Christian Dior, Spring 2013 Couture

As a metaphor for rebirth, spring can't be beat. It was always an especially big deal for Belgians, according to Simons. So he made spring come early for Dior with a collection that literalized the fashion season, evolving from sky shades of early spring evenings to a full-scale (in every way, Stephen Jones' bonnets included) celebration of the spring bride. One of Simons' preliminary goals at Dior has been, he claimed, to connect with the company's long-timers. That came through in the workmanship in today's show, as though he'd set challenges for the atelier's artisans to meet.

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Elie Saab, Resort 2013

"Shorts from Elie Saab? As unlikely as it sounds, believe it. The red-carpet favorite is building his daywear business and shorts are trending at the moment, so he put a couple pairs in his Resort collection. They came in a black and white tweed and a gray shade with tuxedo stripes on the sides, but there was nothing conservative about their length. Indeed, most of Saab's new collection has a body-conscious feel, be it a clingy stretch knit dress with lace insets, or a fitted peplum top and narrow pencil skirt."

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Balmain, Resort 2013

Olivier Rousteing has developed a bit of an America fixation. A year ago, at a presentation of his first collection for Balmain, he was talking about Las Vegas. When he was working on this Resort lineup, a trip to Miami made a big impression. You saw it not only in its South Beach colors (yellow, peach, and mint) and oversize Don Johnson proportions, but also in its Latin influences. "I'm mixed race, too," he said, "so it was beautiful to see the connection between Cuba and the U.S. there."

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Azzaro, Resort 2013

"Glamour is the Azzaro stock in trade, and Castello Branco delivers. She scatters crystals, drapes jersey, and insets sections of lamé. She's managed to loosen up the strictures of cocktail dressing a bit by inserting ease, and among her other options, she included what amounts to a lamé jogging suit."

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Fausto Puglisi, Spring 2013, Ready-To-Wear

Fausto Puglisi has seen his profile rise on the backs of glamour-pusses like Madonna and Anna Dello Russo. The former sported his gladiatrix designs during the Super Bowl halftime show last February. The latter started getting photographed in Puglisi's frocks a year or two ago and wore a pink minidress from his new Spring collection, with cutouts on the sides and embroideries just about everywhere else.

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Elie Saab, Spring 2013 Couture

Saab seduced Hollywood years ago. The fashion crowd has taken longer to come around. Insiders saw shades of other designers in his dresses today—floor-skimming capes that called to mind Gwyneth Paltrow's white Tom Ford from last year's Academy Awards, demure necklines and long sleeves evocative of recent Valentino collections.

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