Ladie's Choice: Tracking Trends from Continent to Continent

Oy. So Fashion Week madness may have ended in New York a mere week or so ago, but not so for world-weary fashion editors who are forced to travel the globe for the women's ready-to-wear collections. Immediately after New York Fashion Week, they have to run laps around London, mosey on over to Milan and, finally, pop in to Paris. Milanese Fashion Week ends today, and there are already a few womenswear trends worth noting. The first of which would have to be fringe. We know, we know, fringe gives us the heebie-jeebies too, but when handled by the experts, it can actually be quite the refined statement. Ralph Lauren started it here with his Western-themed show that was like a chic version of Annie Get Your Gun. Next, over in London, Mark Fast mixed up his spider-webby collection with fringed corsets in an array of rainbow colors. Milan had Donatella Versace incorporating luxurious fringe dripping from her gowns and Roberto Cavalli adding some serious opulence to his towering column gowns. And with regard to Paris? That's next up, so we'll have to see if our French mistresses will be equally smitten with fringe, come spring.

Above from left: Versace, Ralph Lauren, Roberto Cavalli