After the cacophony of color, oversized afro wigs and undeniably youth-inspired looks from Louis Vuitton last season, it was a monsoon of change for fall/winter as Marc Jacobs took the French fashion house in a sophisticated and remarkably womanly direction.

It was the idea of harking back to the luxury of what it is to be a woman, Jacobs noted of his "joyous woman" collection, which was shown under a greenhouse-like tent surrounding complete with an active fountain in the Cour Carrée du Louvre and set to the music of "And God Created Woman."

The look was clear: demure day dressing harking back to the late 50s/early 60s cusp with silhouettes that were full-skirted in the new longer lengths. No bursts of color here; just simple warm greys with a smattering of blues, roses and bronzes. Curvy, womanly figures articulated through the casting of models such as Laetitia Casta, Bar Refaeli, Adriana Lima and Elle Macpherson, who closed the show in a stunning strapless taffeta gown paired with block-heeled, pointed court shoes with flat, square bows. The show message was clear: voluminous. Whether it was the full-skirted dress arriving with either corseted tops or plunging V-necks and circle skirts hitting just below the knee or the new awkward calf length, shrunken tailored jackets, form-fitted redingotes, cutaway cropped jackets and neat sweaters complemented and reinforced the season's masculine suiting trend. Some were even layered with long-length knitted dresses and nicely trimmed with velvet ribbon straps and belts and fur buttons and collars. For evening it was out-and-out ballgown glamour, with dresses featuring poufy gathered skirts beneath ruched bodices.

As for those requisite bags that have made Vuitton the luxury powerhouse it is, Jacobs chose to hark on variations on a theme with his classic 80-year-old Speedy bag (originally called the Express). Remastered or simply reinterpreted, they came sauntering out in everything from ostrich leather to polished croc, monogrammed with a floral flocking over the top, in a sequined Damier check basket weave, blistered cloqué or simply, and adorably, fluffy all-over fur.

In a poignant presentation that left nary a dry eye in the gilded salon of luxury titan Francois Pinault's Paris headquarters, Alexander Lee McQueen's final 16 works of art (of which 80 percent were completed prior to his death) were unveiled to members of the press. It was a sight that truly underscored just how high the late designer had scaled in the heights of couture accomplishment. The show notes were simple yet all-encompassing: "Each piece is unique, as was he."

And so began, those simple words, the beginning of finality at McQueen (the label has yet to reveal any significant design helm changes). The 16 showpieces that paraded slowly through were all cut "on the stand" by McQueen in the weeks before he took his suicide. Turning away from the Internet, he went completely counter to his digital-dazzler of a show last season, this time refocusing his efforts on the true art of hand craftsmanship. But even with that he took it up to the nth degree. Finding light and beauty in the art of the Dark Ages, McQueen's inspirations ranged from Byzantine art and Old Master paintings to the carvings of Grinling Gibbons, and each look was worn with a bronzed cap, some spiked with a Mohawk of gilded leaves like a Roman war helmet. Prints were woven onto fabrics that were first digitally captured.

The draping and cutting were simply stupendous beyond words. Poetic and emotional yet restrained and demure, a floor-length black gown was a standout. The skirt swept of couture satin caught in curtain folds at the hip and the bodice was paved in golden rococo swirls while the sleeves burst into three-dimensional embroideries for the "Avatar" age. The bandage-bound heads recalled, for some, the designer's rebellious background and his Asylum collection.

In the end, while a larger venue and an even larger audience could have paid respect to McQueen and his true rock star status, the intimate quarters allowed McQueen's spirit and poignancy to reign supreme.

Go to jump page for remaining images of all 16 looks.

