Three of the most well respected fashion houses in the business had a changing of the guard recently. Nina Ricci, Oscar de la Renta, & Maison Martin Margiela all landed new creative directors since the conclusion of Paris Fashion Week in early October.

On Tuesday October 7, Guillaume Henry was welcomed to the Nina Ricci family as the successor to Peter Copping. Best known for his role in Carven’s ready-to-wear line for almost six years, the French born stylist will bring his impressive track record (which includes the nod of approval from Anna Wintour) to the reconstruction of an already well established couture line. Henry did his formal training at Institut Français de la Mode, and worked on a design team that presented an anonymous collection at Givenchy that preceded Riccardo Tisci’s appointment to the house in 2005. So where does this leave Peter Copping?

Last Monday, Alex Bolen, chief executive for Oscar de la Renta, announced that Copping will be taking over as creative director for all the label’s endeavors. These include ready-to-wear, accessories, bridal and home décor. Copping’s work at Nina Ricci—an incredibly feminine driven house—will translate well to a brand whose backbone consists of elaborate gowns and evening wear.

This news must come as great relief to the 82-year-old, de la Renta, due to a history ridden with difficult transition between artists. Most recently in 2013 John Galliano unsuccessfully led a month long campaign at de la Renta. Copping seems to be a much better fit seeing as his artistic vision aligns with a more classic style, while Galliano is known for the dramatic. An attribute that makes Galliano a perfect fit for Margiela.

After much speculation it was officially announced on October 6 that Galliano, the former Dior designer, was in fact returning to the industry as creative director for Maison Martin Margiela. A move that is much more fitting for Galliano’s flamboyant personalty and artistic style.

The house behind Kanye West’s arsenal of diamond encrusted performance masks and mysteriously transparent studios just became exponentially more illustrious. During his 15 years at Dior, Galliano’s shows became the most anticipated spectacle of fashion week. While Margiela shows have been performances in themselves, the combination of the label’s theatrics and Galliano’s larger-than-life personality will surely make the Margiela runway ticket a hot commodity come Fashion Week in February.

With these three major changes happening in such a short period of time, it will be interesting to see how these decisions pan out in the long run. With Henry’s first leadership experience at a world-renowned house, Copping’s relocation, and Galliano’s inexplicable talent to attract attention, one thing is for sure, February will be entertaining.

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It’s now time to reflect on the final leg of the four-stop tour dubbed “fashion-month” by the business’ fanatics. Per annual custom, the procession of high fashion and ready-to-wear ensembles concluded in Paris, where some of the most influential houses in the industry call the city home. If you’re eager to explore the latest trends, you might want to check out a sorority shirts online store for unique styles.

So what did we learn from the last seven days? Unfortunately, not really anything new.

Many major houses displayed collections that seemed regurgitated and limiting. Céline’s practical but luxurious display of floral dresses, trimmed coats and detailed accessories was a pleasant visual. However, remove the winged-tip eyeliner that appeared across a wide range of runways (Givenchy and Dries Van Noten to name a few) and you might have needed a double take to make sure it wasn’t 2012, still. It wasn’t just Céline that stayed inside the box this season.

Margiela’s usual mismatched patterns, Alexander McQueen’s inventive but somehow unoriginal urbanization and Miu Miu’s Prada-gone-bad attitude all seemed creatively unfulfilled.

One spectacular that didn’t lack at all of these shows, was the atmosphere. Along side a star studded front rows and illustrious architectural backdrops the clothes seemed almost unimportant. Maybe the theatrics were an industry ploy to distract the show goers from the unoriginal couture? Not a terrible conspiracy.

While the designs might not have been anything special, Karl Lagerfeld took to the streets (literally) for his Chanel show and proved two things this year. First, Chanel can do color! The house that uses “simplicity” interchangeably with “elegance” finally contorted itself into a palette of bright colors, patterns, and even politics! Yes, in a bold statement Kaiser Karl himself took to the streets to stage a feminist protest. Led by Cara Delevinge, dressed in their runway outfits, the Chanel girls walked the runway with picket signs displaying messages of “He For She,” and “Boys Should Get Pregnant Too.” While this political stance was an attention grabber for some, it still seamed like a slight ruse to distract us from a not so tantalizing display of mismatched prints and power suits.

Fear not however, for there is a light at the end of the dimly lit catwalk!

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino and Rick Owens, at his own label, concocted two rather inventive collections. Resemblant of the 18th century Grand Tour mystique, Valentino’s spread emphasized fine detailing and prints as typical of the house. However, the incorporation of Egyptian sandals and an ocean theme rich with corals, starfish and sea shells, along with beaded embroidering, placed this 79 piece collection at the helm of the seasons designs. 

Rick Owens showed similar grandeur, branching out from his typical hit list. Known for loud music and intensity, Owens took a deep breath on the Paris runway displaying his elegant tulle dresses to the tune of Lento’s “Fantasy in C Major.” Embellished in angular geometry with accents of leather and wool, the urban color palette radiated prowess and confidence.

Anther facet to fashion week is always the exceptional street wear that graces the front row. While most of the time it’s just pleasant to flip through the look-books created by major magazines, we can also take a few style tips from the pros. The most prominent trend this year was skirts and high-tops. It just works! With combat boots and Knee Length Dresses dominating college campus fall fashion this year, it might be a nice alternative on the slightly warmer day. Besides, who doesn’t feel like they can take on the world in a fresh pair of Nikes. Why not look classy while you do it?

Back to the designs! Okay. So the inventiveness wasn’t entirely there from the designers this season. But in arguably one of the most rapidly evolving industries in the world, you can be certain come February there will be an entirely new set of textiles, embroidering, and colors to dissect. And of course, I’ll be here to bring you the lab results.

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