For her latest spring fling, Collette Dinnigan brought the faithful to a chandelier-strung salon in a chic Parisian hotel. And while those looking for them will find her beaded cocktail dresses and satin gowns, it was the summery maxi dresses that added a twist to proceedings: special mention goes to one in black broderie anglaise and cotton voile, another with a folky applique and sequins, and a printed blue organza peasant number. Sublime!

Roland Mouret called us out in the early morning at the Musée de l'Homme for the latest instalment of his RM line. A darkened room with fluorescent criss-crossing lines on the floor greeted us. More nightclub, perhaps, than Parisian matin, but whatever. And the weirdest thing? For such a celeb magnet, this was purely a press showing. No hoopla (hurrah!), just a whole lot of really rather good pieces. Favourites? The lurex cropped jumpsuit with saddlebag sides and his artfully draped dresses. The shaggy coats and vests? Not so much.

Then to Kenzo, where the muse was travelling to the Sahara via Marrakesh and packed a well-edited selection of mix-n-match checks, stripes and patterns worthy of days spent on the go. But the best was yet to come. At the end of the show, the enormous golden sun backdrop was blown out by a giant fan sending out golden confetti, creating a shimmering sandstorm, through which a local tribe of brightly coloured nomads were glimpsed. If only desert travel were always this glamorous.

It was hard to get past the hair at Louis Vuitton. The mega afros made the models about two feet taller – necessary given the shoes were mostly kitten heel/clog hybrids. This LV girl is a traveller, too, but I think she likes the more urban landscapes of Tokyo.

Anyone for tennis? Jean Paul Gaultier’s latest line for Hermès was a triumph of le chic sportif. In a venue covered entirely in grass – we had cushions so that our bottoms didn’t get grass-stained, Eva Herzigova led the charge to a soundtrack of 70s groove overlaid with tennis commentary and the sounds of a Serena Williams match. And we LOVE! Who knew there could be so many winning interpretations of the classic collared tennis shirt and skirt?

RM by Roland Mouret, Kenzo, Louis Vuitton and Hermès S/S 10. Images: Getty.

Ahh…Just when fashion fatigue was beginning to set in, the Chanel show put a smile on everyone’s face and had us walking out into a (OK, rainy) Paris day with a spring in our step. Or rather a desire to slap our thighs and dosido. Yes, Karl Lagerfeld put on a hoedown worthy of a modern day Marie Antoinette, whose country hamlet near Versailles was the inspiration for this collection.

Click here to see who was front row at Chanel S/S 10

Bucolic beauties with messy updos and rosy cheeks stepped out of a giant haystack in sweet tweed frocks and suits and floral-applique crochet dresses. Stiff pannier skirts sat out from the hips with shell tops that split at the sides, reminiscent of the crinolines and bodices of MA’s day. And just when we were almost overwhelmed with the parade of pretties, up rose a stage from the set with one Lily Allen and her band, including two model back-up dancers (Iekeliene Stange and Charlotte di Calypso). Everyone was stomping so much it looked as if the stage might give way. Karl, you’ve done it again.

We love a bit of Vanessa Bruno’s Frenchie femininity, and she didn’t disappoint with her latest show. And while the first part of the parade concentrated on crumpled natural fibres and lurex threads, with chunky lace appliques on shoulders and hems, tailored pieces started infiltrating, then were added to the more relaxed pieces. It was work meets whimsy (although those tailored skirts were still too short to wear in any office we know), as if the VB working girl was dreaming of a weekend on the couch. And why shouldn’t she?

Lily Allen perfrom It's Not Fair at Chanel's SS 10 Paris show (above) and Rihanna, Virginie Ledoyen and Prince front row. Images: Getty.

Lindsay Lohan isn’t exactly known for her fashion sense, so many people (us included) were flabbergasted when Emanuel Ungaro appointed her “artistic director” three weeks ago.

There’s always something very satisfying about going to visit Martin Grant’s Parisian atelier. Tucked away in the Marais district, it’s all lofty ceilings and parquetry floors – and filled with beautiful dresses. This season’s offering is mostly navy, with splashes of crimson and champagne. “It started with the idea of fabric dropping from the shoulder,” says Martin. “There are a lot of asymmetrical pieces, mixed in with these more super-structured pieces.” And yes, there were some lust-worthy cocktail dresses, tops gently draped across the body and some sexy (and very simple) washed silk jumpsuits. And the jewellery – platinum-plated brass baubles of differing sizes all strung together – had us a little hot and bothered.