Last week I was invited to an event hosted by Josie Natori at her Park Avenue home to preview her new Natori Essentials collection. It was a beautiful cocktail party complete with champagne and pork buns! Natori looks amazing for her age (she started Natori in 1977, but she could easily pass for 15 years younger than she is, especially given her slender physique). The entrepreneur is wonderfully gracious (the best line of the night -- "Everyone needs champagne in the Natori house!"), and her wide array of talents are nothing short of jaw-droopingly impressive. Besides being the CEO of a fashion empire, she is a concert pianist (she played a number of songs at the event), and was the first female Vice President in Investment Banking years ago when she worked at Merrill Lynch. Savvy and chic! We were also able to get a peak into Natori's closet (no photos were allowed though!), which while it may not be as huge as one might expect, was so meticulously well organized that it motivated me to do some cleaning when I got home (my clothes -- spread across four closets: two wall-to-wall ones in my apartment, one in my parents' apartment, and one in Southampton -- are a jumbled mess!). 

As for the collection, I couldn't think of a more apt name than Natori Essentials. The looks are all black, made with sumptuous fabrics, offered at affordable price points and perfect for everyday day-to-night pieces for the busy woman on the go. Check-out more from Natori here!

Like no other designer, Jean Paul Gaultier loves a theme. But why stick to just one? For fall, Gaultier took his audience on a whirlwind tour of the globe, stealing cultural costumes and native references from here, there and everywhere. Call it a global melting pot if you will, but the haphazard layers worked in its own weird way what with the African wood-block prints and Japonesque blooms. Signature pieces and quintessential Gaultier tailoring--mannish pant suits, corsets, Breton-striped sweaters and reworked trench coats either cropped or featuring high-low dipped hems--were offset with eyelet-studded leather pants, track pants, tapered waders, harem pants, double-breasted tailored jackets and cheongsam-inspired pencil skirts. Accessories peppered the pieces throughout, including tribal collars, African turbans and Fair Isle over-the-knee socks.

Roland Mouret's response to the practical, daywear dressing emphasis of the season was to investigate hybrid clothes that can be worn a multitude of ways. The look was architectural daywear, balancing austerity with sensuality while avoiding a boring minimalist silhouette. No surprise Mouret tackled his forte--sophisticatedly body-conscious--with his signature square-cut drapes and folds. For fall, Mouret introduced two new transformable hybrid pieces: the "TTD," a tunic-top-dress and the "Carré," a top-cum-apron skirt. Other key items--mostly awash in hues like pebble and heathered greys, matt black, plum, lilac, bois de rose, magenta, ivory and peach--included wrap skirts, draped and pinched dresses, gilets, hooded jackets and capes, shirt dresses, cascade collared biker jackets, slinky jersey maxidresses and velvet stirrup leggings. The gathered silk jersey gowns featured form-enhancing fabrications such as power mesh, double crepe and stretch wools and silks. Silver fox and astrakhan upped the glam quotient with the occasional fur moments, but the real eye-catching element was the "hood" motif, which added an air of mystery to a stellar showing.

Nicolas Ghesquière may have pushed the boundaries with his extraordinary collection that spun fabrics and silhouettes into a new orbit in the fashion firmament, but the highly-wearable "futuristic couture" of his design (think short, square and boxy) will keep his fiercely loyal clientele happy straight into 2011. This was a collection all about texture, worked into the simplest and, according to Ghesquière, "domestic" shapes--hip-length round-shouldered jackets, short angled wrap skirts, cropped hint-of-a-flare trousers and knitted leggings, boxy shifts and pinafores, padded tops and sculpted knits.

The season's core color palette consisted of camel, grey, black and winter white--offset with a quirky mix of 50s-style pastels, hyacinth blue, peppermint green, apricot, peach and a dash of cobalt blue. What's more, however, was that Ghesquière so masterfully tackles fabrics. For fall, quite honestly, they defied description with their play on matte versus shine, plush against plastic, airy perforations against faux lace, bonded knits against metallic leather--all sculpted into flat angles and planes like futuristic armor. As it turns out, Ghesquière coupled paper, cardboard and aluminum paper with silk and cashmere to create his thick, squishy layers that were sculpted into simple silhouettes.

