While I'm on a designer roll it would be wrong not to tell you about this amazing video showing how a seamstresses turns a Karl Lagerfeld sketch into a finished dress and jacket.

After all there's nothing more exciting than seeing how designer garments are made, and what we're actually parting with our money for.

The video, which was given exclusively to The Cut, by Chanel is a great insight into all the hard work that goes into making these pieces and it's definitely worth a watch. Yes the seamstress makes it look easy but watch the way each sequin is picked up and the way the piping is stitched on. I'm not sure I'd have the patience.

I think that if I'd actually seen a video like this during my disastrous attempts in my textiles A-level I may have done better (well I have to blame something.)
[Via the Swelle Life]

Our co-bloggers at Catwalk Queen have been busy bringing you all the latest show reports from Haute Couture Week in Paris.

To keep you fully up-to-date on all the high fashion and celebrities hitting the front rows, here is the latest coverage:

• Chanel Fall 2009 - catwalk report and show video.

• Maison Martin Margiela Fall 2009 - catwalk report and photo gallery.

• Cate Blanchett, Megan Fox and Roisin Murphy on the front rows at Armani Prive and Givenchy.

• Christian Lacroix Fall 2009 - catwalk report and photo gallery.

We'll have more for you coming up!

From Catwalk Queen: Haute Couture Week is well underway in Paris, and yesterday it was the always-colourful John Galliano who unveiled his autumn/winter 2009 collection for Christian Dior. Moving his show to upstairs at the Dior flagship store, Galliano kindly reminded his models, including Chanel Iman, that "Mr Dior is watching" as they manoeuvred their way through the salons.

Elegant tailored suits, were mixed with bright Stephen Jones's hats, tulle ball gowns and loads of sheer bottoms which Carine Roitfeld previously featured in a shoot as part of her New Look revival in June's French Vogue. Bold shapes were also on the menu in strapless frocks, with the occasional corset and sexy suspender belt thrown in.

[Images: Coutorture]

Josep Font may not be the household name here in America that, say, Valentino is. But when I saw the look below, I knew I had to bring his haute couture collection to you.

The small, somewhat surreal collection was a bit of a mixed bag, with creativly whimiscal designs like the first few in our gallery featuring cute frothy touches and sweet silhouettes. Then there are what can only be described as the Marie Antoinette brides. Both Marie Antoinette and brides have been done better in couture collections by better known designers far too recently to attempt this aesthetic and not nail it.

I might not have loved everything that walked down Font's runway, I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on him in the future.

Click the image below to start the gallery. [Images courtesy of Coutorture]

Catwalk Queen's Gemma Cartwright writes...

Jean Paul Gaultier's couture collection could have been a rehashing of one of his shows from almost twenty years ago.

But that's not necessarily a bad thing. The designer was arguably at the height of his career when Madonna wore his cone bra corset for her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour, and this collection paid homage to that era, with corseted pieces and lots of wide shoulders with nipped in waists. It was an almost exclusively greyscale palette, but that added to the drama. Think curly calligraphy on swathes of chiffon and organza, textured dresses with stiff skirts, and high-waisted matador trousers with braces...

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SHOW GALLERY [images: Coutorture]

Catwalk Queen's Gemma Cartwright writes...

Following the rather awkward departure of Alessandra Facchinetti from Valentino only two seasons after Valentino Garavani's retirement, new design team Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli had a lot to prove with their first couture show.

And prove it they did, sticking closely to the heritage of the label (probably aware that going against this was Facchinetti's downfall). This wasn't a particularly show-stopping collection, but it was safe, chic and beautiful. The trademark Valentino red was flanked by white, cream, chocolate and teal, plenty of that in satin, cut creatively or trimmed with feathers and jewels. Eschewing the shoulder-lead silhouette of other couture shows, this was more about the single-breasted coat, hitting the knee either in a swing shape or fastened at a high empire waist. Evening gowns were minimal without being boring, simple without being staid. Overall, a good debut, but we'll be expecting more wow factor next time...

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SHOW GALLERY [all images courtesy of Coutorture]

Catwalk Queen's Gemma Cartwright writes...

