Fall is on its way and maybe it’s the radical weather or the worries about the war effort that helped shape this season collections of the most inspiring character and function we’ve seen for fall in years. One thing is for sure it’s all about shape and color. From bright red coats at Marc Jacobs to monster green accessories at Prada the designers have shown that black is no longer the end all be all for fall dressing. One of the most influential designers in fashion Nicolas Ghesquiere, showed a mirage of bright color splashed onto flowing dresses and also great multicolored structured jackets. It was a great departure from his usual ode to Mr. Balenciaga and his history of elegance, Nicolas really gave us his point of view for was dubbed the “ Balenciaga gang” by one of his models . It was his shapes that always seems to make the best statement; my favorite was a fitted jacket with black pants and shoes. His reference was a college campus and with that, models came down the runway wearing great jackets in blue and white with tan pants which in retrospect is good look for any season. Marc Jacobs is always new and fresh but this season he did a collection that had a very different underling message “In a way making fun of fashion” he put it in a style.com interview in this grand space models stood as mannequins before heading down the catwalk. The collection was filled with great shapes from the coats to the sequined jumpsuits Marc made his statement well about fashion and all its aspects. Marc for Louis Vuittion did not disappoint either with probably his one of his best collections for his 10thanniversary at LV. John Galliano for Dior gave us pure glamour of the 40s with his fall collection. The colors were nothing less than spectacular; shades of pink, green and purple only enhanced the wonderful detail that was inspired from his last Haute Couture show. The queen of unusual Miuccia Prada once again did it her way. It was loosely inspired by a woman who is an outsider in the 1950s. I guess if I was a woman I would try at least to wear one or her brightly colored coats or strut down the street with one of her furry bags but that’s just because fashion is my obsession. In reality Prada pushed the envelope for what a fall collection is, sure there was black and grey but who remembered that after you saw her green faded suit? For those who are more traditional and believe black is meant for fall than Yves Saint Laurent is your best bet. Stefano Pilati says “who wears color especially for fall” and he gave us reason for not doing so. His collection was filled with grey, black and some white but it was his shapes that made it one of the best collections for fall. The tailoring was great, from the suits to the dresses, the clothes gave off this feeling of confidence and sex. So you might want to think again if you were planning on getting out those black trenches and boots, fall has become the time to grow and the best way to do so just might be with color and new shapes, even in moderation you’ll still look fresh and fashionable.