Zac Posen's Spring 2012 Collection (mystyle.com)

 Miu Miu’s collection (look for video below) rang true to the playful but polished essence of the brand. The color scheme was bright, with an emphasis on of-the-moment pastels, pinks, and cobalt blues. A heavy note of black balanced the bright colors, whether it was a black embellished jacket over a feminine red dress or printed top tucked neatly into a black leather skirt. An array of geometric prints were displayed, often featured on pleated tops and dresses cinched with a skinny, polished belt at the waist. Miu Miu’s patterns at play included geometric shapes, ladylike florals, and clusters of stars both printed onto the clothes as well as incorporated in cutout shapes. The many silk-screened patterns were kept at bay by pairing contrasting prints in similar colors and adding monotone pieces into the collection for a breath of fresh air. As if onlookers needed more reason to pledge allegiance to Miuccia Prada’s younger, modern and avant-garde line, the label sent a collection of equally enticing accessories down the catwalk to accompany its clothes. Multicolored neon accents and flashes of metallics on shoes and bags caught the runway lights as models passed. Bags were no afterthought in the equation, featuring intricate decorations like stars or floral decals. Miu Miu’s attention to detail was astoundingly calculated, whether the tiny perforated dots in a shoe’s leather or a border of beads sewn into the edge of a skirt.  

Valentino’s show was a breathtaking array of pure elegance and femininity. The famed house struck gold with its careful combination of lace, soft nudes, pastels, and ruffles. The silhouettes offered were sophisticated and figure flattering dresses, blouses and jackets cinched at the waist. There was an air of purity and an effortless ambiance within the collection that portrayed the Valentino woman as someone comfortable in her skin without trying too hard to look pulled together. There were no hard lines, questionable cuts or designs that pushed any boundaries- only simplistic and reserved looks that awed in their delicate and reserved appeal and incredible attention to the small details that made each piece unique. See-through lace and beaded accents graced the clothes, and small bows appeared on nearly every piece. To match the sophisticated yet soft attitude of Valentino’s creations, the models often wore nude flats, which accentuated their ensembles without becoming a distraction. The makeup was a ladylike and proper mix of mauves, pinks and shimmery grey tones, and hair was swept back in simple and chic chignons.

Zac Posen offered a starkly contrasting array of spellbinding and captivating feather-embellished jackets and floor-sweeping gowns straight out of a Midsummer Night’s Dream. The clothes were seductive, deliberate and theatrical, and models seemed to represent more than simply hangers to view them on but instead characters in a complex and mysterious play. Blood-orange lips, elongated cat-eyes and lash extensions worked simultaneously to offer a look that was over the top yet pulled together, and the coquettish expressions of runway veterans like Coco Rocha, Karlie Kloss and Hilary Rhoda enticed in their ability to draw attention to both the makeup and the clothes. The collection was part black-tie couture, part circus bourgeois and part flamenco dancer, accented with heavy-metal jewelry and vampy nails. The velvet, skin-bearing dominatrix corsets and feather-adorned shoulder pads took onlookers on a mental journey from the runway to a smoky and dark Parisian cabaret or a Spanish salsa lounge filled with dancers whipping the ruffles in their skirts to sensual beats.

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