I was reading the Buyers Report from WWD on the Fashion Spot and noticed that Barbara Atkin, vice president, fashion direction from Holt Renfrew talks about the collections from a retail perspective.

Milan

“Although Milan started as a somber season, it ended on a high note by offering a variety of beautiful and luxurious clothing with an infusion of newness. We saw a combination of the strict and subdued juxtaposed against a kaleidoscope of color, print and detail, all adding up to a decadent, luxurious bohemian style. We saw influences from the Seventies with long, lean silhouettes and covered-up clothes playing against the short and swinging. The ‘separates’ dressing that had its roots in the Seventies is making a strong return. We will be looking for luxurious coats; cropped or shapely jackets with accented shoulders; soft, folkloric dresses, blouses and skirts; cardigans and sweater coats; skinny and cropped pants, and man-tailored suits. We will be slightly increasing our budget over last year, as we believe our customer will continue to come to us looking for the new. Our favorite collections out of Milan were Prada, Marni, Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, Jil Sander and Pucci.”

Paris

“Paris is the grand finale to the season, reconfirming its position as incubator of new ideas; from bold, confident power women at YSL, Akris and Balenciaga, to the soft romance of light, seasonless clothes in a kaleidoscope of prints and materials as seen at Dries Van Noten, Chloé, Jean Paul Gaultier and Nina Ricci. Key elements include strong-shouldered jackets, enveloping coats, easy knits, feminine dresses and blouses that will soften the masculine tailoring, and hemlines — whether long, short or asymmetric — that add newness. Paris is the city where we hunt for new names and this season we will buy Commuun, Sacai and To Long Nam. The collections we loved were YSL, Balenciaga, Akris, Dries Van Noten, Nina Ricci and Lanvin.”