Paris Fashion Week: Lanvin and Miu Miu

Paris ended on a much higher note than most of it operated on thanks to the stunningly beautiful dresses made of ribbon or beads at Lanvin and the inventive designs in what looked like neoprene and felt at Miu Miu. (The words of Robert Burke kept echoing in my ears as I watched the show. He told me, "designers are using less expensive fabrics in more interesting ways" because of the high cost of buying fabrics in euro. After the show a member of another design team pointed out that felt " last season's wool, but boiled.") In truth, Miuccia Prada has always been more experimental in the fabrics she uses on the Miu Miu line. Guy Treaby of the New York Times and I were having a great deal of fun trying to work out the hidden meaning behind the letters on the girls' dresses. ST - Standing! CP - Communist Party! SP - Standard & Poors! Until Anne Christensen, from T, pointed out that they were the models initials. It wasn't a great Paris season. So the beauty and imagination we saw on the runways yesterday stood out all the more. □