The Talk of Paris Fashion Week

We take the social chatter during the fashion weeks very seriously. The talk of hit-making shows, disappointments and talents-to-watch will ultimately determine what ends up on magazine pages, on store shelves, and finally, on the body come the following season.

Last night at Café de Flore, our dinner guests, who had just attended Louis Vuitton, were all atwitter about the collection. One fashion editor proclaimed the collection "what fashion is all about," elaborating that it was "the colors, the kookiness, [and] the overall mood" that set it apart. Yves Saint Laurent has also been seriously talked about. While the collection wasn't to everyone's personal taste, our network couldn't help but give due credit to the modern Rive Gauche uniform—the drop-crotch, gray tailored pants with amply cut matching jackets, below-the-knee swingy skirts, and bowl haircuts with aubergine lipstick.

The consensus on Givenchy is that it's Riccardo Tisci's best to date. As tight commercially as it was creatively, we're curious to see how it sells. Balenciaga sets the bar, and by all accounts, Ghesquière delivered another hit with his stiff dresses and liquid velvet tops—there's no denying his directional influence. Finally, Junya Watanabe's lyrical exercises using sweatshirt fabrics for most of his looks were roundly thought to be beautiful. Stay tuned for our full Paris Fashion Week report later this week.

—Jason Campbell