We all know it. Bouchra Jarrar’s forte is not creating dreamy, princess-looking, flawy gowns, but this is one of the reasons why we love her. What she does know how to make impeccably constructed clothes for a strong, determined, modern woman, for the woman that Jarrar is and for the woman that many of us wish we were. This season, for her couture show she tried to go out of her comfort zone presenting pleated knee-length skirts and airy, panther-printed chiffon dresses but they weren’t as successful. The strongest looks were the immaculately tailored pants and leather jackets along with the ruffled bustier tops and metallic embroidered vest that helped give a softer look to an otherwise too strong collection.

Ulyana Sergeenko always tries to incorporate elements from her motherland Russia, whether it’s beautifully hand-embroidered fabrics or a modern take on the traditional costumes, and this collection was no exception. She said she was inspired by the Russian revolution that lead to the fall of the czar and the creation of URSS a theme that she finds particularly fitting with what is happening nowadays in Ukraine. However the show was not as politically charged as its premises where. Her clothes seemed more fitting to represent the elegance,splendor and even decadence of the bygone days while only few looks, like the first leather coat or the black, satin jumpsuit decorate with ears of wheat, actually had a more strong, military feel to them. Still, the collection was very much like her creator: retro, chic and expensive looking.

 Armani Privé

Red, white and black. These were the three and only colors that Giorgio Armani used in his latest couture collection. I have to say that it was a nice change from the subtle blues, grays or nudes that he had been copiously using lately. The vibrant colors ended up giving the whole collection a more vibrant look making it a funnier, younger and hipper version of the usual Privé collections. The shorts, the a-line jackets and the polka dots all helped rejuvenate the collection and there also were some unexpected pieces like the red vinyl coat studded with strips and rhinestones. No Armani collection would be complete without an array of gowns, big crown pleasers and red carpet favorites. All the gowns were spectacular, but I thought that the veils that ended up covering the models like a cocoon were too much at times, preventing the viewer to actually look at the gown under them. Overall, it was a good collection, better than what we’ve seen lately, and it only proved that we still haven’t seen the last from “re Giorgio”.