Designer Christian Lacroix, who showed his collection Wednesday evening, has always been known for his exuberant historical references and his eye for detail. So it wasn't surprising to discover that he had curated an exhibition on fashion history at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. What makes the exhibition stand out is that it is organized thematically rather than chronologically. It begins with a section on the color white, moves through vitrines on polka dots, stripes, transparency, and so on. It ends with a group of black garments. So it's possible to find a brightly colored Pierre Cardin frock from the 1970s hanging in the same case as a Jeanne Lafaurie garment from 1939. Comme des Garcons' work hangs next to anonymous historical costumes.

Designer Christian Lacroix takes to the runway.(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Each group features several examples of Lacroix's work -- often accessorized with pieces from the museum's permanent collection. Lacroix's work is surrounded by pieces he has chosen that address the same topic. The exhibition is as colorful and dynamic as one of Lacroix's runway shows.

But it isn't exactly an intellectually rigorous exhibition. And I like a little brain-candy with my fashion. I was hoping that I might see, for example, how designers through the decades have had similar responses to the idea of volume or texture. Or to have seen the way in which fashion repeats itself from one generation to the next. But only Lacroix's garments are on mannequins. The others are on racks or presented in such a way that it can be difficult to see the full garment.

It felt a bit as if you were browsing a really good vintage shop - except of course for that pesky problem of not being allowed to touch anything.

The Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, aka Viktor & Rolf, showed their line on Tuedsay afternoon and it was apparently a kind of catharsis for them. Frustrated by the relentless demands to create one collection after another with practically no time in between to recharge, but unwilling to run through the streets of Paris shouting "No!" at the top of their lungs, they decided to let loose a scream of protest in their show. Thus, the No! collection was born. Clothes were embroidered with the single word of rebellion and there were jackets that bore the word in giant three-dimensional blocks. Wouldn't a little kvetching over drinks with friends have done the trick?

(REUTERS/Benoit Tessier)

Wednesday evening I went to a terrific restaurant called Il Vino d'Enrico Bernardo at 13 Blvd. de la Tour Maubourg. The owner is a sommelier who believes that wine is more important than food. So no food is listed on the menu. Not a crumb. Instead, there are simply lists of wines designated as appetizer wines, entree ones, cheese course wines and dessert wines. You choose a wine for each course. And then the kitchen presents you with the accompanying food. Nope, you have no idea what you're going to get. I suppose you could interrogate the waiter about which mystery entrees are on the day's menu and try to beat the system. But what's the fun in that?

(Judith White/Bloomberg News)

This could be torture for all those picky American eaters who don't eat meat or chicken or cheese or dairy or mushrooms or anything that has been cooked or anything other than raw fish. The waiter will ask if you have allergies or any particular dislikes. I owned up to despising mussels because I figured some sort of seafood was likely to turn up with the wine I'd chosen for my main course.

It was worth putting my palate in the hands of the house. The appetizer turned out to be a wonderful risotto with shrimp. The main course was dorade (also called sea bream) on a puddle of polenta and some sort of spectacular sauce. I will not discuss prices here. How unseemly. But it didn't make this modest scribe go bug-eyed. Still, I'm hoping that since I got a blog entry out of the meal that I'll get to expense it. After all, I only went out of dutiful research.

(REUTERS/Benoit Tessier)

I cannot recall the last time I saw so much fur on a runway. The models in Jean Paul Gaultier's show Tuesday night were decked out in all sorts of animal pelts, faux pelts and pelts with the head and tail still attached. I couldn't decide if leaving the head on a stole is a form of brutal honesty or just plain creepy. In all truth, I generally like fur as long as it doesn't come from endangered species. But this was fur overload. Fur hats, fur coats, fur wraps, fur leggings. Are there any animals left in the forest?

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The show was so chock full of fur that security men had to crouch in the aisles to watch for protesters who might want to fling themselves onto the runway to howl in anger. I was just ready to howl over the monotony.

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

In between looking at the fishnet dresses at Maison Martin Margiela and the torn blazers at Yohji Yamamoto, I went to the cocktail party for the new Yves Saint Laurent boutique at 6 Place Saint Sulpice. The entrance was lined with a red carpet and was flanked by the usual group of YSL boys with slicked back hair who look as though they are waiting for their close-up.

Inside the new Yves Saint Laurent boutique (Robin Givhan)

The decor was inspired by the brand's Opium fragrance and so it is all thick lacquered cinnamon-colored walls with flourishes of black. But there are lots of windows. So there will be plenty of natural light during the day so everyone can get a good luck at the little black dresses with capsleeves adorned with metallic stars. Personally, I don't think the dresses look any better in the store than they did on the runway, but hey, that's just one woman's opinion.

