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Military jackets and coats are one of this season’s most sought after trends, they can be regarded as a classic. Their military feel can be expressed in different ways: with the gold braiding, double-breasted brass buttons, shoulder epaulettes. A great choice is a neat stand-up collar that gives a feminine feel to the trend. On the contrary, there is a long khaki officer’s greatcoat with its tough-looking military shape.

Michael Jackson was a military trend lover himself – the singer would wear many items from the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 Balmain collection which was actually inspired with Jacko’s style.

Military-style is a bit masculine itself so it’s avisable to add some feminine touch to the overal outfit. Forget the boot-cut jeans or other clothes just taken off your boyfriend. Military coats and jackets look best worn with ultra trendy thigh-high boots, lacy dresses, ballerina skirts, skinny pants or shiny leggings.

If a military frogging is a bit too much for you, try some high quality military accessories: leather belts, long gloves, military-style caps and Russian Cossak hats. Brocade, brass buttons and epaulettes – this is what military trend is all about!

Strong shoulders is a totally wearable trend, but I would be careful because shoulder pads create a very Dynasty-style looks. For the ‘reserved’ fashionistas I would recommend strong shoulders for rather formal occasions. It is perfect for formal jackets, dresses, blouses and it can be successfully paired with fur, gloves or belts. This classical looks is promoted inter alia by BCBG Max Azria, Chanel, Donna Karan or Anne Valérie Hash.

Lavin, on the other hand opts for a light version – note that they used tulle instead of shoulder pads that gave the impression of strong shoulders. Marc Jacobs and Emanuel Ungaro had a totally different idea on how to create a strong shoulder of today. It is a very rock-inspired style, reminding me of the shiny spacesuits. I really liked a strong-shouldered bolero by Ungaro worn in a casual style and a geometric yellow dress by Jacobs, probably borrowed from the Star Trek film stage.

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The only problem is the designers don’t actually care about how women are going to deal with the implied eroticism of the thigh-high boots. In fact, they are frequently related to erotism, boot fetishism, prostitutes and professional dominatrices, so it’s a good idea to know how to wear them properly.

Antonio Berardi, Haider Ackermann and Hermès avoid this unwanted slutty looks by dressing their models in a totally unsexy way. Baggy clothes and too long jackets draw off the attention to the tigh-high boots, loaded with erotism.

Gareth Pugh on the other hand opts for a more dominatrix style by completing the looks with a daring eye make-up. Emilio Pucci, whose idea is to wear the boots with a short dress or a short fur has stolen my heart. Somehow it makes a perfect compromise between fashion and good impression – as I’d call it.

The desired length of this season thigh-high boots is just over the knee, avoiding the ones that reach almost to the crotch (referred to as crotch boots). They can be either flat (Giuseppe Zanotti) or high-heeled (Stella McCartney, Louis Vuitton, Loewe). For your own good, they are made of genuine leather or suede and the colours seem just toned (black, grey, brown, green, creamy). The aim is so as to make the boots just a ‘dessert’, not the ‘main course’.

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12:00 pm CORINNE COBSON 66 rue Charlot – Paris 3e
2:00 pm ANNE VALERIE HASH 36 boulevard Bonne Nouvelle – Paris 10e
3:00 pm DÉVASTÉE Salon des Miroirs – 13 passage Jouffroy – Paris 9e
4:00 pm KRIS VAN ASSCHE 18 rue du Faubourg du Temple – Paris 11e
5:00 pm GARETH PUGH Passage du Désir – 85-87 rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin – Paris 10e
6:00 pm PEACHOO+KREJBERG Garage Turenne – 66 rue de Turenne – Paris 3e
7:00 pm ESTRELLA ARCHS Espace Commines – 17 rue Commines – Paris 3e
8:00 pm RUE DU MAIL (by Martine Sitbon) 5 rue du Mail – Paris 2e
9:00 pm FATIMA LOPES Salon des Miroirs – 13 passage Jouffroy – Paris 9e