Riccardo Tisci's modern, conceptual vision for Givenchy is a million miles from what Hubert de Givenchy may have created in the fifites, but at the heart of his couture collection, there's the same attention to detail, quality of cut and shape and love of the female form. Tisci's trademarks were all there: grown up gothic touches on black gowns, space-age shoulders on suits and dresses, swirled seams and elegant drapes on everything else. But the collection was softer than what we saw from him in his most recent Ready to wear show. The colour palette was washed-out and pastel, punctuated only by yellow, black and a lilac-on-black floral print. Most exciting were the shorter dresses with one-shoulder capes, puffy chiffon trims and textured fabric mixes. Meanwhile, a black long-sleeved gown with a deep V and wide embellished shoulders is crying out for an Oscar night debut...

Be sure to check out who was in the front row, too!

Dita Von Teese and Mischa Barton celebrate Elie Saab's Spring 2009 Haute Couture collection with the designer. You can read about the confectionary collection at the link above. While we find Von Teese's hair and makeup a bit harsh, her black ensemble is perfection. Mischa Barton's short, one-sleeved gown and over-the-shoulder hairstyle looked most glamorous while seated on the runway, as you can see after the jump.

From Catwalk Queen's Kimberley Foster...

If you ask Karl Lagerfeld, white is definitely the new black. His couture catwalk for Chanel was awash with a whiter shade of pale yesterday, as couturiers battle to keep this art form alive. Wool skirts atop with box jackets gave the Chanel skirt suit a new identity, while oversized origami headdresses provided the necessary OTT (Over The Top) element. Inspired by the blank page, Lagerfeld's delicately cut designs often flashed with black in beads on bolero jackets and shiny waist belts.

[Photos by Francois Guillot/Getty Images via Coutorture]

Giorgio Armani's couture woman this season is dark and regal, dressed in black, red, purple and chartreuse with a hint of metallic. Her shoulders are big, her waist defined, and her fabrics risky - think leather and lace with heavy silk thrown in for good measure. The silhouette is reminiscent of the 80s doing the 40s. It's sharp and sleek, with most skirts hitting just below the knee and jackets fastening tightly at the natural waist. Evening gowns, as usual, are showstoppers, from a red one-shouldered number to plenty of opulent lace-trimmed black numbers that'll give Oscar attendees plenty to choose from.

[Via Catwalk Queen]

[images: Miquel Benitez/Rex Features & Sipa Press/Rex Features - Click to enlarge]

If you're about to sit front row at the Dior Couture show , it's a given that you'll wear (or borrow) some gorgeous Dior to wear while doing it. That's exactly what devoted Dior fan Dita Von Teese and clothes horse Mischa Barton did in Paris yesterday...

From Catwalk Queen's Kimberley Foster...

Ah, John Galliano. How I do love you. Despite the lack in expected editor attendance at Paris Couture Week, it doesn't appear to have bothered our designers. As you can see, Galliano hasn't scaled back his Haute Couture spring/summer '09 offering for Christian Dior, and I'd be surprised if others don't follow suit. Crinoline gowns in all shapes, sizes, and colours stormed the catwalk in Paris on Sunday. Adorned in beads and embroideries, each piece was inspired by Vemeer paintings and was paraded in front of a stained glass backdrop.

[Photos: Miquel Benitez/Nicolas Khayat/Enigma/Rex Features]

Click image to enlarge.

Since part of the fashion show is what is worn on the sidelines, we thought we'd bring you more celebrity photographs from Paris Couture Week. At the Valentino Haute Couture show, Valentino wasn't the only big designer name on lips - Giorgio Armani was also in attendance, with Anna Wintour (in another colorful print dress).

From CatwalkQueen: Yes that is what the title says... Janet Jackson and her man Jermaine Dupri ('JD') have been hitting all the major shows this season. From menswear in Milan, to couture in Paris, JD has been YouTubing his experiences all the way. In this vid, check out Jean Paul Gaultier's autumn/winter couture show, as the famous couple saw it - from the front row! Personally, I was wowed by the designer's colourful bird creations inside cages. We're not quite sure what JD said at the end of the tape to upset Janet, but one thing's for sure, this man is definitely living the life... jels!

Click image to enlarge.

As usual, Christian Lacroix sent out a stream of extravagant costumes down his couture runway to delight the masses. For Lacroix, it seems almost as if he's taken it down a notch, even while compared to other designers this collection would seem amped up on volume and detail. The shapes, colors, and embroidery combine in ways only Lacroix could make look good, and as usual it's enchanting.