While I’m very inspired by the forward-thinking clothes at Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent, and I understand why Stacey gets swept away by the chic perfection at Giambattista Valli, I’m really a softie who loves satin, bows, and gorgeous dresses—everything Alber Elbaz stands for. (“Part of a designer’s job is to be pragmatic. Not to be ashamed to think about making life easy for a woman.” Aww!)

The Lanvin show last night was my last show of this season, and it was a completely satisfying ending. And look how great the view was going in!

There are so many Lanvin admirers that the standing section was a mosh pit, so I ended up sitting on the stairs (with limited scope), and thanks to that Hollywood lighting they use on this show, my shots are a little blurry. But you can see how great these dresses look in motion.

This dress makes Liya Kebede glow!

I’m always excited to see what new twist on evening wear Elbaz will create—whether it’s a satin dress with a big, modern exposed zipper or an evening gown that flies ten feet behind the model. This season, aside from all the sequins and the more form-fitting-than-usual shapes, I liked the interesting asymmetry. When I think of one-armed dresses, they’re usually in some slinky material, but I thought this stiffer look was very cool. It reminded me of armor.

The collection was entirely void of color, a pendulum swing that seemed normal to me after last season, when the designer was inspired by birds of paradise and used color so freely. But I did hear one editor chatting with Stefano Tonchi of the New York Times afterwards, saying she thought the collection’s somber palette perhaps was a reaction to the recent death of Elbaz’s mother. Regardless of whether or not that’s the case, it was a beautiful thing to behold.

Alber Elbaz takes his bow

Photography: Images 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 courtesy of Style.com