That’s right. Your heard it. You can win a pair of Manolos from The gift blog. This promotion has circulated 1 million times already in the blogsphere and I don’t want to be another shill for the contest as I want to win the pair myself. According to Andrew the director of the contest, they don’t get that much traffic so odds are in your favor. Go here to enter.

No one does a show quite like Prada; it was different, it was romantic, it was nostalgic. Every piece was well crafted and could literally fit on a variety of sizes. The whitewashed gabardine tunic dresses would work on the typical mid-twenty year old fashionista in New York LA and everywhere in between. My favorite shoe on display at the show was this bamboo wedge: two bamboo sticks in differing lengths placed parallel, one behind the other create a lovely heel that screams buy us, buy us now.

In a move that is sure to make PETA organize and protest, models wheeled out white crocodile bags (that’s right girls, roll along luggage) and oversized vanity cases in canvas with cyclamen trims.

It was a throwback to the Prada heyday. Love, life, femininity all purposely on display. Emilio Pucci is up next.

The Italians sure know how to put on a show. Milan fashion week designs are coming back to the states at a furious pace and I am in love. Feminity is on display. Lots of it. In heaping spoonfuls.

Armani
No more androgenous models that kept you guessing as to their sex. Armani went pure feminine. The outlandish head attire, the fugly make-up, all went out the window. Armani turned up the notch by going elaborate but sexy, while accentuating a lighter spring. A mix of colors were on display. You had the saccharin pastels, classic blacks and a variety of florals sauntering down the runway. The waif thin models wore rounded jackets that fit snuggly, stacked peep-toe heels, white-stripped blazers. There was a good amount of satin on display. I’m in love.

Ferragamo
Somebody must have given Mr. Black the memo. The house of Ferragamo woke up and gave us a glimpse of their interpretation of spring. It’s about looking professional while maintaining femininity. There were no trends at the show. It was about fashion that could withstand decades. Really. The real standout was a full length knit gown. There were others like the open-work camisole all dressed up in lace, a knit dress and several flowing skirts. Solids were definitely on display, deep reds, bright whites and not very many spring pastels.

D&G
This show took place in a warehouse near the airport. It was as if the designers were seeking to make up lost time in terms of white. The show had very little color and was a veritable winter wonderland. That is definitely not a bad thing. Especially taking into account the designs at play. It made the focus more on the design and less on the usage of colors. Sure, pastels showed up, but it was mainly about white. White with lace, white with cotton, and white with chiffon all wrapped up in a neat package. There was something Victorian about the show.

The 3 shows demonstrated that the Italians were in a different place when compared to their American and English counterparts.

Driving to the office today I was mystified to see an object that resembled a pig in the air…flying. It wasn’t tethered to anything, it was just in the air. Flying. I then noticed four horsemen galloping with great speed behind me. As I was parking my car I noticed a seven headed beast crossing the street directly in front of me. Strange, I thought. I then walked by someone who had a portable radio and heard inane babbling about, fire and brimstone and the end of the world yadda, yadda, yadda, then I heard something that caught my ear. Wal-Mart is, maybe, quite possibly preparing to buy Tommy Hilfiger.

It had then dawned on me…the end prophesized so long ago may actually be here.

So one of my girls calls me at 3:27 am this morning, crying and all in a tussle about a jerk of unexplainable proportions.

To paraphrase the great Manolo, he is truly the asshole. He says he needs time, he needs space, he needs to think things through. I tell her he needs a good smack in the mouth. What’s there to think about? You’ve discovered something in the recent couple of days that you didn’t know in the past year and a half?. I tell her don’t fret, either he’ll come back or he won’t, not a whole lot she can do about it. Besides, the world is teeming with men. My words didn’t console her, so I directed her to eluxury and showed her this Marc Jacobs satchel.

I’m not sure if it worked, but the sniffling came to an abrupt halt. Shopping is truly the cure for all of life’s ills.

Meghan