Los Angeles Times fashion critic Booth Moore picks the top 10 runway collections of the spring-summer 2011 season. Check out a full gallery here.

Photo left: A look from the Fendi spring-summer 2011 runway collection. Photo right: A look from the Gucci spring-summer 2011 runway collection. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times.

At Jil Sander, designer Raf Simons' extreme color story packed more of a punch than almost anything else we'd seen so far this season.

Although loosely inspired by classical couture, there was nothing retro about this collection, shown at Milan Fashion Week. Instead, Simons tweaked traditional elements of couture -- voluminous skirts and blouson jackets, peplums and bustles -- for today, playing with proportion, mixing in sportswear and working with modern fabrics, such as lightweight techno taffeta, nylon and gabardine.

Set to a soaring soundtrack from the film "Psycho," which Hitchcock famously shot in black and white because he thought it would be too scary in Technicolor, the models lit up the runway in shades of electric blue, acid green, tomato red, shocking pink and traffic cone orange. (Because there is nothing so dangerous as a woman in living color.)

The clothes were nearly all monochromatic (save from a few awning stripes and watercolor blooms), which made for a cinematic effect. And the shoes had glossy flourescent soles, making it look as if the models were walking on glowing light. (Take that, Christian Louboutin!)

The show began with long, neon-colored evening skirts and simple white T-shirts. (How amazing to bring back the evening-skirt-and-T-shirt combo! Reminds me of when Sharon Stone wore a Gap button down with a Vera Wang evening skirt at the ’98 Oscars.) 

Trousers were supersized and pleated, layered under oversized windbreakers, or slim blazers and T-shirts in contrasting colors. Tennis-ball yellow, combined with hot pink and emerald green, for example -- which made for a creative take on the season's pervasive colorblocking trend.

Back vents or storm flaps on jackets and trench coats were folded inside out, turning the colorful taping on inside seams into a decorative flourish. Full-length nylon duster coats were so airy and light, they resembled kites.

Matte fuchsia lipstick, mirrored sunglasses and grocery bags as handbags completed this powerful vision of effortless chic, which hit Milan like a bolt of lightning.

-- Booth Moore

Jil Sander spring-summer 2011 runway collection photo gallery

Photos: Looks from the Jil Sander spring-summer 2011 collection at Milan Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson & Peter Stigter / For The Times

Feeling Switzerland-neutral in your style these days? You're in luck. One of fashion's most famous muted hues — camel — is fall's hottest color.

We spotted the shy brown tone on the runways earlier this year — notably at Chloe, Michael Kors and Stella McCartney — but now it's official; retailers and fashion editors are pushing the color like crazy, offering, respectively, camel-themed fashion spreads and racks of merchandise in the classic color.

Lauded as a universally flattering hue, "camel" first popped up as a color name in fashion in 1916, according to the ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names. We love it because it melds seamlessly into a black-heavy wardrobe and, when coloring classic silhouettes, adds 1960s-"Mad Men" panache to ensembles.

Here are a few camels we'd love to have on our backs:

Stella McCartney's wool-blend cape, $1,445 at Net-a-Porter, rolls two of fall's most charming trends — capes and camel — into one dreamy piece of outerwear.

Jil Sander's cashmere scarf, $525 at Barneys New York, works beautifully with trenches, winter coats and cool cardigans, and it's so basic, it will never go out of style.

J.Crew's wool-cashmere station coat, $149.99 at J.Crew, is elegant but understated, boasting retro military styling.

 

This Dior silk-wool dress at Bergdorf Goodman is a pipe dream because of the $3,600 price tag, but we love the way it hearkens back to the slinky, curve-loving "Mad Men" era without looking like a costume. 

