>> For the second season in a row, Balenciaga showed at the Hotel Crillon — word is residents forced them to move from their previous location — and Nicolas Ghesquiere took his eye "back to the start again," as the show's soundtrack went, returning to his sporty, skinny pants roots.  The leggings, vests, and dresses were collages of contrasting materials — "like toys," the designer noted — and his goal was to create an entirely modern collection, sans references to the past.

In his effort to think differently, Ghesquiere told the Wall Street Journal, he mused: “There are cocktail dresses everywhere. I am asking, who are these women who go to cocktails all the time?’’  He also had his runway shoe samples made it a number of different sizes (39-41) rather than the standard 39, to help prevent runway stumbles.

Anouck Lepere and Lily Cole were both front row this morning, but the big model surprise was Victoria's Secret Angel Miranda Kerr, who some see as Balenciaga's answer to Givenchy casting Adriana Lima last season.

>> We had a few clues as to who made the cut for Terry Richardson's 2010 Pirelli calendar when he shot it last month in Bahia, Brazil, but now Italian Vanity Fair has the details on the full cast, which includes Daisy Lowe, Georgina Stojiljkovic, Eniko Mihalik, Catherine McNeil, Lily Cole, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Miranda Kerr, Ana Beatriz Barros, Gracie Carvalho, Marloes Horst, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Terry produced thousands of images from the shoot with the girls holding sloths, fruit, roosters, and holding hands while running through waves in little else than a bikini bottom.  The goal this year was to use "no makeup, no reflectors — only the flash of the camera — no branded clothes or jewelry, no girls altered surgically," said Andrea Imperiali, manager of Pirelli on the set. Fifty images will make the final cut when the calendar is debuted Nov. 19 in London, but until then the gallery below — which is NSFW — and a video of the shoot will have to do.

>> Lily Cole's first film on the major stage, Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which also happens to have been Heath Ledger's last film due to his untimely death, premiered today at the Cannes Film Festival.  So far, the critical reaction has been less than flattering — the Guardian called the film "an awful mess," and Entertainmently Weekly agreed: "The plot's a mess of disconnected episodes, and the circus-y visual style adds to a feeling of . . . quiet desperation."

Some were more hopeful — Variety wrote that Gilliam "made a pretty good thing out of a very bad situation" and the Hollywood Reporter pointed out that "the combined star power involved [Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell] will generate a plentiful box office return but the film is not intelligent enough nor silly or grotesque enough to become a lasting favorite."

As for Cole's performance as 16-year-old love interest Valentina, Variety was positive — "Cole nicely hold necessarily caricatured work in check" and the Times UK effulgent: "The revelation is Lily Cole, who is mesmerising as the teenage siren, Valentina. It's her tangos with the various [men] that keep us focused on the romance."

At a press conference this morning, Lily described working with Depp, Law, and Farrell as replacement actors for Ledger as "weird and difficult. You're mourning somebody but at the same time you're immediately going back to work. It's such an unusual environment where you're presented with actors who are playing reminders of that character and that person."

Natasha Poly and Noemie Lenoir joined Lily at the premiere; The film does not yet have a US release date, but is scheduled to open in European theaters this Fall.

>> This evening's amfAR Cinema Against AIDS gala in Cannes promised the appearances of chairs Donatella Versace and Carine Roitfeld, and it more than delivered.  Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who are hosting their annual blowout tomorrow night, have officially docked their "mirrored floating disco" yacht, according to T's Stefano Tonchi, and joined in on the fun.  Natasha Poly, who needed the help of two women to get into her Cavalli gown yesterday, reappeared in a leopard dress.  Claudia Schiffer made her first red carpet appearance of the festival.  And Carine Roitfeld made the rounds, stopping to chat with Twilight's Robert Pattinson.

>> The Cannes Film Festival is well underway and with the red carpet fashion such a focus, it's no surprise that some of the industry's finest are out in full form.  Roberto Cavalli, who like last year continues to offer his yacht up to guests and score a number of red carpet moments — including dressing Natasha Poly for today's Inglourious Basterds premiere — was spotted riding around atop a Segway.  Georgina Chapman is also in town, cinching Marchesa dress appearances on the likes of Penelope Cruz yesterday and Diane Kruger today.

Lily Cole, in Cannes for her own upcoming movie premiere, stepped out with boyfriend Enrique Murciano on Monday. "I've been studying the history of art in college," she told FWD. "But the gorgeous beach and sun is what everyone needs with two weeks left in the semester!"  Carine Roitfeld, who will have her big red carpet moment tomorrow at the amfAR benefit, appeared in lacy Balmain at a premiere today with Patrick Demarchelier.

Balenciaga muse Charlotte Gainsbourg debuted a Fall 2009 dress from the label at her Antichrist premiere, Eva Herzigova showed up in a sheer dress for the second year in a row, and Doutzen Kroes also popped up wearing Alaia, of which she tweeted, "So excited he lets me wear his dress!!"