Couture Watch

(NEW YORK) Whether mind-blowingly innovative or demure eyond belief, couture's when designers let their imaginations run wild. Let two old pros show you how it's done...

CHRISTIAN DIOR
A bold, ravishing spectacle of operatic proportions, Galliano's latest vision marked a monumental breakthrough, both in terms of his own career and couture alike. Inspired by a trip he took last October to Japan, where he visited Osaka and Kyoto, among other cities, the designer described the show "origami meets Madame Butterfly." A triumph of outsize construction, conical skirts the size of rickshaws were covered in cascading layers of fabric folded every which way, while tidal waves of fabric billowed lighter than clouds. Details were dizzyingly intense; vast swatches of fabric were overlaid with scenes from classic Japanese art or transformed with shining embroidery, while the twists and turns of one particularly dimension-defying skirt appeared to be covered in stained glass. Of course, this being Galliano, there was a sense of humor to it all; models were all given Japanese-style monikers like Sakura-San, Youki-San, and Pooh-Bah-San; Irina Lazarneau, in a crocodile cocktail suit, was named Cri-Cri-San. But there was no denying the grandeur as thousands of white papier maché butterflies poured out from above, covering the designer, dressed as an admiral (perhaps Commodore Perry?) as he swaggered out to join his creations. Fashion is only as vibrant as the minds that make it work; when your imagination's got scope to spare, bigger is indeed better.

ELIE SAAB
Oscar hopefuls, take note: both body-conscious and form-forgiving, Elie Saab's divinely delicate collection was made for flashbulbs to fawn over. Entitled "Goddess of Dawn," the ethereal outing combined glacial, daybreak shades with evening-ready shimmer to red carpet-ready effect. Swarovski beading spangled sinuous, a-line gowns like dewdrops, while gossamer-thin lacework on feminine shirt suits and frocks with flowing sleeves solidly earned the show its couture status. With its sure-handed Grecian draping and meringue-light construction, the empire-waisted confections were fit for ingénues and screen doyennes alike.