-- Emili Vesilind

Photos, from top: Stella McCartney cape. Credit: Net-a-Porter. Jil Sander scarf. Credit: Barneys New York. J. Crew coat. Credit: J. Crew. Dior dress. Credit: Bergdorf Goodman

Can we blame the return of the kitten heel on the economy? [WSJ]

A sneak peak at Target's latest plus-size line, as modeled by "America's Next Top Model" winner Whitney Thompson. [FabSugar]

Long-strap bags are taking the world by storm? [Financial Times]

Designers for Swarovski's fall 2010 Crystallized collection include Jean Paul Gaultier and Catherine Malandrino. [Elle]

Teaser: Jil Sander's Navy collection. [Vogue UK]

Silly Bandz bracelets all the rage with kids? [Huffington Post]

Cosmetic Executive Women choose the best beauty products for 2010. [BellaSugar]

Naomi Campbell had one heck of a 40th birthday soiree. [Styleite]

Tracy Reese will add shoes to her Plenty collection. [WWD]

Halston unveils men's lines based on the late designer's own style. [WWD]

Elizabeth Arden launches spa collection at Bed Bath & Beyond. [StyleList]

Velvet will launch mini collection for Uniqlo. [The Cut]

Jason Wu's latest eyewear collection takes its inspiration from iconic women like "Amelia Earhart, singer Joan Jett, actress Mia Farrow, and Jane of 'Jane Eyre.'"[WWD, subscription required]

Coach sues the city of Chicago, claiming vendors at a city-controlled street market have been selling counterfeit goods. [WWD, subscription required]

-- Whitney Friedlander

Photo: A kitten heel pump from Brazilian shoe boutique Lua Cheia. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press

In yet another sign of the times, Jil Sander -- the brand, this time,not the designer -- is launching a lower-priced clothing line called Jil Sander Navy.

The German-born Sander became famous in the 1980s, catering to the new female executive class with slim-line minimalist suits in the most luxurious fabrications costing well into the four figures. She left the label bearing her name in 2004 for good, after several years of turmoil with parent company Prada Group.

Belgian designer Raf Simons is creative director of Jil Sander now, and will also oversee the Navy collection. “I will continue to open up the Jil Sander brand by pushing its boundaries and introducing new elements to reinforce and widen the attraction to the house,” Simons said in a statement.

“Jil Sander Navy incorporates the values of purity, simplicity and ease. Adding and developing the aspect of casual luxe to the brand’s DNA of highest quality and forward innovation will enhance the reach of the brand. Reflecting the nature of casual sportswear, its light and unconstructed fit as well as the attractive price points, the line will provide the opportunity to address additional clients," said Alessandro Cremonesi, CEO of the Jil Sander Group. 

Jil Sander Navy, which launches for spring 2011, will be priced 30% to 40% lower than the Jil Sander collection. (Sander herself joined the cheap-chic revolution last year, when she announced she was consulting for Japanese fast fashion giant Uniqlo.).

The Navy collection will include less-structured, more casual styles. Think T-shirts, knit dresses, jackets and jeans. And the timing couldn't be better, now that fashion is turning toward minimalism again.

-- Booth Moore

Photo:  A look from Raf Simons' fall/winter 2010-2011 runway collection for Jil Sander. Credit: Giuseppe Cacace / AFP/Getty Images.

The Milan fall fashion season began with quietly feminine collections from Miuccia Prada and Alberta Ferretti. But on Friday night, the runway revved up with two takes on the power woman.

In the hands of Donatella Versace, she was built for speed and techno tough. Motocross leather pants cropped above ankle wrap boots and jackets with sporty elastic and zipper insets formed the basis of this strong collection for a more athletic take on classic tailoring.

Body-conscious dresses and skirts were another highlight, with asymmetrical panels of ribbed knit and chrome-look mirrored leather.

Gowns in black or white, traffic-sign yellow or red, were spare and modern with minimal graphic leather or chiffon details, and skin-flashing cutouts.

It made for a striking picture when the models posed on the runway together in a final tableau.

Except that we've met this power woman before. In fact, several editors in the front row were already dressing like her in second-skin leather leggings and biker jackets.

At Jil Sander, Raf Simons took the concept of deconstruction that has been creeping into the collections this season (ripping forms apart and putting them back together in a different way), and made it entirely his own.

A clip from Michelangelo Antonioni's 1970 film "Zabriskie Point," picturing a man and a woman in an amorous outdoor romp, set the scene for clothes in various stages of deconstruction. And indeed, some pieces looked as if they could have been ripped and frayed during the throes of passion.

