Three of a kind

By Katie Wright - Three of a kind

I have to abandon my Olympic rating system now, since the three next best shows from Paris are essentially inseparable – all beautiful, youthful and slightly cerebral.

Elbar Albaz nailed it yet again at LANVIN. The formula remained the same – puffy 3-D dresses that make it impossible to tell when the folds and clouds of fabric start and end – but my gosh they are gorgeous. As the show went on the gowns (and occasional jumpsuit) became more blingy and sparkly. How did Albaz accessorise his girls? With layers of art deco necklaces, gallons of black eye-makeup and a fierce glare.

How good would it be to be Miuccia Prada’s daughter? She makes a whole new MIU MIU collection every season that’s perfectly pitched for the twenty-something market – somewhere between sexy and witty; retro and forward-thinking. For spring that means high-waisted skirts with tiny cropped jackets, bra tops, sixties sleeves and adorable cat and dog prints.

Like fellow Italian Alberta Ferretti, this season GIAMBATTISTA VALLI went about reinventing the flapper for 2010. This lead to a focus largely below the belt; some great mini-crinis, two-toned feathery hula skirts and, my favourites, shiny black fringed numbers that might have you reaching for cassette tapes to dissemble and recycle.