View all the detailed photos of the Alexander McQueen spring / summer 2013 showing at Paris fashion week. Read the article to see the full gallery.

View all the photos from backstage at the Alexander McQueen spring / summer 2013 showing at Paris fashion week. Read the article to see the full gallery.

View all the photos of the beauty & make-up at the Alexander McQueen spring / summer 2013 showing at Paris fashion week. Read the article to see the full gallery.

View all the catwalk photos of the Alexander McQueen spring / summer 2013 showing at Paris fashion week. Read the article to see the full gallery.

The vision of a woman emerging from the waves has iconic status in art. Somewhere between a classical Venus and a modern day mermaid was Jeffrey Michael’s spring / summer 2013 girl. Presented at London fashion week (LFW), ‘From The Water’ took Michael’s signature triangle print and worked it 3-dimensionally across pieces in a way that felt like a futuristic representation of water and waves.…

In the space where historically-influenced tailoring meets contemporary youthfulness, you’ll find the fall 2012 menswear collection from Alexander McQueen. Designer Sarah Burton was inspired by nineteenth-century portraits from Vanity Fair – portraits that spanned the social spectrum of boys to noblemen – and the fact is evidenced in everything from the cropped britches (worn atop long socks) to the coats thrown back like tails. These…

The Art of Fashion is a telling title for Neiman Marcus’ fall 2012 campaign. As is often the case with multi-label department stores, it features only one outfit from each of a range of designers. But it chooses the most striking outfits – or makes them seem such with its beautiful photography and rich backdrops, turning fashion into art. A platinum blonde Kasia Struss along…

Don’t be expecting outfits of the everyday kind: Greg Kadel’s Party Girls video for Numero is all about fashion as opulence. It’s attitude, party-hard lifestyle, and only the most intense and editorial-worthy pieces of fashion as styled by Elizabeth Sulcer – from Balmain’s heavy beading and tapestry to that Alexander McQueen plexiglass visor.

Sarah Burton has some big shoes to fill – specifically some oversized, McQueen-style, armadillo heels. Luckily the baby steps that she has taken in them since May of 2010 seem to be favorable, culminating in Burton winning Designer of the Year at the 2011 British Fashion Awards. The victory appears to have further spurred her on as she continues to define the new direction of…

Knee high boots are rising up from their purgatorial banishment to become a trend once again. The classic can stay classic, but if fall 2012's runways are anything to go by, this year will give ample opportunity to make the humble knee-high boot a statement, and a force to be reckoned with. Read on for the full report.