There were two very different fashion moments at either end of the rue Scribe. A crowd jostled, watched and waited for celeb sightings (including Rihanna) outside the Balmain show – while hundreds of people queued around for the opening of the first Paris flagship store for Japanese chain Uniqlo. Having a very short attention span where queues are involved (and in need of another espresso), the Grazia card was pulled out and the red cordon pulled aside.

It was madness inside – and not only because of the new store – it was also the launch of +J, the Jil Sander (as in the actual Jil Sander) collaboration with the label. My hot tip is a rather fetching grey wool pea coat. Not to mention some bargain cashmere jumpers in a Pantone selection of colours. But those queues for the cashier were a little too much to face without coffee. I’ll have to pop back in once things calm down a little…

Top: Martin Grant and Rihanna outside of the Balmain S/S 10 show.
Bottom: +J for UniQlo launch mayhem.

Bonjour from Paris! The shows started more with a whisper than a bang today, but perhaps it’s best to ease into these things. Belgian designer Tim Van Steenbergen was one of the first on the schedule, showing again for the first time in two years. The makeshift-looking venue and a few technical hitches – like a globe blowing above the photographers’ pit before the show – still didn’t detract from the assured collection that was draped and cinched in all the right places. After the show Van Steenbergen said he had used the Shaker movement and clean furniture lines as starting points, and a colour palette from Yves Klein (both the intense blue and the ochre of the Fire series). Don’t know how the Shakers would feel about the underwear-as-outerwear parts, but we think they were lovely! Interesting beauty note: the brushed-back hair was coloured grey at the roots. Cancel that colourist appointment now!

We love meeting our favourite designers and this week in Milan we’ve been lucky enough to have some brief but meaningful exchanges. Bally hosted the press to see its latest accessories and ready-to-wear over coffees and canapes (mmm, cannoli). And creative director Brian Atwood was very happy to meet team Grazia, especially since we said such nice things about him recently (ed’s letter, issue 58). “You said I was the new Louboutin!” says the ridiculously handsome designer. He’s a fan – and the feeling’s mutual! And let’s not even mention how much we covet Bally’s next instalment of snakeskin heels (and flats!) and the snakeskin shoebox – a mini trunk for stowing your favourite pairs while travelling. First class, we’re guessing.

Click here for all the Spring/Summer 2010 collections

And while Calvin Klein showed during New York Fashion Week, a showroom presentation was put together for the press in Milan as well. While we were looking at the clothes so beautifully presented in the cavernous concrete space, hung around a central line of volcanic rock (it’s all about texture this season), who should we bump into but designer Francisco Costa. He was super sweet and very happy to chat with us, and thrilled at how well the collection had been received. He admits he’s not yet been to Australia – “but I would love to come”. Please, be our guest, Francisco.

A quick wrap of the weekend’s show highlights…

Fendi’s romantic ruffles, Deco-beaded tulle shifts and those fantastic pencil skirts with dropped-front draping…Dolce & Gabbana was pure, well, Dolce & Gabbana: super sexy, although more Spanish senorita than signorina this time around…Marni’s mixed bag of prints and textures, as only Marni knows how…Gucci trod the fine line between sporty and sexy with just a touch of tribal…And Emporio Armani’s urban sophisticate enjoyed a good injection of colour this season, not to mention some fabulous perspex heels.

And finally, we here at Grazia want the whole world to be reading us – and that's almost the case. While the Italians have long loved the magazine (it was launched in Italy 70 years ago), thanks to the Grazia girls on the ground, everyone in the front row was reading it too. Included in our Grazia Easy Chic goodie bags were a copy of the local edition and a couple of others from around the world. Molto bene!

Top: Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Marni, Gucci and Emprio Armani Spring/Summer 2010. Bottom: Grazia Easy Chic bag. Images: Getty.

Air New Zealand Fashion Week kicked off with a roar on Monday, with much prettiness from the likes of Karen Walker and Kate Sylvester. And in contrast to the often buttoned-down Kiwi aesthetic, Pamela Anderson flew in for the international launch of her label, A*Muse, today.