This was a bitter sweet show. Alessandra Faccinetti's third collection for Valentino was also her last. Reinventing the Valentino look for the modern woman can be no easy task. But here you saw ideas of softer daytime suits, in polka dots or solid, satiny neutrals, and a sophisticated sense of evening in gowns that were simply draped with jewel accents. A red one-shoulder gown was absolutely stunning. Dear Valentino management, give the next designer a chance to evolve the brand out of the heyday of the 1980's - things have changed!

Karl Lagerfeld did it again. The Spring 2009 collection is filled with all of the Chanel house icons that we can't get enough of! Tweed dresses and suits - in a cool color range of white/black/gray and pink, enormous necklaces, shopping bag leather totes, and ruffles for evening. As always, these are the clothes that define Parisian chic.

There's a lot of talk this season about geometry and harem pants. Look no further than Stefano Pilati's Spring collection for YSL to get the wearable version of these ideas. Chic shirts and sportswear separates really do look sporty when paired with the new YSL skirt that is basically a long-crotch short. Classic jackets, also in the safari style, are tailored and nipped in at the waist when viewed from the front, but explode into rectangular shoulders when viewed from behind. My favorite new evening idea? The bordeaux sequin jumpsuit, or 'short suit'. Whatever it's called - it made my day!

Here are the clothes that speak softly about style, ease, modern elegance. Dries stripped away the florals and color prints from the last two collections and delivered a collection based on black and white. Yes, there were pops of bright colors. But it was the contrast of graphic stripes and grids, mixed with gold or silver embellishments, that were most striking. These are pieces that are super easy for anyone to incorporate into their existing wardrobes.

Albert Kriemler's love of modern architecture took a softer side this season. Signature suitings, still crisp in silhouette, played with transparent fabrics, layered with sheer underpinnings. Sleek dresses played with sheer panels. Metallic infused fabrics or embroideries are perfect ideas for the evening hours. The biggest departure here at Akris, the digitalized floral watercolor prints. Just beautiful.

Sometimes clothes are just 'happy'. This was the case with Junya Watanabe's spring 2009 collection. This is a collection evenly split between colorful 'African' prints wrapped and twisted around the body in easy-to-wear shapes and layered over prewashed denim, or crisp white eyelet realized in must-have skirts and jackets. The extreme headdresses, filled with flowers, along with a chirping bird background, made one long for the dog days of summer and the opportunity to wear these very cooling clothes.

Nicolas Ghesquiere pushes Balenciaga forward each season while respecting the house codes established by Cristobal Balenciaga - the house's founder. This season, light and shine are the key elements in a collection based on technological fabrics and reworked geometric shapes. Woven ribbons were the key to an astounding color-changing effect. Everyday clothes? Well, no. But keep your eyes open for fabrics that have this romantic sense of suprising shine.

John Galliano mixed up the best of the 1980s with just a whiff of Africa for spring 2009. Hair, upswept in plaited conical headpieces, provided the African bang to sweeter-than-usual clothes. Transparency, crystal pleats, and mini-power lengths provided the 80's vibe. The entire collection, including sophisticated pretty prints, floated down the runway in lighter-than-air fabrics.