Structured silhouettes in inky tones and tawny shades dominated Guillaume Henry's Spring 2013 collection for Carven. Hourglass blazers — many with heart-shaped cutouts at the midriff — were a big story here; those topped everything from lushly flared skirts to jaunty ankle-length trousers. And while the color palette and fabric choices — leather, wool, tweed — may have been less whimsical than we've come to expect from a designer who's made Carven synonymous with kinder-chic, there was still plenty of playfulness on offer; a series of dresses and suits done in toile safari prints in navy and red were especially endearing.

It's not with every collection that sex appeal and extreme craftsmanship go hand in hand, but then again Nicolas Ghesquiere isn't every designer. His Spring 2013 collection for Balenciaga was filled with clothes that looked (and in fact were) light, almost airy, and easy to wear — despite the massive amounts of thought, research, construction, and finishing that went into every piece.

The main message here was that skin is in — but so is strength and attention to detail. So while a variety of bralette tops and midriff-baring shirts exposed their wearer's stomachs and decolletages, they also showed off Ghesquiere's ability to embellish without really embellishing. There were fabrics that looked like tweeds but were really just embroidered with a pattern that suggested the thicker wool material. There were dresses made of a leaf-shaped guipure lace pattern that was so shiny it almost looked like leather. There were handkerchief-hemmed miniskirts that were actually shorts. And who could forget the suiting that, for all its masculine tailoring and sharp, aggressive energy, was actually sewn together for a woman's lithe curves.

For Spring 2013, Nicola Formichetti looked to the 1970s photos by Guy Bourdin, the Far East, and Wong Kar Wai's film In the Mood For Love. While those references weren't translated literally, they were there — especially in the form of lantern sleeves, golden embroidery, and origami pleating. In a palette of rust, mustard, gray, and green and in shiny fabrics like leather and vinyl, the collection was as sculptural and structured as we've come to expect from Formichetti's Mugler, but there were still plenty of wearable pieces. The opening series of fit-and-flare dresses were particularly appealing, as were several wide-sleeved t-shirt tops. And while Lady Gaga — who acted as musical director — was a no show in the front row, there was an exciting appearance of another kind: the first Mugler handbags. Those came in the form of clasp-topped clutches and boxy satchels; one was even inspired by Gaga's backside.

Free People assembled a trio of fashion's coolest women, including Garance Doré, Lou Doillon, and Dree Hemingway, for its colorful October catalog.

While Hemingway posed for photographer Chadwick Tyler, Doré shot and interviewed Doillon in and around her home. "I like the idea of having a lot of things, and I like having houses that make people want to stay," Doillon says. The same idea extends to the Fall garments from Free People: chunky knitwear, cozy sweaters, lived-in boots, and soft denim are exactly the kinds of clothes necessary for Fall. A look at the catalog here in the gallery.

Photos courtesy of Free People

Photographer Greg Kadel is not pleased that one of the images he took of Karlie Kloss for Numéro magazine's October issue were altered to hide the model's ribs.

"It was Greg's desire to represent Karlie as she naturally is . . . slender, athletic, and beautiful," a statement from Kadel's studio reads. "That is why he released the images as he intended them to be seen by the public. He is shocked and dismayed that unbeknownst to him, Numéro took it upon themselves to airbrush over his original images. Greg stands by his original artwork and cannot stress enough that he not only was unaware of the magazine’s retouching but also finds the airbrushing of Karlie unacceptable and unnecessary."

Kadel released his photos on Monday, but by Tuesday, an image from the magazine — in which a shirtless Kloss places her hands behind her head and leans back against a wall — was leaked. The original showed Kloss's ribs, sternum, and clavicles; the magazine's version did not.

We have reached out to the editors at Numéro for their reaction to criticism of their decision to alter Kadel's images, but had not heard back as of this post. For now, a look at Kadel's original photos — and the altered image — here in the gallery.

Photos via Greg Kadel.

For Spring 2013, Martine Sitbone showed a collection that was whimsical with hints of futurism and a nod to mod. The whimsy came through in oversize polka dots and laser cutouts on dresses and coats. Leather jackets and pops of black lent a serious undertone, while shift dresses were pure '60s. A handful of colorblock pieces with large square pockets kept things from being too retro and loose-fitting silhouettes throughout offered up a relaxed, sporty air.

Gareth Pugh has officially gone medieval — but not in a Game of Thrones or theme park kind of way. For Spring 2013, the British expatriate took some of the shapes and feelings of that murky time several hundred years before the Renaissance and distilled them into a near-futuristic collection of dresses with angel sleeves, portrait necklines, and flashes of embellishment restrained by a limited color palette. The first exit was a model in a black gown wearing a black veil elevated from her head by a cylindrical headpiece. That was followed by more black (this is Gareth Pugh we're talking about, after all) and others in a silvery gray and fiery red. While the all the pieces were subtle in their decoration — one black jacket had laser-cut sleeves in an interesting pattern — the red dresses were particularly interesting. One red shirt was mostly ruffles, while a pair of red bell bottoms got a dramatic hit of movement courtesy of two fluttering panels of fabric attached to each leg.

There was an optimistic sportiness in Marco Zanini's outing at Rochas on Wednesday that didn't simply come from the white wrestling boots he paired with the looks he sent down the runway. For all their fine fabrication (taffeta here, cloque there) and ladylike posturing, the garments in this collection looked as though they were made to move. Sure, there were bralette tops, easy shirtdresses, and a gauzy pleated skirt that left a slipstream of fabric trailing close behind the model wearing it on the runway. But there were also polo shirts (tucked into skirts or elongated into dresses in their own right), luxe three-quarter-length cardigans, and midriff-baring, well, everything that were as easy to slip on as they were to look at and admire.