I said my hellos to designer Stefano Pilati, who appears to be growing a faux hawk, or a faux, faux hawk. Whatever the plan for the hair, he looked dapper as always and I wished him good luck on the show, which will be on Thursday.

I wanted to capture the atmosphere at the party, which was tricky with my little camera, the crowds of people and the fact that I am not a photographer. Luckily, Neiman Marcus fashion director Ken Downing came to the rescue and offered a bit of art direction. He didn't have much to work with, but he at least managed to prevent me from taking a photo of my own reflection in all the mirrors.

I arrived in Paris on Saturday afternoon from Milan. I was in an ever so slightly grumpy mood because I had flown Air France. This meant that I had been forced to pay an inordinate penalty for overweight baggage because Air France believes it's reasonable to expect people sitting in coach to travel with a suitcase the size and weight of a breadbox. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I could have bought my bag its own economy seat for what I had to pay. Maybe it would be more prudent to for the Post to let me fly business class. I'm just sayin'.

A floral print frock from Dries Van Noten

But thankfully,when I arrived the sun started shining and the Dries Van Noten store was open. I'd been hoarding my demoralized dollars so I could buy one of the floral print dresses from the designer's breathtaking spring collection. And yes, indeed, I walked out with a splendid little frock - as well as one of the zip-on cuff bracelets, which turned out not to cost the fortune I had expected. The floral print, fabric-covered shoes are gorgeous, but one false move on the street and those things are snagged and destroyed. I had to leave them in the store.

On Sunday, the weather was still glorious so I went for a run outside along Rue de l'Universite, crossed the river down by the Grand Palais and circled back to the left bank over by Notre Dame. The streets were fairly empty except for other runners and some bicyclists. It was a lovely way to tour a smidge of this gorgeous city.

An embossed leather coat by Rajesh Pratap Singh (Reuters)

My first show was by designer Rajesh Pratap Singh, who I had never heard of, but I am told is quite the big deal in India. His show space was the typical white box but the floor was covered in a thick layer of fuchsia rose petals and so the room smelled delicious. Because my wee little brain was thinking in a terribly cliched way, I was expecting the collection to be filled with color. In fact, it was a mostly black collection with floral embossed leather coats. I wasn't blown away, but it was interesting and it's always great to see something unexpected.

Later in the day, I went to the Peachoo & Krejberg show, where we all stood around in a courtyard on a weirdly balmy February evening and sipped champagne. I'm not sure exactly what the designers were waiting for. Maybe they were just waiting for the audience to get nicely liquored up. Anyway, we finally were summoned to sit and the collection, which I'd never seen before, was an eclectic mix of layers in black and gray, chiffon tunics decorated with yarn embroidery and coats with full, gathered hemlines.

On Monday, all the familiar names start showing...

Thursday was a good day because the sun was shining, I bought a Marni blouse at discount and the actor Patrick Dempsey was in my future.

I managed to scare up a little time to visit the Marni outlet at #1 via Tajani. Apparently, pretty much every other editor designated the same window of opportunity as Marni time. The place was lively and it was stuffed to the gills with merchandise from the last several seasons. While most of the merchandise - from clothes to sunglasses - is from the women's collection, there is a small selection of Marni menswear as well.

Patrick Dempsey at Versace dinner (Reuters/Allesandro Garafalo)

The "Grey's Anatomy" star was the guest of honor at a Versace dinner following the presentation of the fall '08 collection. Dempsey is the "face" of their new advertising campaign. I had a few moments with Dempsey during the cocktail hour and he remarked on how impressed he was to learn that the Versace family has dressmaking and tailoring deep in its family tree. Mama Versace was, I believe, a dressmaker with her own shop.

Dempsey was quite the charmer and his wife was equally as lovely. I did not, however, feel that his wife and I'd established enough of a bond during our five minute conversation to exclaim: You just had twins! How the heck do you look so svelte?!

Dempsey said he'd been a fan of Versace menswear even before he'd signed on to represent the brand. Of course, I was highly skeptical. But his manager, who was one of the guests at my table during dinner, assured me that really, Dempsey had worn Versace to various award shows, events, etc. So ok, we'll take them both at their word.

I only wish that everyone could have a chance to dine chez Versace. First of all, the food was spectacular. I wish I could tell you what it was other than saying it was pasta and fish, followed by a chocolate/hazelnut dessert and washed down with good wine and champagne. And more champagne. The place wasn't loaded with gold leaf and Medusa heads. It is quite understated but very grand. The room was filled with candlelit tables and low arrangements of pale pink and white roses. Gorgeous.

