>> Miuccia Prada presented her newest animated short film, "Fallen Shadows," featuring the Fall 2008 Prada collection, a couple of nights ago in New York — and now you can watch it from the comfort of your own home. The sequence is not as creepy as the Spring 2008 oeuvre, "Trembled Blossoms," but there's definitely an otherwordly feel to it — and the Prada lace plays a starring role, of course.
>> For all the spectacle that was couture week, with John Galliano's voluminous transparency, Alessandra Facchinetti's debut for Valentino couture, and Christian Lacroix's buggy beauties, let us not forget the red carpet-ready Atelier Versace. Donatella may choose to show off her latest pleated, ruffled, and printed gowns by appointment only, but that doesn't mean we don't get to have a look later. Enjoy the collection, as modeled by Georgina Stojilkovic, complete with Donatella's sketches.
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>> Alessandra Facchinetti's first couture collection at Valentino represents a nerve-racking, generational hand-off, but Giorgio Armani was there in the front row to lend support and represent the old guard.
The collection had the palpable feel of a different designer, as it should — more structure and pared-down tailoring, with most of the detail left to the back of the garments, and more subdued colors than the pastels Valentino had been playing with. However, Alessandra did stay true to the three most guiding parts of the Valentino aesthetic: femininity, ruffles, and of course, Valentino red. In fact, that same Valentino red painted the final look of the collection — a stunning chiffon number.
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>> Transparency is still the word, in John Galliano's mind. The beanie-sporting designer had Lisa Fonssagrives, wife to Irving Penn and oft-credited as the first supermodel, in mind when producing his typical voluminous dresses, but with layers of light chiffon, rather than the heavier, stiffer fabrics Christian Dior couture has boasted in recent seasons.
Frequent collaborator Stephen Jones, meanwhile, looked to Eduardo Garcia Benito, famous for his '20s Vogue cover illustrations of women in cloches, when creating the accompanying skull cap-cum-cloches.
Peplums were aplenty and Galliano couldn't help himself, sneaking a little leopard print into the bunch. But the unifying thought with this collection seems to be: What will we see on newfound Dior client Carla Bruni-Sarkozy first?
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>> THE MODELIZER —Kate Moss may pop in during couture week at the beginning of July, but not for any catwalking. Her boyfriend's band, The Kills, has been booked to perform at the 60th anniversary bash for Longchamp on July 2. How convenient, considering that Kate is the face of Longchamp . . . [WWD]
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