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Roberto Cavalli surprised everyone this season with his turn toward the girly. Cavalli is known as the house that leopard print built, but for Spring 2008, the designer embraced floral prints, big diaphanous dresses, and sweet femininity. His nod to ‘70’s boho chic aesthetic included simple, white floor skimming dresses paired with chunky, wood-heeled platforms. The standout pieces were a series of flower splashed cream maxi-dresses where color came in one big floral explosion that hovered around the hem or trailed down one side of the gown.

Despite the emergence of floral prints, Cavalli largely stuck to a muted color palette that replicated sunsets shot with white, cream, lilac, and dusk tones. One of my favorite dusk colored dresses was a short, fringed, flapper-esque number with filmy lace peeking below the hem and above the neckline. This is certainly a more restrained Cavalli than that of seasons past, but for those of you who miss the overt sexiness, there was plenty of leopard print on parade in his Just Cavalli collection.

Stars are so lucky! Ralph Lauren showed his Spring 2008 collection barely 8 days ago and at last night’s Emmy Awards, Debra Messing wore a black and white gown straight off the runway. You go Grace!

Previously — Ralph Lauren Runway Spring 2008

Welcome to Air Marc — where you’re flying the fashion friendly skies. Marc by Marc Jacobs went retro and took us back to when flight attendants were “stewardesses” and you could get more than a plastic spork on a plane.

He sent out structured pieces like belted shift dresses, career-girl pantsuits, and an amazing pair of cream colored sailor pants. Colors were bold with a palette that leaned toward olive green, red, golden yellow, and color blocked prints. My favorite look overall was a surprisingly ladylike polka-dot print dress paired with a Kentucky Derby hat and cinched with a Lego belt.

Marc certainly hasn’t lost his sense of humor and lets it shine through in this unstudied collection.

Jaunty airline hats? Perfection!

Belts and accessories made from Lego’s? Cute!

Despite my lackluster response to Marc Jacobs Spring 2008 show, I really am a MJ fangurl, so seeing him come correct with the totally wearable styles in the Marc line makes me ecstatic.

First of all, doesn’t Marc Jacobs look amazing? Sobriety and healthy living seem to agree with him.

Now on to the show…it started late (natch) by 2 hours (ugh) and ran backwards with Marc taking his final bow first, followed by the model lineup, and then the individual model walks. Mmm’kay.

So will I be struck down by the fashion gods if I admit that I’m not really loving this collection? There are certainly some interesting pieces you can take away and mix with things you probably already have in your closet, but overall, I found it really hard to define a “look”. The most wearable thing he sent down the runway was a ruby-red sequined shift. But unlike previous years, there was never a moment where I said to myself, “I want to wear that and that, and I have to have THAT!”

Call me short-sighted, but I can’t how most of these are going to translate into everyday “cool girl on the street” clothes and I can’t help but think that Marc Jacobs has left a legion of his It girls supremely disappointed.

Le sigh.

Ah well, there’s always Marc to look forward to.

Phillip Lim has a knack for dressing girls in an unstudied yet chic style. His looks are perfectly put together but never seem as if they’re so polished that you can’t just throw on a 3.1 frock and dash out the door. Lim’s strength has always been in his dresses and for Spring 2008, he sent out goddess-like evening looks as well as stylish shifts and minis. Neutrals were punched up by a bit of yellow, red, or blue. I loved his pairing of a tomato red motorcycle jacket over a white flutter dress. Even the simplest thing in a woman’s closet – the LBD – benefited from great detailing. A black minidress bore a stiffly accordioned ruffle at the hem, another minidress featured gold embellishment down the bodice, while a knee length shift took swingy fringe around the neckline and down its deep armholes.