Christian Lacroix Fall '09 Couture

One of the most wearable couture collections Christian Lacroix has ever created, this season's last couture installment was possibly a commercial plee for financial backing. The Lacroix business went into administration and all but 12 workers were laid off. (Due to legal issues, the models had to be paid and were reportedly paid €50 each.) The ateliers loyal to Christian donated their time in order to pull off a collection to follow (though by no means match) the opulent fantasies he has been creating since 1987.

As the whole audience stood in ovation for him walking out with a model donning his bridal creation, Christian (who had personally financed the collection himself) stated, "I didn't want to cry. I want to continue, maybe in a different way, with a small atelier. What I really care about is the women who do this work."

Without access to extravagant hues and embellished materials, he pared the collection back to mainly black and midnight blue (a huge trend when placed together for Fall '09), concentrating on shape and wearability.