Donatella is looking so svelte these days I honestly wondered if she'd had a rib removed to get such an hourglass shape. Perhaps it's the magic of a Versace frock? If that's the case, the Versace boutique will be my next pitstop.

I was struck dumb at the Prada show on Tuesday night when, lo and behold, who should come walking down the runway but the model Jourdan Dunn. Black girl walking! During all the brouhaha in New York over the lack of black models on the runway, much of the blame - fairly or unfairly - was laid at the feet of Miuccia Prada. She was among the first designers to prefer a homogenous runway, in which the clothes registered on the audience but not the people wearing them. We're keeping hope alive for the possible integration of the Jil Sander runway next season.

Wednesday morning I tried to jolt myself awake with a very large mug of espresso. The charming waiter tried to explain to me that the coffee that goes in the big cup is the watered down American version, but I was having none of that. I think I might have had a quadruple shot of espresso. All I can say is caffeine is not all that. I could have used a chaser of Red Bull and a big bowl of sugary cereal.

Costume Institute exhibition co-chairs Anna Wintour and Giorgio Armani (REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini )

The need to energize came about because I was headed to an 8:30 a.m. preview of the upcoming exhibtion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. The exhibition, "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy," opens in May and the accompanying swanky party will be co-chaired by Vogue's Anna Wintour. The honorary chair is Giorgio Armani, who is also the lead sponsor of the exhibit.

The Costume Institute's curator Harold Koda had flown in with some frocks from the exhibition and to talk a bit about what everyone could expect. He brought along a Batman costume from the upcoming film "The Dark Knight" as well as superhero-inspired garments from designer Bernhard Willhelm, John Galliano and Armani. The exhibition sounds particularly interesting because it will be both literal and conceptual. So it will look at the costumes of superheroes such as Batman, the Hulk, Wonder Woman (my personal favorite) and Koda's favorite, Spiderman, as well as the ready-to-wear, performance sportswear and other garments inspired by them.

Costume Institute "Superheroes" preview (Robin Givhan)

All this information was fine and dandy and clear as can be, but I was left a bit confused by some of Armani's remarks. Now let me first say that he was being translated from Italian into English and so something might have been lost along the way. But in his remarks, Armani addressed a long-standing tension between Vogue and Armani in which the magazine is purported not to show the designer enough love and respect. I'm not going to get into the middle of that spat, which may or may not be real, but Armani went to great lengths to assure the audience that really, he LOVES Anna, even though they have aesthetic disagreements. Well, ok then. Thanks for clearing that up.

Armani's sponsorship of this exhibit might seem a bit odd. He's not known as a designer to be so literal in interpreting his inspiration and I can't say that I recall a collection that evoked Superman. But from a conceptual point of view, he is renowned for dressing professional women and highly regarded for creating clothes that empower and embolden women. I think that would be an interesting way of looking at his work in conjunction with superheroes.

And I might also add that while I occasionally have aesthetic disagreements with the designer, I have nothing but love and respect for him. In case anyone was wondering.

Today was one of those days clogged with fashion shows every hour on the hour. The fashion parade zipped all across town running from the Giorgio Armani show at 11 in the morning and finishing up with Jil Sander at 8 p.m. I will be in much better condition to write thoughtfully about the Jil Sander collection for Thursday's paper after a good night's sleep, but there were so many sagging eyelids in the audience at the show - which just happened to be in an overheated location - that I began to wonder whether an audience's like or dislike for a show is directly related to where it happens to fall on a busy day.

In between the Gianfranco Ferre show and the Burberry one, I stopped into a cocktail party celebrating the opening of the new Dolce & Gabbana accessory store on via della Spiga. Those Dolce boys seem to be a recurring theme on this trip. As is the custom, a store opening requires champagne and hors d'oeuvres. Thankfully, there were no images of either designer in his skivvies adorning the walls as had been the case the last time I attended one of their swank events.

Dolce & Gabbana bag

One of the best elements of their spring show had been a group of patchwork patent leather handbags. So I was curious to see how they looked up close and hanging from my shoulder. I was also interested in finding out how much they cost. Alas, the famed oversize patchwork bag had no price tag that I could find - and let's just say I dug my hand way down deep into the dark recesses of that purse. I called for assistance. The nice sales lady started going through the various pockets until she uncovered a little card that revealed the bag to be a runway sample. And it was not for sale. Does a bag that only exists on the runway - at least so far - actually exist?

