A Disheveled Refinement

Gwyneth Paltrow, clad in this amazing Tom Ford ensemble (a natural nuance is deliciously entertaining, especially when we consider how well she stands out amongst all the blokes in black), steals the show in my opinion. Call it what you will - by and large, she owned it this year, for sure. 

In my eyes at least, Natalie Portman came up very close to Paltrow (although the shape of the clutch leaves much to be desired). This a-line evening gown complements her frame in more ways than one. The deepening cinch between the waistline and lower back is a detail that is usually missed by many, but when done correctly, lends great charm in completing the look for an outfit. 

Rounding off the series of looks, Viola Davis charms the crowd in this ruffled mermaid style gown by Vera Wang. With so many shades of green already on the forefront for next spring, her choice of color this year (complementing her complexion very well, may I add) deserves extra points. Well done chicka :)

Big names on the roster (Balenciaga, Demeulemeester, Mugler - who I'll touch on in a sec- Dries Van Noten, Dior) aside, for the first time in many seasons, I'm very interested to see the new talent that will emerge for the a/w collections. Thierry Mugler, for my sake at least, deserves special attention (amongst the heavyweights) and I'm very excited to see what he'll put on the runway. This season, both Gucci and Corrie Neilsen enshrouded models with looks of an intensely dark and obscure theme (as if taking cues from Mugler's 2011 collection). With the pangs of "preppy-wear" all in our faces, it'll be a welcome change to see designers illustrate to us the refined nature of clothing in a more somber light.There will be a live streaming show later today here, so we'll see how things fly when the collection is put through its paces. Excited? I sure am! <3

UP NEXT: Jil Sander 2012/13 vid