Your Friday French Fashion Report: Pierre Cardin Spring Summer Collection for 2011

With all due respect to Monsieur Cardin, I must admit to having mixed feelings about his Spring Summer Collection for 2011. All over the board, it begins with interestingly enough, with the classic Cardin silhouette reminiscent of timeless 60's chic and Flash Gordon. You will find the always relevant A-line dress in every collection Cardin has produced in the last 50 years, a must have in every wardrobe. Fun and edgy, it takes a special kind of guy to rock the menswear, but hey Shatner did it as Captain Kirk! Unfortunately the collection takes a downturn in Part 3; I have always been a firm believer that to slap a bow on a simple classic sheath is not new, or modern, or fashionable in any way - au contraire! I personally would have left this entire grouping on the cutting room floor. Maestro must have been exhausted by the time we reach the finale, his wedding collection is an unmitigated disaster saved only by the tabletop edition, which is eyecatching as well as practical - you can get married and serve your wedding cake with the same dress! Loved the hats and the geometric handbags, and the built in hula hoops were whimsical and a stroke of genius. It's my new "must have" !

Your Friday French Fashion Report: John Galliano Spring/Summer Collection 2011

"The problem is with men. I know I shouldn't say this, but they've shrouded and hidden women to hide their incompetence" A lover of women, a sense of the dramatic, often over the top, John Galliano puts on a show like no other. I have always appreciated the extremes in his designs, even if I may not go out of the house bedecked in Galliano from head to toe. Unlike the very wearable YSL, the haute couture of Galliano is art in fabric; sometimes shocking, often amusing, always interesting. I love to windowshop at his boutique on the famous rue St. Honoré, (the Rodeo Drive of Paris). The displays are always edgy, the clothes a treat for the eye. His contribution to fashion for the masses is in the trickle down effect, watch the show then wait until summer; you will surely see a toned down version of Galliano everywhere. Enjoy the drama, enjoy the drag, but most of all enjoy the theatre of John's curtain call!