I arrived in Milan on Saturday and immediately settled into my twice yearly ritual: Take a quick nap and check out the stores. I headed over to the Prada store where the place was filled with those diaphanous dresses and skirts from the runway. Miuccia Prada is a designer who actually stocks her store with much of what she shows on the runway. Pretty, pretty little summer dresses with fitted bodices and full skirts and the whopping price tag of 2,500 euros. Oh my.

The metallic sandals with wispy straps decorated with tiny leaves cut out of leather were stunning and they were priced at about 390 euros. That sounded a little bit better. Not exactly a bargain, but in the acceptable range of ridiculously overpriced shoes. Boy, oh boy, I hope my father didn't just read that sentence.

But then I got to thinking about my little encounter at the currency exchange booth at the airport. I know the airport isn't the best place to change money, but I needed cash for the cab and I was tired. Thomas Cook was calling my name. A wad of dollars got me next to nothing in euros. The exchange rate was 1.62 dollars to the euro. That's a seriously painful reality. It meant the shoes were practically $700. Talk about a buzz kill. And frankly, that's almost all anyone can talk about: the sinking dollar. Oh, and the American presidential election.

I thought things might look better - pricewise- over at the new Marni accessory store on via della Spiga. It was filled with shoes that looked - honestly - like they were made of plastic. I'm sure they were made of some super secret material that is both green and chic. But I didn't get it. The main store, just behind the accessory one, was stocked with the brand's signature sack dresses in multi-colored prints. The dresses looked gorgeous but all I kept thinking was how the last thing I needed in my life was another sack dress to go with the ga-zillion sack dresses already in my closet. Because yes, I drank the fashion Kool-Aid and decided that I should fill my wardrobe with dresses that look like they came from A Pea in a Pod. Now, I need a designer who believes in the hourglass figure. So off I went to Dolce & Gabbana.

I raved about the brand's spring collection, which was filled with breathtaking hand-painted dresses. I was hoping that the designers had taken that idea and transformed it into more accessible dresses with stunning floral prints. How brilliant would that be? Inside the store I found some of the hand-painted dresses. The label noted they were "limited edition" so I just backed away slowly without looking for the price tag. I might have fainted dead away.

But where oh where were the more accessible versions? Darn it, but those designers had decided to be purists. They did not water down the idea - except for a few painted splattered t-shirts. I admire the integrity and all that, but really, don't they know the exchange rate? Can't they show an American shopper a little love?

Green Absolute recipe

The shows began on Sunday and I've already got a couple under my belt. More about the shows in my story on Thursday. I arrived back at my hotel at about midnight to find that the staff had left a martini shaker, a bucket of ice, two glasses and a recipe for something called a Green Absolute. A special fashion week drink? The ingredients all appear to be in the mini bar. I was going to break into the vodka - for research purposes, of course - but held back. I need to pace myself. But for anyone interested, here's the recipe. Basically, throw it all into the shaker with ice. Serve in a tumbler garnished with lemon.

I have spent no small amount of time writing on this blog and in the newspaper about the lack of diversity on the runway. I've written about the efforts by industry veteran Bethann Hardison to impress upon the fashion industry the importance of thinking broadly when casting their runway shows. I've also mentioned that designer Diane von Furstenberg, the president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, sent letters to designers reminding them that they are part of a global industry. I'm happy to report there has been progress.

One of the design houses that was held up as a major offender - for having a homogenous crew of white models - was Calvin Klein. I don't know how many times photos of last season's finale have been reproduced as evidence of what's wrong with the industry when it comes to diversity.

Black model Liya Kebede on the Calvin Klein runway (Maria Valentino for The Washington Post)

But at the show Thursday evening, lo and behold, the black model Liya Kebede was on the runway. Good for you Liya and bravo to designer Francisco Costa. Sure, it would be nice to have a veritable United Nations on the runway. But this is fashion and it's all about personal vision, not we-shall-overcome. I'm happy to see that Costa's vision has gotten a little broader. Doesn't that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy?

Many other runways also had a black model or two. In fact, the black model Jourdan Dunn was practically one of the stars of the runway this time around. It didn't look like any designer had to compromise his or her creative vision to do the right thing, either. They were able to convey boho chic, rich socialite, and even creepy cypher without freezing out an entire group of women. Yes, indeed, we can all manage to get along.

By the way, the New York fashion shows end today. I'll be going to Sean John and then Marc "I don't have a clock that works" Jacobs. Marc's show is scheduled for 7 p.m. Here's hoping that it starts by 8. Cheers!