Dressful

I've been obsessed with red all winter, not kitschy Christmas ornaments red paired with the impotent green of dying trees, but luxurious, deep, expensive red. I found it an alluring alternative to black because when rich enough, red is just as serious and more than a little enigmatic.

A color reserved for the upper echelons of beauty.

These looks from Oscar de la Renta's Pre-Fall 2012 collection carry the same poem of red as urban glamorous opulence. How perfectly would they fit in at dimly-lit dinner parties in icy Paris and New York? Occasions where you can never be overdressed, where it's only natural to bury yourself neck-deep in diamonds. While it might seem I'm getting carried away by my romantic imagination, de la Renta's clothes are a dream standing firmly on the ground. Perhaps they know better than me.

H&M has announced a new designer collaboration with Marni. The spring collection designed by Marni's creative director Consuelo Castiglioni will be released in 260 stores worldwide and online. It will include womenswear, menswear and accessories with focus on the Italian label's signature prints and patterns. The Marni for H&M release date is March 8, 2012.

Just a few days ago I was talking to a friend about how the Versace for H&M collection was already passé due to the H&M collaboration process unraveling insanely quickly – much to my chagrin as I found the collaboration to be spot-on – so the timing of this announcement amuses me greatly.

The biggest hype surrounding H&M collaborations takes place a month before the collection is released and on the day of the release. It seems to me that collaboration pieces aren't nearly as interesting afterwards because the real challenge for fashionistas is to snatch them up (and be photographed wearing them) before the official release, made possible by early press launches, lending, clothes "incidentally" disappearing from showrooms etc. Hence the immediate need for a new hot designer collaboration to obsess over.

Additionally, Donatella Versace has also designed a spring collection for H&M. This second Versace for H&M collaboration will be released on January 19, 2012. I'm wondering which collection will get more attention; between the two, the label with more street cred is undoubtedly Versace, especially after the H&M collaboration made it even more famous.

Leaving Versace and Marni aside, as I tweeted earlier today, what I really want to see is a (possibly blasphemous) collaboration between H&M and Hermès. A girl can dream, right?

Emporio Armani has released a capsule sunglasses collection to celebrate their 30th anniversary. The vibrant, oversized shades are reminiscent of the 1980s (Emporio Armani was founded in 1981), but the collection's tagline commends the future: "No nostalgia. The message beams at streaming speed towards digital futures. Fashion is play, movement, energy and pleasure."

I see the sunglasses as a continuation or supplement to the Emporio Armani Spring/Summer 2012 collection – they would be a marvelous enhancement to the black and white palette.

Women's

Men's

The city is slowly sinking into depths of winter. In this chilly and monochromatic transitory period, it feels unseemly to wear my retractable winter coat. Despite low enough temperatures, to me, the emergence of long coats in the streets signifies November, Christmas lights they always put up too early, and whimsical atmosphere at the end of the year.

These jackets from the current Hogan by Lagerfeld capsule collection are exactly what I'd like to wear these days. Less serious than coats but just as warm, they became my instant favorite months ago at the Hogan by Karl Lagerfeld Fall/Winter 2011/2012 presentation in Paris. The first jacket's beetle shine (actually a graffiti effect created by silver brushstrokes on black leather) corresponds brilliantly with Chanel Péridot, my go-to nail polish for the season.

This morning I attended the Emporio Armani Spring/Summer 2012 show in Milan. It was my second time at Emporio Armani (the first show I saw was Fall/Winter 2011/2012), but it will take quite a while before I get immune to the thrill and excitement of major shows. The best part of fashion week is the goosebumps you get when you realize the designers' efforts and inspirations in the past 6 months have united in a perfect, seamless whole. I am incredibly happy and honored to have attended Emporio Armani this season, especially because the collection is the loveliest I've seen in a long time.

The Emporio Armani Spring/Summer 2012 collection by Giorgio Armani is bringing back the plastic trend. We saw clear plastic handbags, bracelets, wedges, sandals, as well as striking big black or white flower-like accessories worn as headpieces, on the shoulder or around the neck. The color palette is mostly black and white with some flower prints. Models wore short blonde wigs and boaters. There were peplum dresses, sequin vests, snakeskin bags and wedges. Of course, the collection would not be complete without Armani's signature tailored blazers and pants.

For me, the highlight of the show were the shoes (I would wear every pair, not to mention this is the only instance in my life when I've admired plastic shoes! They are effortlessly fashionable.) and white dresses with hooped hemlines. Beautifully delicate, they reminded me of morning dew and the uneven shape of petals. It's interesting that a collection brimming with references to flowers was executed in black and white (we usually buy flowers in more lively colors). I also loved the use of boaters, a men's hat, with elegant, feminine pieces.

When I got back to my hotel after the show, I turned on the computer and caught the last few minutes of the second Emporio Armani show livestream (Emporio Armani schedules two consecutive shows: one for press, one for other guests). This should give you a good idea of how late shows start in Milan (the hotel I'm staying at is quite far from Teatro Armani where the Armani events take place). It also speaks volumes about how much I loved the collection and the show. A sentimental wish to relive the experience through a computer screen. I cannot wait for spring to see these beautiful pieces alive in the streets. Please, can we skip fall and winter?