into your Neiman Marcus store on your smartphone’s Foursquare application. If you’re close to a hidden clutch, we’ll give you a clue, via Foursquare. Be the first the find the hidden prize and you win! (Read the official rules and fine print here.) Once a location’s hidden clutch has been claimed, we’ll update Foursquare, so you won’t search in vain.

But that’s not the only chance to win. Each of the 41 Neiman Marcus stores is giving away a clutch by random selection. Each store! Those are good odds! So come in and register to win, any time during the Shoe & Handbag Event. (Wednesday, September 28 to Sunday, October 2.)

Plus, the Shoe & Handbag Event is a sweet time to shop designer handbags and ladies shoes, because with a $350 qualifying purchase you’ll have three gift options: a pair of CitySlips foldable flats, a pair of Commando lace tights, or $50 off your next purchase. Offer valid in stores only.

Color inspirations of water and sea with soft, pale tropical prints… Cropped narrow pants in metallics, split up the ankle, were the base of almost every look. They were worn with soft, tonal tropical prints as satin and chiffon blouses, jackets and toppers. The blouses and jackets were often in the same print, an idea we have been seeing throughout the season. Elongated jackets over tropical print skirts with asymmetrical hem skirts… full strapless dresses that looked like skirts that had been pulled up under the arms… tunic dresses over the cropped pant… metallic striped jacket with pagoda shoulders. At one point, three models held each other up in different directions in white embellished, encrusted gowns that were draped in what appeared to be diamond jewelry. He’s done it again!

Shop Giorgio Armani’s Fall collection now on NeimanMarcus.com.