Fashion Notes: Best in Show, Resort 2010 (Part II)

BEST USE OF LACE


3.1 Phillip Lim wins this category hands down. Lace has been an occasional trend in fashion recently, spurred by Prada's Fall 2008/2009 all-lace show, and Phillip Lim shows a very approachable, wearable version of it here. Devoid of the more stuffy, starched, high fashion elements of late, this lacework is girly, youthful, and exceedingly pretty. As with the majority of Lim's work, these are pieces that can easily, almost intuitively, be incorporated into the rest of your wardrobe, adding that punch you lacked before without disrupting the flow of your ensemble.

BEST SKIRTS


Again, 3.1 Phillip Lim knocked it out of the park. Between his beautiful lacework and the fluidity in his tulip skirts, Lim has almost made a skirt believer out of me. His tulip skirts were what really sold me on his collection. Beautifully draped out of light, soft fabrics, these skirts provide an approachable, American form of elegance that will neither alienate nor intimidate those around you (or, for that matter, the wearer herself). In addition to tulip skirts, Lim featured both lace and cotton straight-cut skirts that lend instant youthfulness and cool, all of which were wearable and provided just enough fashion to keep things interesting.

BEST FOUNDATIONAL DRESS


Surprise, surprise - 3.1 Phillip Lim again (up until I saw Lanvin's collection, Phillip Lim was my pick for best collection). Foundational pieces are really the hardest to find, at least for me. They need enough interest in and of themselves that they can stand on their own (the draped waist, three-quarter sleeves), yet be quiet enough to blend into the background (neutral color, simple design). This dress achieves that rare task of being both neutral and interesting, maintaining the idea of the shift dress without drifting into a sartorial snooze. An additional plus - how often do you find a dress that looks dressed up, even complete, with the simple addition of a workaday brown belt?

BEST CUT DRESS


I cannot see how this dress would fail to flatter most figures. From the Yves Saint Laurent collection, this dress features enough flare at the bottom, width at the top, and definition at the waist to even out and flatter most figures (a feat that used to be what dresses were all about). In addition to beautiful figure flattery, the dress hits at just the right point, hovering around the knee. Between where this dress hits on the body and how it skims over it, this is an ideal cut for a dress.

BEST DRESS OVERALL


I absolutely love this dress. Also from YSL, this dress has the most beautiful racerback cut to flatter the shoulders. I also love the pattern, which came as a surprise to me. I'm not generally big on anything that hints at animal print, but the reddish tone to these browns, as well as the vertical print, got me. Overall, this dress achieves something the two before it cannot. While both of the previous dresses, and all the previous looks, have interesting details, this is the only look that actively draws your focus, but it still avoids ostentation and an obnoxious monopoly on your attention. It is the neutral for those who do not wear neutrals.