Paris fashion week for Spring 2010 Ready to Wear saved my sanity. The collections were fresh, inspiring, and didn’t continuously remind beleaguered audiences of the crapper state of the economy (we get it, shit sucks) while not being overly ostentatious. Trends present on this season’s runways include an ode to the 20s and 30s, art deco, and…details. The worst shoes I saw were Chanel’s (surprisingly), and the best would be a tie between Lanvin and Dior.

To see the best of the runways de Paris, check out the 7 image galleries and capsule reviews by Marianne Renoir after the Jump…

LANVIN: The Lanvin collected was, for the most part, longer hemlines and the largest ruffles of the season. One-shoulder dresses were featured multiple times as were a single, elbow-length leather glove scrunched down to create a chic a-symmetrical look. But of course, the surprise fun outfit of the collection was a short sleeve mock turtle black sotp with plenty of gold metal detailing paired with a draped and tied brown skirt that had royal blue sequen details reflecting. Though I wouldn’t pair both pieces together, they are equally beautiful and the detailing gives it a richness in look that some out there could complete with a couple hours of DIY time.

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BALMAIN: This was perhaps the most fun of the collections. It is the modern Mad Max. Earth tones in olives and chestnut, torn fabrics, military detailing. Executed briliantly, the pieces, while heavily revolutionary in tone, do not scream ridiculous and will I’m sure seep into general stores over the next few years. Expect this to be paired with some of the art deco looks later for a nice contradiction.

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CHANEL: Chanel’s ready to wear this season is anything but stiff. Relaxed, gamine, sophisticated. Lace is combined with boucle’. There was a little bit of the puff sleeve happening but it was modernized with wide-spread skirts. The one pair of pants that stuck out to me in this collection were a pair of high waisted, three-button gray pants very Cheap Monday. The Chanel woman is youthful, appreciates the classic look but definitely with a rock and roll edge. A modern Gigi.

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CHRISTIAN DIOR: The femme fatale is back with Dior’s collection this season. Hip length trench coats that winked sexy coquine were the champions. Lingerie and lace were also large themes, with those used in many of the skirts and bottoms. This show had a lot of bows, rich purples and bordeaux reds paired with dark lace, chunky heels and red lipstick. The dresses were youthful and sexy, a definite throwback to the feminine, flirty woman.

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ELIE SAAB: Geometry is back! Elie Saab was so Art Deco it made me want to drink pink champagne and twirl a cigarette holder. There was a lot of draping in this collection. Promininent colors included black and metallics, nudes and black. Not to be out of the group though, there is a little of the “large bow” influence that can also be found in this collection.

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KARL LAGERFELD: Outside of the fabulous collection for the Chanel label, Karl Lagerfeld was on point in merging his personal tastes to women’s style. Femme tuxedos, black and white, hard lines, and a noir detective look. Never one to forget the details, he included wide ties and tall collars.

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GIVENCHY: Givenchy may have taken geometry a bit to heart in their collection, but not in a good way. The collection was reminiscent of court jesters and The Coneheads. Most of the shapes were shown via differences in texture as opposed to color, but this collection was overall disappointing. The best take away would be the large boyfriend style suit jackets in white with small black horizontal stripes. It’s so versatile while being unique that it is definitely something to work.

All photos courtesy of nymag.com