>> The first full day of Paris Fashion Week shows got off to a lighthearted note backstage — Saskia de Brauw was caught playing air guitar just after walking Rue du Mail, Bette Franke was snapped sniffing Suvi Koponen's necklace pre-Dries van Noten, and a smiling Liu Wen rested herself at the bottom of a spiral staircase behind-the-scenes at Rochas. Those pictures, and more from all three shows, in the gallery.
Photos: Greg Kessler
>> In his Las Vegas-inspired debut at Balmain earlier today, 26-year-old Olivier Rousteing has won himself a few new fans. "Viva Las Vegas…and budding young fashion talent," WWD wrote.
Rousteing said he wished to turn the label away from holey T-shirts and tattered jeans to give more focus to the Balmain's couture roots, and his efforts were rewarded. The Wall Street Journal's Christina Binkley noted: "From the look of things, Mr. Rousteing has a bright future." "I think he did great," said Bergdorf Goodman fashion director Linda Fargo as she exited the show. And Suzy Menkes called the collection "a hit": "Mr. Rousteing proved his weight in the gold he scattered so liberally on the collection."
![Wes Gordon x Jones New York [Pictures]](http://media3.onsugar.com/files/2011/09/39/4/166/1668379/7ff6aab4681f40b6_jones-ny-wes-gordon02.xlarge/i/Wes-Gordon-x-Jones-New-York-Pictures.jpg "Wes Gordon x Jones New York [Pictures]")
>> Jones New York has just become the latest to go designer. Come next March, the sportswear company will offer the Wes Gordon x Jones New York line, exclusively available at select Bloomingdale's stores as well as online at the department store's website and on jny.com. Filled with what Jones Group CEO Susan Metzger refers to as workwear with a "new modern classic sensibility," the Wes Gordon x Jones New York collection features a selection of current separates: contrast silk tops, leather-sleeved blazers, swing trenches, ankle pants, and asymmetrical vests. Priced from $99 to $475, the collection is so far only confirmed for one season. Click through for a peek.
>> Alessandra Fachinetti marks her return to fashion — after a three-year hiatus following her exit from Valentino in 2008 — with her new line, Uniqueness. Shown in a presentation today at the Jeu de Paume in Paris, the 24-look debut collection is meant to blur the line between seasons. “I alternated timeless pieces with more eccentric styles, mixing practical, sophisticated, and childlike accents,” Fachinetti explained.
The pieces — which range from 90 euros ($125) for a cotton t-shirt to 1,200 euros ($1,660) for a printed chiffon maxidress — will go on sale on Uniqueness.it later today.
>> After cutting ties with Giles Deacon earlier this month — Deacon signed a four-year contract last year, but produced a black, dominatrix-inspired collection (left) when management wanted a more heritage-driven line — Ungaro is moving ahead, deliberately without a head designer.
Emanuel Ungaro chief executive Jeffry Aronsson, who joined the company in June, says he will instead rely on the label's team of 35 employees, including some who worked under Ungaro himself. "I'm not looking for a big name from the outside, because I don't want the development of the brand to be dependent on a big ego." He hasn't yet figured out who will take the runway bow, and adds: "I don't believe in overnight sensations. My goal is to revitalize the company in a sustainable way, not a flash in the pan."
Ungaro is no longer carried in any major American department store, and even several of the shelves in the Ungaro store downstairs from the label's offices in Paris are bare. Aronsson says he plans to woo retailers back; however, even if it takes a few seasons, by focusing on tops, loungewear like caftans, and capitalizing on silks and prints. "I want the retailers to see this, that it's a whole new page," he says of the upcoming Ungaro show.