A white sheath with tatters for fringe; a cut-and-paste blazer with pockets standing at attention; a white mesh dress with knit panels tracing every curve -- the clothes were organic, raw, even emotional. But did they work? Yes and no.

It was refreshing to see a designer so unrestrained, letting the whole creative process hang out, as it were. But some things crossed the realm of interesting into weird (he could have used an edit).

Still, there were gems -- a black dress in double-layer organza, slit from the neck to the small of the back; a grainy, cream-colored silk tweed blazer with tattered lapels; a black pencil skirt with petal-like scraps of fabric appliqued on the hips: and a sandstone knit dress with artful oval cutouts winding around the body.

The film only heightened the experience on a steamy Milan night, as people tried to keep their eyes (and their minds) on the clothes.

--Booth Moore

Photos: Spring-Summer 2010 Jil Sander runway

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Photo: Spring-Summer 2010 Jil Sander runway. Credit: Peter Stigter and Jonas Gustavsson / For The Times

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One of the biggest surprises at Milan Fashion Week so far --  besides the sunshine and blue sky that appeared without warning over the perennially overcast city (I've now seen the sun shine precisely once in five visits) -- is the dearth of color. Spring/summer collections are traditionally the place to give the color wheel a spin, but this time around the vibrant hues seem to have been all but wrung out of the collections.

What wasn't basic black and white tended to be shades of mineral -- slate browns, chalk grays, sandy taupes. Even the blues and greens were the muted shades reminiscent of weathered clapboard houses on the cape. But for some collections, when color took a backseat, texture and shape took center stage.

Jil Sander was one of those collections. In his show notes, designer Raf Simons said he was inspired by the paintings "Combat" and "Grande Composition" by Japanese artist Léonard-Tsuguharu Foujita, which were projected on the walls flanking the runway. 

The cotton poplins, ultra-light taffetas and linens were so light that unlined trenchcoats (which popped up everywhere today) partially lined blazers and transparent vests seemed to enshroud the models like cloud vapor, an effect heightened by subtle, curved jacket cuffs and hems.

Several pieces, including the shirt pictured, were printed with images from the artwork, with such a light touch it was almost as if Foujita had himself applied the traditional Japanese inking with soft brush strokes. He didn't -- he died in 1968, but his bowl cut lives on. That coif topped the entire run of models.

Even the eyewear collection underscored the feeling of weightlessness, with lenses suspended from metallic frames.

Metal also appeared in very subtle edging on necklines and collars, giving some pieces the feeling of Roman tunics.

In the hands of a lesser talent, the collection could have come across as a huge bore, but Simons managed to make the clothes feel freeing and effortless.

And that's no mean feat when those clothes included a short-sleeve shirt buttoned all the way up to the Adam's apple.

-- Adam Tschorn

Photos: At top, a detail from Léonard-Tsuguharu Foujita's "Combat." Credit: Adam Tschorn. At bottom, a look from the Jil Sander Spring/Summer 2009 Collections. Credit: Peter Stigter

More Photos from the Jil Sander Men's Spring/Summer 2009 Runway Collection

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MILAN -- Thank goodness for Raf Simons. Just when the Milan shows were about to put us all to sleep, he showed some of the most exciting clothes of the fall season.

The first part of his collection for Jil Sander was a tribute to the 20-year-old label's powerful minimalist aesthetic, reminding us that something as simple as a cream turtleneck dress and oatmeal-colored double-face cashmere coat can shine, thanks to perfect cut and fabrication.

A clever black dress made to look like a jacket with lapels and pocket flaps, and a traffic-cone orange short sleeve shift with raised seams, further demonstrated the brand's timeless, spare beauty, while juicy-colored patent leather flats injected a small dose of up-to-the-moment fashion.

Then the music went down, colored lights started flashing and the real show began, the one where Simons let his imagination run wild. Inspired by the work of French ceramist Pol Chambost, Simons' sculptural forms with contrast color pieces peeling away from, or spiraling around, the body were thrilling to look at from every angle.

