EMANUEL UNGARO at Le Carrousel du Louvre, Salle Le Nôtre, 1^st Arrondissement

The venue was packed with eager onlookers. After all, not only was Estrella Archs, the beautiful and talented, but not yet-so-well-known designer debuting her first collection for Ungaro, but also Lindsey Lohan was expected to make an appearance, as the house’s newly hired artistic advisor.

The space was all white and elegant, and models emerged from a fuchsia backlit opening and walked a fuchsia lined U-shaped runway. There was an audible sigh of appreciation, as the first dress appeared – a strapless, skintight, bandage-style mini of criss-crossed fuchsia and pale pink. I particularly liked the second dress, a long-sleeved number with an asymmetrical neckline, again in that gorgeous fuchsia color. The collection continued with a series of figure-hugging mini-dresses in a variety of colors, some of which were expertly gathered and draped. In addition to mini-dresses, the collection featured blazers – both bolero and longer styles, adorned with sequin hearts. There were some pieces that were not my taste, for example, the harem-style pants, skimpy bandeau tops and pasties worn under an open blazer. I liked the bright colors and the heart motifs; together they gave it a refreshingly youthful, playful vibe. However, the collection had so much variety that it felt a bit disjointed.

Since its debut, Ungaro Spring 2010  has garnered a lot of attention from the press, much of it not particularly flattering. My suggestion? Don’t believe everything you read and check it out for yourself; I thought there were some very chic pieces in there.