One of our favorite trends from Fall 08 is the body con/exaggerated silhouette trend that we've titled 'Shape Up' for today's shoot. Shape Up is by far the most notable trend from the Fall 08 shows. Designers articulated this trend by skimming the body with razor-like precision or by exaggerating the silhouette to comment on the landscape of the body. Whichever direction they went, the physical form was at the forefront of their minds. From Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, Jonathan Saunders, Miu Miu, and of course, Balenciaga, Fall 08 saw the female form (and not florals nor lace--though there was plenty of that, wasn't there?) take center stage. For our purposes we created two looks which articulate the trend.

The modern look called up a pair of Marc by Marc Trousers we'd written about in a while back in an immaterial post. Though there are options galore when it comes to parachute trousers, we thought these appropriately priced and nicely tailored. On top a Harlan Bel blouse tucked everything in to a tailored point (we first discovered Harlan Bel back when we shot our La Belle Dame sans Merci editorial). On the vintage side of things we couldn't really go wrong with a vintage Dior jacket from Zachary's Smile. The cuffed bell sleeve on this jacket inspired many a Fall 08 daydream in our mind. So nicely does it display the Shape Up vantage point.

Below, check out a spread of our favorite pieces from this trend and, below that, a trend gallery from the Fall 08 shows with every sort of Shape Up frock and trouser you can imagine.

Miuccia Prada really struck a chord with us this Fall 08. Her collection for Prada is included on our top five list, alongside, so far, Preen and Yves Saint Laurent. This list is as honest as it gets and so we've no qualms doubling up (heck, if it weren't honest we wouldn't have the nerve to put Preen and YSL on the same scoreboard)--and so we're also going to include Miu Miu Fall 08 as one of our favorites. Prada's collection for Miu Miu was inspired by sportswear, specifically jockey uniforms, and gave a slight wink to the lace in the Prada collection. Miu Miu, which takes on a younger persona than Prada in the first place, was full of playful tech inspired frocks and layers. It seemed to us a collection with the same sinister mood as the Prada show however appropriate to its own persona. Those jewel tones, neoprene-like fabrics, and boyish lolita-esque styling, made for a collection that could inspire all kinds of Fall fashion personas. And this is why we liked it best. Something about this collection stirred up in us all kinds of creative ideas about what might become of Fall 08 and that's not something you can say about most collections. Miuccia we heart you. Lots.

Sometimes we wish Net-a-Porter would just put the darn frocks on a real person. This Miu Miu Double Zip Dress just doesn't look as nice on that mannequin as it did on the runway. Now, we know that this could be the result of some post-fashion week fabrication adjustments. We also know that it might be more to do with Net-a-Porter's sample size, but, regardless, the charm is lost. On the runway this dress is a body skimming jewel-toned piece of perfection. It makes the model look curvaceous and blends that old world silhouette with modern details a la the frock's hardware. What does it look like on e-commerce? It looks like a shift dress with neon sleeves. The product description reads, "exquisitely tailored" but, by the looks of it, it's a sack dress. To be honest we can't tell just where the problem lies. It's either the lack of, er, human being, holding the garment up or it's that the sample size is larger than the mannequins frame. Either way, we hope that the fashionistas buying this Miu Miu frock for $1,640 will know to check the proper runway exit. We're pretty sure in twenty years we will look back on these discrepancies and roll over onto our sides in a fit of laughter.

Pleats are tricky creatures, little bits of design that are hard to construct and even trickier to maintain. The pleat is a type of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference.

In other words, a pleat is a lot of work and requires plenty of fabric. So why is it that we discovered a profusion of cheap pleats after being turned on to a particular Old Navy sateen pleated skirt thanks to community member Stained Couture.

The concept just doens't make sense. Economizing fabric keeps prices down for the fast fashion retailers so why on earth would they choose to construct a garment that requires an excess of fabric? Lord knows cheap fabric isn't going to hold a pleat especially well and we don't even want to get into just how the arrived at the delightful little tucks via some crazy CAD pattern making creation. And yet there they are in a tidy row at retailers from Forever 21 to Old Navy just begging us to add a little kick to down and out wardrobes. We have enough trouble keeping the pleats in our Miu Miu school girl skirt looking crisp and fresh and the damn thing was made by artisans in Italy with only the finest textiles. We can't even imagine the wrinkling, unraveling, and potential disasters that could be involved in cheaply stapled pleats. And yet somehow we want to pair these with our long tanks and giggly insouciantly, yes of course we deliberately bought the cheap versions just think how they will deconstruct so artfully!

Miu Miu, as part of pre-Fall, pushed out some lace-up riding boots: the kind girls round these parts have been wearing every winter for the past 6 or 7 years. Alas, we're sure they will sell this classic boot like hotcakes. To be honest, there are some designs that are sharp and ought be offered at every price point. If your average shoe allowance hovers around a thousand, why should you have to slum it and buy the real-vintage version (that retails, even in perfect condition, at no more than $200). Where there is a need...there is a Miu Miu version. Which is, if you ask us, as it should be. Look at it this way, as long as Miu Miu and like keep producing the classic styles, it will give our daughters, when they are in their twenties and living in New York, some sick vintage riding boots to wear during the winter months. It's the circle of boot-life, folks.