Carmen Marc Valvo took a few minutes out of his busy pre-show schedule on Friday to talk with ShinyStyle about his fall collection. He couldn’t have been more gracious as he spoke of the clothing inspired by Elizabeth Taylor in BUtterfield 8.

“It’s all about femininity and a sense of power,” he said. “In the scene when [Elizabeth Taylor] is in her slip, there’s imagery of frailty and vulnerability of being exposed, but the protection of throwing on a fur coat.”

He spoke of the elements of the collection most inspired by the film: lace, chantilly, corsetry, innerwear as outerwear. The CMV show definitely took one of the most literal interpretations of the underwear as outerwear trend that we saw during fashion week.

For more from Carmen Marc Valvo and photos of the collection, keep reading.

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“It’s about covering and revealing,” Valvo said. “Lace, and below the knee sexy [hems], it’s very Helmut Newton, subliminal dominatrix.”

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One key to fashionable innerwear details – as opposed to overly boudoir looks – are in the feeling of luxury. That Valvo has in spades, the fabrics and textures used for these pieces are as beautiful as we saw for fall 2008.

“This collection was very different. Somehow this collection evolved very easily,” Valvo said. “It’s as philosophical a collection as I’ve ever done”

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Backstage at Twinkle by Wenlan, things started off surprisingly serene. So we grabbed a few seconds with designer Wenlan Chia to talk about her collection.

“The thing of this collection is the interplay with the feminine and the masculine,” Chia said. “It’s a new Victor/Victoria.”

And of course, chunky knits continue to be a Twinkle staple. The show notes say that “Wenlan manipulates yarn (loosening a shoulder, dropping an armhole) creating inventive shapes: oversize robes, vests, tunics, and jumpers.” More from Chia and more pics after the jump.

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These knits play a big part in defining the silhouettes of the looks.

“The silhouette is a lot about shape, an exaggerated shape,” Chia said. “It’s a big bubble skirt with a tight vest, it’s a big shape.”

[Runway images: Getty; Backstage images: ShinyStyle]