Thursday, March 2009, the 5th

10:00 am BALENCIAGA See invitation
11:00 am LIE SANG BONG Le Grand Hôtel Intercontinental – 2 rue Scribe – Paris 9e
12:00 pm HIROKO KOSHINO Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Soufflot*
1:00 pm CHER MICHEL KLEIN Mini Palais – Grand Palais – entrée Pont Alexandre III – avenue Winston Churchill – Paris 8e
2:00 pm SHARON WAUCHOB Garage Turenne – 66 rue de Turenne – Paris 3e
3:00 pm BALMAIN Hôtel Ritz – 17 place Vendôme – Paris 1er
4:00 pm BRUNO PIETERS Musée de l’Homme – 17 place du Trocadéro – Paris 16e
5:00 pm RICK OWENS Les Beaux-Arts de Paris – salle Mélpomène – 13 quai Malaquais – Paris 6e
6:00 pm LUTZ MK2 Bibliothèque – 128 avenue de France – Paris 13e
7:00 pm NINA RICCI Halle Freyssinet – 55 boulevard Vincent Auriol – Paris 13e
8:00 pm AF VANDEVORST Garage Turenne – 66 rue de Turenne – Paris 3e
9:00 pm BLESS 3 rue Barbette – Paris 3e

Friday, March 2009, the 6th

10:00 am ATSURO TAYAMA Palais de Tokyo – 13 avenue du Président Wilson – Paris 16e
11:00 am ISSEY MIYAKE Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Le Nôtre
12:00 pm GASPARD YURKIEVICH Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Soufflot*
1:00 pm BERNHARD WILLHELM Espace Commines – 17 rue Commines – Paris 3e
2:30 pm CHRISTIAN DIOR Espace Ephémère Tuileries – Jardin des Tuileries – Paris 1er
3:30 pm ISABEL MARANT Couvent des Cordeliers
4:30 pm VIVIENNE WESTWOOD 7 place Vendôme – Paris 1er
5:30 pm LANVIN Halle Freyssinet – 55 boulevard Vincent Auriol – Paris 13e
6:30 pm MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA POPB – salle Marcel Cerdan – porte 28 – 8 boulevard de Bercy – Paris 12e
7:30 pm VÉRONIQUE LEROY Espace Commines – 17 rue Commines – Paris 3e
8:30 pm YOHJI YAMAMOTO Carreau du Temple – 3 rue Dupetit Thouars – Paris 3e

Saturday, March 2009, the 7th

9:30 am JUNYA WATANABE See invitation
10:30 am HAIDER ACKERMANN Les Beaux-Arts de Paris – salle Mélpomène – 13 quai Malaquais – Paris 6e
11:30 am TSUMORI CHISATO Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Soufflot*
12:30 pm MARITHÉ & FRANCOIS GIRBAUD Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Le Nôtre*
1:30 pm SOPHIA KOKOSALAKI Espace Ephémère Tuileries – Jardin des Tuileries – Paris 1er
2:30 pm JEREMY SCOTT Faculté de Médecine – 45 rue des Saints Pères – Paris 6e
3:30 pm LOEWE Université Paris Descartes – 12 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine – Paris 6e
4:30 pm ANN DEMEULEMEESTER Couvent des Cordeliers – 15 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine – Paris 6e
5:30 pm COMME DES GARCONS See invitation
7:00 pm JEAN PAUL GAULTIER 325 rue Saint-Martin – Paris 3e
8:00 pm VERONIQUE BRANQUINHO Espace Commines – 17 rue Commines – Paris 3e

Sunday, March 2009, the 8th

10:00 am KARL LAGERFELD Espace Ephémère Tuileries – Jardin des Tuileries – Paris 1er
11:00 am ANDREW GN Les Beaux-Arts de Paris – salle Mélpomène – 13 quai Malaquais – Paris 6e
12:00 pm AKRIS Musée de l’Homme – 17 place du Trocadéro – Paris 16e
1:00 pm EMANUEL UNGARO Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Le Nôtre*
2:00 pm COSTUME NATIONAL Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Soufflot*
3:00 pm HUSSEIN CHALAYAN Couvent des Cordeliers – 15 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine – Paris 6e
4:00 pm DRIES VAN NOTEN Lycée Carnot – 145 boulevard Malesherbes – Paris 17e
5:00 pm CHRISTIAN LACROIX Garage Turenne – 66 rue de Turenne – Paris 3e
6:30 pm GIVENCHY Carreau du Temple – 3 rue Dupetit Thouars – Paris 3e
8:00 pm SONIA RYKIEL See invitation

