Miu Miu Resort 2011

Want to know my opinion of Miu Miu? Take one look at their 2011 Resort collection and you'll know.

Filled with obvious polka-dots, trinkets, late 70's-esque colour combos, cute boy shorts, and some more trinkets, the collection is almost cartoonish in its over-statement and blunt excess. But with Miu Miu, that's exactly the point. Think of a young girl playing dress up in her mother's clothes, jewelry and make-up, and you've figured out the aesthetic of Miu Miu.

Celine Resort 2011

On the evidence of this collection, Phoebe Philo remains committed to building an iconic wardrobe, and there's little doubt that in the short time she's been at the house of Celine, she's designed some iconic pieces.

A-line skirts, full trousers, tunics and flaring pants were all accessorized with gold accents that belied the minimalism of a collection I can only hope she will build on come September.

Viktor & Rolf Menswear Spring/Summer 2011

Relaxed and 80's-inspired, the menswear collection from the avant-garde designing duo Viktor and Rolf was also spare.

Dries Van Noten Menswear Spring/Summer 2011

You can always expect the juxtaposition of unusual patterns and colours from the house of Dries Van Noten, and with their Spring 2011 menswear show, that's exactly what we got.

Double-breasted jackets were roomy and elongated, shirts were paint-splattered and pants (I think denim) appeared to have been used to mop up a bleach spill. Old is definitely new again.

Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring/Summer 2011

With its subtle textures and hues, the Spring 2011 menswear collection from Vuitton was beach-y, inter-continental and luxe, luxe, luxe!
Absolutely loved the bags and outerwear. Oh. And Vuitoon tattoos? Sign me up!

Prada Menswear Spring/Summer 2011

What is the benchmark of success for any collection? Surely, it means sales; clothes were made to be worn, no? Critical reviews, too, i'm sure, are quite important. But what of how they change the way people dress? In that respect, then, Miuccia Prada has been successful season-in, season-out.

By slimming the silhouette here, enlarging volume there, Prada elongates the body, pointing us in the direction of how to dress in today's modern world. This is all the more extraordinary as she uses old elements we're already used to wearing ourselves, even if we can't afford her label- for this collection, she uses denim, the jacket suit, the cardigan, some shorts, but by adding her quirky, quasi-weird touch to these elements, she creates a collection that is indisputably hers; a collection that is holistically individual and forward.

I can't say of too many collections that i'd wear most everything I see, but I can certainly say that of this one.

Balmain Menswear Spring/Summer 2011

Replete with militaristic jackets and boots, the Balmain Hommes spring/summer 2011 collection really was one (rock star/Strokes-ian) look replicated some thirty times. I especially loved the fit of the pants, though I can just imagine just one pair would cost my entire life savings. Sigh...

Alexander McQueen Menswear Spring/Summer 2011

Juxtaposing loose and fitted, old and new, classic and contemporary, the menswear collection from Alexander McQueen (may his soul rest in peace) looked as raided from a thrift shop in London, as much as it did from your grandad's wardrobe. That of course, is a compliment.