Runway Reviews

(PARIS) Nearly two years after Roland Mouret took to the catwalk-his label and signature collections lost in a fashion divorce from his former business partner-the dashing UK-based Frenchman presented a carefully edited 21-look Spring 2008 Cruise collection called Satellite by RM in the City of Light during couture last week that is best described in one word: stellar.

The son of a butcher, whose ladies-including Demi Moore, Cate Blanchett, and Sienna Miller-swooned over his iconic "Galaxy Dress," Mouret returned to the runway with a decidedly relaxed, yet decidedly upscale collection and a new backer, Simon Fuller, to boot. The music mogul, who was front row along with Jonathan Saunders, Christian Louboutin, Farida Khelfa, and Mouret's parents, was happy with what he saw. "I have complete belief in Roland," he said after the show. "My role is in affording him his vision without compromise. It's all about his freedom of expression. It's how it should be in music-and in fashion, too." Fuller also revealed that Victoria Beckham, whom he managed during her Spice Girls tenure, had previewed the collection and bought every single item. While the pieces, available exclusively for pre-order at e-tailer Net-a-porter.com, won't be shipped until November, the L.A. transplant will wear one of Mouret's designs this Friday when she appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

"For me it was about the woman's body, and about developing the galaxy and the hourglass shapes, where the woman is much smaller on top than on the bottom; I call it the pear-shaped woman," Mouret said of his daytime-heavy collection. "It's something you wear in your life day by day. I was attracted to the way women dress now, which is not to push the body. And because I was showing in Paris during Haute Couture, I didn't want to pretend to be couture. That's why the relaxed attitude of the girls and the clothes was really important."

Done in a chic, subdued palette of black, grey, navy, white, and cream-and presented on a stark white runway to Volta, Björk's new album which she allowed Mouret to remix for the show-the precise pieces offered a little bit of everything for the new Mouret, or RM, girl. From the short linen tuxedo dress, to the detail in the squared-off shoulders, to the geometric inserts, Mouret injected a refreshing burst of clean lines and effortless elegance via a handful of sculpted dresses. His new volume, shown on skirts cut on the square and folded origami-style, created a fluid line that boasted wisps as pockets at either side.

While the collection will no doubt transition easily into any stylish woman's wardrobe, standout pieces included a black pinafore dress with wide-buttoned straps; a boxy, zipped jacket in navy; a black satin-back crêpe coat with Pierrot collar, and an ecru silk organza and tweed dress that every woman with Louboutins must possess.

Prices for the collection won't come cheap. Dresses start at $2,100; jackets from $1,400; tops average $795; skirts average $1,200, and coats start at $2,700. While the clothes were beautiful, equally so was the shoe Louboutin created exclusively for the show. "It's a little bootie with thick construction because everything [in the collection] is very, very light," he said of the "Emily," a $925 dove gray patent-tipped bootie that features faux button detailing and a 5 1/2-inch platform heel, which is available exclusively at Net-a-porter.com. "It looks like a fencing boot."