You know when you look at pictures of yourself from middle school and you're all flushed and happy and your hair is wild and your outfit kind of...whatever? There's something about Isabel Marant that reminds us of those days. Her signature slouchy, separates and boyish jackets often call up the 1980's and 1990's--but with Marant it's more juvenile than what we see from her Dynasty-evoking contemporaries. Like House of Holland or Alexander Wang there is something about the irresponsible playfulness that is just. so. good.

Check out the Isabel Marant Spring 09 collection right here and feel young again.

Slinky and structured are such an elegant combination, exemplified over and over again by Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein. Whether it's a floor-sweeping gown or a modern day coat, these pieces are those which you can keep forever and can wear year-round. You can't ask more from a designer garment. After all, if you're going to spend thousands on a piece of clothing despite the sheer number of sale items staring you in the face you better be able to wear it...a lot. 

Check out our 2009 coverage of Calvin Klein by way of the Spring 09 photo gallery and now the Pre-Fall 2009 photo gallery. For more on Pre-Fall, check out our photo gallery of the Oscar de la Renta Pre-Fall 2009 show. 

The Lovenia Spring 09 collection might be sweet as pie, but that doesn't mean it's not luxurious--in fact these frocks were some of the prettiest we've seen and we're sure they'll appear on young starlets from now until the collection hits stores. Designer Heidi Handler studied under designer Jean Charles Castelbajac which should explain her cognizance of sophisticated dressing. We loved the 1930's/1940's influence in this collection, the beaded drop-waist gown (left) in particular was a shining example of the designer's talents. To see our In The Showroom snapshots, click the gallery link below and, for the Spring 09 look book, click here.

Following the untimely and unfortunate death of Quetzalcoatl Rangel Sanchez, the Marvin y Quetzal Spring 09 collection revealed just why Mexico Fashion Week is worth watching in the first place. The attitude of the collection was both defiant (fringe jumpsuits for boys) and celebratory (neon and revealing) and it called up androgyny without needing tweed suits or porkpie hats. Mexico fashion, to us, is very skilled at these things and Marvin y Quetzal has always proven our point. Check out the Spring 09 collection below, and our video and review of the Fall 08 collection, right here. In the United States, you can buy Marvin y Quetzal (and some other great Mexican designers) at New High (M)art in Los Angeles. 

When we first laid eyes on the fantastic ceramic-like headpieces we thought the clothing was bound to pale in comparison but, to our surprise, it was well-matched and very beautiful on its own. The chiffon and silk dresses were pleated and sewn into beautiful patterns, some of which reminded us of the details from Givenchy Fall 08. Otherwise, it had a similar palette and gothic feel to that collection. Don't get us wrong, the Morales collection is far and away from Givenchy but you can see that the aesthetic is admired. As tough as the overall message is, this collection is rather soft and feminine at its core. Here's to hoping that it looks as nice in person as it does on the catwalk and that the price point isn't at all near that of an established luxury brand. 

Aside from a few nice coats and some passable separates, we were unimpressed with the Spring 09 Mango collection. Just look at the Banana Republic Spring 09 collection or the Topshop Look Book from this fall and you'll see why. The only thing you really have to sacrifice when you shop mass-market is a little bit of quality (you get what you pay for) and the knock-off problem. Otherwise, the stores are, in our opinion, fine places for trendy wardrobe-filler. The problem with Mango is that you get the feeling that even if Mango weren't a mass-market corner cutter they'd still lack sophistication...whereas Topshop and Uniqlo and Target are all stores that don't, actually, give you that feeling. 

Is it just us or is the Banana Republic Spring 2009 collection as chic (if not more so) than some of the Spring 09 collections we saw in the tents this year? The gliding silks, the rolled up sleeves, the  jumpsuits, the color palette of mint, ice blue, nude, and white--it's all too much to handle! As Simon Kneen first full collection for for the brand, we are now prepared to belive that Banana Republic will be the chicest new style destination in the contemporary price bracket. Which makes us wonder if Kneen has been at the helm since January (even if this is his first full collection) have they been achieving this level of chic for months now? We've just been distracted by their sale section (which is so unsightly!) or the fact that the closest one to us is on Broadway which is the Bermuda Triangle of tourist shopping. As a penance, we will be making a stop at their store this weekend...if Spring is this fantastic there must be something to tide us over from the Fall collection.

If asked on the spot who we might choose to design frocks for our entire wedding party, we think our first thought might be: Monique Lhuillier. This woman is, hands down, an endless source of drama and glamour and her designs deserve more than just red carpet-cred; of which she has plenty. For her bridal collection this Spring 09 she put together some of the most beautiful gowns we have ever laid our eyes on, each on sheathed in a never-ending veil. Despite the tendency for bridal fashion shows to have such frivolous accessories, it should be clear who the front runner of this market is. For an outfit to wear to the reception and focks for the bridesmaids and the Mother-of-the-bride, and one for the honeymoon, check out Lhuillier's Spring 09 collection. The Spring 09 Bridal collection, below. 

Well, at least the Armando Mafud Spring 09 collection actually, you know, attempted to show actual fashion pieces--even if they were sometimes a little hard to swallow. Let's stay positive, it's Friday after all! What we liked about this collection most is that Mafud seems to have something to say about Mexican fashion specifically, and the colors and prints were made exciting because of that. This bright, floral dress however loud, was actually one of our favorites (shown left) and we can imagine it looking quite beautiful on a tall woman with a slicked back bun. No matter if we disagree with the execution of some of these dresses, we have to commend Mafud for the handiwork. Click here and here to see the most fantastic examples and below, check out the entire Spring 09 gallery. 

We're big time fans of chiffon and half expect it from Los Angeles because of the climate, so we were pleased when some of the Amelia Toro designs showed really pretty examples of this fabric. There was red printed maxi dress that was very loud without being tacky, a nude pleated dress that would have been a great day-to-night piece, and a sky blue ultra-feminine dress that would go perfectly with an over-the-top pair of heels. There were some floral prints we could have done without because they looked dated, like Lisa Loeb-era, and also some silhouettes that wrongly evoked the same time period, but aside from that everything was fine. Another nice touch were the striped maxi dresses that we nice a sporty option. Horizontal stripes might scare off some people but in Los Angeles we're guessing they are less likely to avoid such things.