Let’s all just embrace chest hair now.Photo: Courtesy of American Apparel

If you’re the kind of girl who likes to flaunt her cleavage, we have some bad news for you: Cleavage is out for fall. The runways were devoid of plunging lines. Even Dolce & Gabbana showed high necks with ties or scarves. Why the sudden return to modesty? The Guardian reports:

Dr. Valerie Steele, director of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, believes that this new prim mood is a reaction to an overdose of trashy looks. “We’ve had years of thong underpants flashing above everything, and too much cleavage. I think it’s just a very natural pendulum swing,” she says.

And of course, this wouldn’t be a fashion-trend story if the recession didn’t have something to do with it! Steele says designers are trying to make their pieces look more couture during hard economic times. Customers want their expensive clothes to actually look expensive, rather than, you know, cheap.

Ironically — yet unsurprisingly — while women’s necklines have risen, men’s necklines have plunged! Yes, those deep Vs American Apparel made so popular aren’t going anywhere. We’ve said it once but we’ll say it again: Men are the new women. Have fun, boys.

Prim and proper [The Guardian]

Couture looks from left, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, and Valentino.Photo: Imaxtree

We know you’re still daydreaming about that luscious Parisian couture that hit the runways last week. To satiate your idle mind and help you relive one of the best weeks on the fashion calendar, we’ve uploaded videos of several couture shows, which include commentary from the designers. These clothes are special and must be seen in action, so if you know what’s good for you, you’ll watch all of them. Twice.

Anne Valérie Hash
Christian Lacroix
Givenchy
Jean Paul Gaultier
Valentino [NYM Video]

From left, Givenchy, Bernhard Willhelm, John Galliano.Photo: Imaxtree

What could be more mantastic than the man purses on the Milan men’s runways? The man leggings on the Paris men’s runways, that’s what! Well, maybe they not more mantastic (apples and oranges, really), but they certainly hold a candle. Bernhard Willhelm‘s two-toned version hearkens back to Renaissance court jesters, while Givenchy‘s shiny scrunched pair look suspiciously similar to the ones they showed on women for fall. Meanwhile, John Galliano‘s fabulous neon-pink pair are like American Apparel gear (only significantly better, obviously). In any case, we’ve certainly witnessed a shrinking of below-the-belt fashions for men over the past couple years. After all, why should tightness stop at skinny jeans? We can only imagine what next season will bring — if they have any pants left at all. —Sharon Clott