Cameron Silver, owner of L.A.’s vintage couture mecca Decades, knows his way around an original Balenciaga. He had plenty to ogle at the opening of Balenciaga and Spain at San Francisco’s de Young Museum this week. Silver headed to the City by the Bay for the opening fête; read on for his report on the [...]

Cold-weather temperatures don’t exactly scream for blossoming buds. So it was one of the surprises of this Fall 2011 season to find that, at many of the most directional shows, florals stole the show. From graphic, Pop versions snaking up dresses at Versace to wilder prints at Balenciaga (marking, as Nicole Phelps noted, the first [...]

Whatever kind of dog, they’re having a moment in Paris. At right, Mademoiselle Agnès stepped out in Balenciaga’s friendly-looking pup sweater; at right, Liv Tyler wore Givenchy menswear’s snarling cur top to the label’s show and after-party. There, she—gasp!—wasn’t the only one. Kanye West showed his support for Riccardo Tisci by donning the shirt, too.

Photos: [...]

New mom Miranda Kerr hit the runway for Balenciaga once again this morning, and for the second season in a row, husband Orlando Bloom was seated front-row to cheer her on. But he didn’t come alone. In one of the most aww-inducing moments of Paris fashion week so far—in a season where sighs seem to [...]

The haute couture shows start on Monday, and in addition to the schedule’s usual suspects—Lagerfeld, Gaultier, Galliano, et al.—newcomer Maxime Simoëns is throwing his (presumably) hand-beaded hat into the ring. At 26, Simoëns is the first designer to join the official Couture calendar without ever having staged a runway show—unless you count his prize-winning [...]

First Balenciaga, now Isabel Marant. Gisele’s sweep of Spring’s ad campaigns continues. Say au revoir, Kate Moss. [Fashionologie]
And in other campaign buzz, Peter Copping’s first ad for Nina Ricci, shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, had its sneak preview today. If you dig the disco feel, cross your fingers for more sequins [...]

Over the course of a century in a print, Women’s Wear Daily has had given a ton to the designers it covers. And for its centennial celebration, those designers are giving back—and doing a turn for charity, no less. Starting tomorrow at 11:59 p.m., the WWD@100 Auction launches online, featuring exclusive, one-of-a-kind items sold to [...]

Noticed at the shows: the return of fringe. Apropos of a seventies-inflected season, designers—especially those showing in Paris—covered dresses, accessories, and jewelry with dangling wisps, often in evening-friendly black. At Chanel (top left and center), Karl Lagerfeld hung feathers off hair clips and showed collarbone-skimming fringed earrings with tufted dresses. At Louis Vuitton (top right), [...]

It was a fairytale romance—love, marriage, baby, if not necessarily in that order—for Salma Hayek and PPR chairman François-Henri Pinault, who controls the Gucci Group portfolio of labels. And like any faithful spouse (and fashion lover), Mrs. P supports her husband and his business. Hayek arrived on the arm of the Chairman to four of [...]

In advance of Paris Vogue’s 90th anniversary party tonight, Eric Wilson sits down with editrix Carine Roitfeld for a chat. The whole thing’s worth reading, for Carine’s thoughts on what is and isn’t Vogue and who’s on next, but forgive us if we’re most interested in her dream of opening a karaoke bar. Her song [...]