A jagged leaf-like motif and a vividly colored newspaper print--laminated and perforated and printed with words and slogans in French and English--were the two prints in the collection, while geometric angles, flat planes and mismatched fabrics and bound edges abound. Lest we digress, the shoes were c'est magnifique! Ghesquière has breathed new life into the nerdy-chic loafer, delivering a stellar--and already highly coveted--stacked-heel croc version constructed of layered cubes, angular Formica and resin heels which were stunningly backlit thanks to a specially installed runway inspired by the set of Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Sarah Jessica Parker's pale yellow Chanel Haute Couture gown aside, where were fashion's risk takers Sunday night? If Maggie Gyllenhaal in a Dries van Noten silk duchess fifties print dress with overprint hand painted in bright blue brush strokes was as controversial as things got, then, fashion wise, this might be the most disappointing Oscars on record--or at least since Joan Rivers started her scathing critiques.

Without a doubt, my best dressed of the night goes to Penelope Cruz. The "Nine" actress kept it safe with a custom Donna Karan Collection gown that was cut in the most tone-flattering Bordeaux hue. Penelope knows what silhouettes work for her and kudos to her for sticking to her guns and for wearing a dress designed by a woman who designs with true sincerity for her gender. On the other end of the spectrum, I admire Jennifer Lopez for having the chutzpah to don a mermaid silhouette Armani Privé gown that not only accentuated her curves, but was constructed with a crescent-shaped bustier that cascaded into a dramatic side train accented by Swarovski rock crystals. It couldn't been a train wreck, but Lopez's risk paid off. My other top picks? Cameron Diaz in Oscar de la Renta (retro glam), Tina Fey in Michael Kors (most improved), Diane Kruger in Chanel Haute Couture (so thin!), Demi Moore in Atelier Versace (very safe), and Carey Mulligan in Prada (although the shoes were a bit too chunky). Take note of Carey's dress: it features tiny forks, knives, bolts, watch gears and scissors covering the corset. In terms of kitsch, she's got this one won hand's down!

While I love every bit of Sandra Bullock, I found her Marchesa gown to be a bit mother-of-the-bride; I would've preferred her in a brighter shock of color. It was her night and I just didn't think that dress screamed "Oscar Winner!" (Kudos, however, to Georgina Chapman for fitting Gabourey Sidibe in a ravishing Marchesa number and proving all heavier-set women don't have to wear Tadashi). The same could be said of Charlize Theron's Dior Haute Couture: the color is divine and Charlize fits it like a glove, but was I the only one who couldn't stop staring at her chest? Perhaps that is the genius that is John Galliano's design, but it didn't do much for me besides make me want to buy a bra. As for high fashion, Zoe Saldana took a calculated risk with her Givenchy Haute Couture gown. The results were controversial to say the least, but I have to say I'm on Team Riccardo Tisci; I found it to be fascinating and equally fitting of a young ingénue as fine-featured as Zoe (that crystallized bodice was a work of art). It's no doubt a lot of dress, but fashion needs more risk takers. What's with all this vanilla on the red carpet--and I don't mean Miley Cyrus' horrid Jenny Packham gown. Also, Anna Kendrick needs a new stylist stat--one that can find her age-appropriate dresses.

Let me close my critique of the Oscars by asking: where were all the heavy-hitters? Angelina Jolie? Jennifer Aniston? Nicole Kidman? Cate Blanchett? Halle Berry? Am I the only one who thought there was a serious shortage of bold-faced names to walk that never-ending red carpet? Actually, nevermind the celebrities; where were the true red carpet gowns? Lanvin? Balenciaga? L'Wren Scott? My dream? To have seen someone try their hand at a custom leather gown designed by Phoebe Philo for Celine. But in this age of mediocrity completely devoid of personal style, I suppose it was too much to ask for.