From left: Chloé, Jean Paul Gaultier, Yves St. Laurent, Chanel, John Galliano   (Photo: Firstview)

(5) You’ll Think in Black- and-White
No matter the muse— mod at Chanel, Gypsy at Gaultier—the palette stayed at its two favorite extremes. Black-and-white is a fail-safe way to dress this season. It looked perfectly polished at Chloé and elegant for evening at Yves Saint Laurent.

From left: Yves St. Laurent, Chloé, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Prada   (Photo: Firstview)

(6) You’ll Be Looking at Your Feet (Again)
With so many pretty but serious clothes, it makes sense that shoes should be a shot of style adrenaline. Simple stilettos suddenly seem pedestrian in the face of the bold metallics at Yves Saint Laurent or Prada’s bamboo risers. The sexiest of the season is Lanvin’s fire-engine-red cone-heeled platform—it’ll never make it through airport security.