Neon yellow or green peeked out from the asymmetrical hem of a black skirt and the funnel neck of a black dress. A white coat with a single undulating lapel was strong and graphic, as was a purple shift with a curving, folded collar.

The concept got the better of Simons with a few awkward volumes and flying hip flourishes that disregarded a woman's figure.  Still, the creative impulse was electrifying.

-- Booth Moore

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Photo: A look from the Fall '09 Jil Sander collection at Milan Fashion Week. Credit: Giulio di Mauro/European Pressphoto Agency.  

Don’t let this last week of dreary weather fool you, sandal season is indeed upon us. The sun is now shining, we’re thinking of spring and inspired to buy new sandals, but hesitant to spend a lot of money.

These adorable styles at the Gap are under $100 and look like they came out of a high-end designer box.

The multicolored Gladiator sandals in persimmon look like Marni meets Jil Sander, but cost just $39.50. A pair of Pierre Hardy for the Gap platform sandals are strappy shoes that add a ton of height and elongate the leg if worn with a short, simple dress. The same style was available last summer as well, but this time it's offered in an array of colors such as green and maroon. The platforms are $98.

Because being on a budget is no excuse for wearing ratty, rubber flip-flops all the time. 

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photos: At left, Pierre Hardy for the Gap platform sandal; at right, Gladiator sandal in persimmon. Photo credit: The Gap

Against a backdrop of financial uncertainty, there is a playful optimism to some of the runway shows for the spring season, in the form of cartoonish silhouettes, Pop Art colors and prints. It started with Michael Kors' 1950s, full-skirted gingham romp in New York and has now hit Milan at D&G and Moschino.

Los Angeles-based pop star Katy Perry is undoubtedly one inspiration for designers' modern day pinups, and there she was looking perky in the front row at D&G. The collection was an ode to sunny playgrounds such as Cap d'Antibes and Cannes, with striped knit bathing suits, sequin sweaters emblazoned with anchors and pleated shirts in a sailing knot print.

Models walked on red, white and blue platform sandals that laced up the leg, and sported floppy sun hats or knit bathing caps with over-sized round sunglasses. There were also boxy tweed jackets in the spirit of  Chanel, high-waist sailor pants, and sweaters in a metallic red, white and blue fisherman's knit that sparkled like fireworks. What a blast.

The fun continued Tuesday morning at Moschino, where British singer Roisin Murphy was the guest of honor, with a teased Rockabilly updo to rival Amy Winehouse's in the pop star hair of fame.

On the runway, models wore the same hairstyle, along with candy-colored silk swing coats and shifts with cartoon-size bows at the neck, and jeweled cat's eye sunglasses.

If it all sounds over-the-top, it wasn't. There were plenty of little black dresses and a lovely evening coat in chiffon whirled into flower buds. A beige satin coatdress with ruffled cap sleeves was nice, too. Exaggerated wedge platforms were cool, as was a handbag that spelled out what should be the season's tagline: "Ideal Dress = No Stress."

Elsewhere on the runway, I was looking forward to seeing what Raf Simons had up his sleeve at Jil Sander, since "simple," "architectural" and "classic" are becoming buzz words for the season. With a Man Ray portrait as a backdrop for the runway, he spun a tale of 1920s elegance and African tribalism-- tunics swinging fringe, shift dresses and coats slit under the arms for subtle plays on color and light, and spectacular jackets in intriguing swing shapes or with free-floating panels or cowl backs.

Shoe heels were inspired by Brancusi sculptures, and earrings -- part of a new jewelry line in collaboration with Italian jeweler Damiani -- resembled spears studded with diamonds.

But the models in the show were unsettling, to say the least. All white automatons with slick ponytails, they looked like an Aryan army. The show was inspired by Africa! Who does he think lives there? And in this era, when the luxury fashion business truly is global, there was no excuse.

-- Booth Moore

Photos top to bottom: Michael Kors' Spring/Summer 2009 collection from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York earlier this month, D&G, Moschino  and Jil Sander all in Milan this week. All photos by Kirk McKoy, Los Angeles Times.