Monday, March 2009, the 9th

10:00 am STELLA MCCARTNEY Carreau du Temple – 3 rue Dupetit Thouars – Paris 3e
11:00 am BARBARA BUI Couvent des Cordeliers – 15 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine – Paris 6e
12:00 pm LÉONARD Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Le Nôtre*
1:00 pm GUY LAROCHE Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Soufflot*
2:00 pm GIAMBATTISTA VALLI Espace Ephémère Tuileries – Jardin des Tuileries – Paris 1er
3:00 pm ZUCCA Les Beaux-Arts de Paris – salle Mélpomène – 13 quai Malaquais – Paris 6e
4:30 pm VIKTOR & ROLF Halle Freyssinet – 55 boulevard Vincent Auriol – Paris 13e
5:30 pm MANISH ARORA Garage Turenne – 66 rue de Turenne – Paris 3e
7:00 pm YVES SAINT LAURENT Palais de Tokyo – 13 avenue du Président Wilson – Paris 16e
ERRATUM 9 & 10 MARCH EVENING PARTIES

Tuesday, March 2009, the 10th

10:30 am CHANEL Grand Palais – avenue du Général Eisenhower – Paris 8e
11:30 am AGNÈS B. La Pagode – 57 rue de Babylone – Paris 7e
12:30 pm JEAN-CHARLES DE CASTELBAJAC Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Le Nôtre*
1:30 pm ALENA AKHMADULLINALe Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Soufflot*
2:30 pm VALENTINO Cité de l’Architecture – Galerie des Moulages – 1 place du Trocadéro – Paris 16e
3:30 pm JUNKO SHIMADA Espace Pierre Cardin – 1 avenue Gabriel – Paris 8e
4:30 pm ANTONIO BERARDI Maison de l’Architecture – Couvent des Recollets – 148 rue du faubourg Saint-Martin – Paris 10e
5:30 pm COMMUUN See invitation
6:30 pm VANESSA BRUNO 8/10 rue de la Pierre Levée – Paris 11e
8:00 pm ALEXANDER MCQUEEN POPB – salle Marcel Cerdan – porte 28 – 8 boulevard de Bercy – Paris 12e

Wednesday, March 2009, the 11th

9:30 am TALBOT RUNHOF Lycée Turgot – 69 rue de Turbigo – Paris 3e
10:30 am KENZO Carreau du Temple – 3 rue Dupetit Thouars – Paris 3e
11:30 am ELIE SAAB Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Delorme*
12:30 pm WUNDERKIND Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Soufflot*
1:30 pm PAUL & JOE Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Le Nôtre*
2:30 pm COLLETTE DINNIGAN Hôtel Saint-James & Albany – salon Marie-Antoinette – 202 rue de Rivoli – Paris 1er
3:30 pm CHLOÉ Espace Ephémère Tuileries – Jardin des Tuileries – Paris 1er
4:30 pm LIMI FEU Musée de l’Homme – 17 place du Trocadéro – Paris 16e
5:30 pm HERMÈS Halle Freyssinet – 55 boulevard Vincent Auriol – Paris 13e
8:00 pm JOHN GALLIANO 55 boulevard Vincent Auriol – Paris 13e

Thursday, March 2009, the 12th

10:30 am RM BY THE DESIGNER ROLAND MOURET Musée de l’Homme – 17 place du Trocadéro – Paris 16e
11:30 am CHAPURIN Palais de Tokyo – 13 avenue du Président Wilson – Paris 16e
12:30 pm SHIATZY CHEN Les Beaux-Arts de Paris – salle Melpomène – 13 quai Malaquais – Paris 6e
1:30 pm MARIE BISHARA Le Carrousel du Louvre – Salle Soufflot*
2:30 pm LOUIS VUITTON See invitation
4:00 pm IWAYA FOR DRESS 33 Hôtel Westin – 3 rue de Castiglione – Paris 1er
5:00 pm MIU MIU See invitation
6:00 pm MOON YOUNG HEE Galerie Nikki Diana Marquardt – 9 place des Vosges – Paris 4e
7:00 pm ROBERT ABI NADER Hôtel Westin – 3 rue de Castiglione – Paris 1er

* Le Carrousel du Louvre, 99, rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris