There will be glitz and glamour tomorrow at Ellerslie's premier event - Auckland Cup Day, which is expected to draw in the crowds.

After last season's slouchy-chic, Celine's Phoebe Philo upped the elegance to deliver a beautiful play of lines, but one that lost none of her soft touch. For those with a penchant for loose, structured geometry the Paris ready-to-wear show had plenty to offer. That included wide horizontal bands of fabric, streamlined plunging lapels, triangular wide temple guard sleeves, and large angular collars. Relaxed was the word - like a series of clever, knee length sleeveless dresses. Technically, they weren't actually sleeveless: faux sleeves were wrapped around the torso, like a belt. The arms were folded in dishabille resignation, as if to say: I know I'm stylish, but I don't need to prove it. The collection shows the influential London designer at the top of her game.

Chloe makes ready-to-wear and doesn't pretend otherwise. This honest attitude was on full display in Clare Waight Keller's collection in Paris of 41 highly wearable looks. Who needs a lofty concept when much is said in the quality of each individual garment. There were some neat ideas in blue and neutral black, white and gray. A multicolored thick-striped silk dress had a geeky, graphic look with an angular top and patent leather school shoes. "It's about bringing in a toughness, with more attitude," said Waight Keller, backstage.

Amazon was forced to apologise for selling T-shirts with slogans promoting rape and violence on its website.

Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren are taking no risks this autumn-winter season. Following the trend to de-clutter the catwalk, the Dutch duo known as Viktor & Rolf replaced their normally inventive art-infused style with simpler silhouettes and a muted palette of black and white. "It's a feelling of wanting to be real, a wardrobe for women to wear," Horsting said backstage. "And slightly rebellious," he added. "Slightly" was the key word here. There were some subtle nods to rebellion, like dropped waist lines and short flared minis (a clever play on peplums.) But at times it felt like the boundary-pushing excitement that made them famous in the '90s was in hibernation this winter. Perhaps they are tapping into their commercial potential?

The rich fabrics and draped silks brought to Europe by the medieval crusaders inspired Vivienne Westwood's autumn-winter 2013-14 tour de force. Draped feminine silk silhouettes accompanied some sublime silk-wool jacquards with medieval images of birds, flowers and strawberries; as well as capes and puffed Juliette sleeves. "I have a book of reproduced medieval illuminated manuscripts," explained Westwood backstage. Patterns such as rings, polka dots, interrupted lines and squares were aimed to evoke the decorative patterns on the handmade manuscript borders. But perennial eccentric Westwood, who turns 72-years-old next month, loves mixing up her eras.

Issey Miyake cast a few minutes of sunshine over a grey Paris sky on Friday with a show brimming with colour. Checkered patterns added to the fun, and it was invigorating to see them on models, who actually smiled as they walked. The show's inspiration, said designer Yoshiyuke Miyamae, "comes from landscape seen from the sky." Optical crisscrosses of varying thickness created great dynamic movements on stretch fabric, as he imagined an aerial view of a dense forest. Not all of the 42 looks worked. Some came across as busy, especially toward the end. But the mastery of tonal color really stole the show. Tops in rich ultramarine, vivid jade and vermilion saw colors blocked together in changing intensities. And discords such as green with bright turquoise made pockets stand out.

Balmain focused on the Far East for its fall-winter collection, using bejewelled couture and Oriental wrapped silks to embellish the Paris house's ready-to-wear display. Waists were cinched to within an inch of life with gold and black belts, and glistening regal amulets. High-waisted harem pants in geometric pattern silk lame defined the aesthetic. The 27-year-old designer Olivier Rousteing has indeed come a long way in stamping the house with his youthful exuberance.

Comic Joan Rivers has come under fire for comments she made about Jews during a segment on her controversial US style show Fashion Police.

More young designers are adding price-conscious labels to their stable - we look at the latest lines for winter.

Walk into a Redcurrent store and it's a sensory overload: a rainbow of colour, beautiful smells and interesting textures.

It was the modern bohemian woman on parade. Veronique Branquinho mixed and matched eclectic references, from wooden African bracelets to Obi-style dresses with belts. The soundtrack included Marilyn Monroe's sultry One Silver Dollar from the Western River of No Return, which played as cowboy boots and denim studs peppered the looks. Stetson cowboy hats in Shetland went too far, but overall it was a strong collection for the up-and-coming designer - reined in only by its feminine silhouette proportions and textural contrasts that unified the show. The graceful, slouchy style, now a Branquinho signature, was seen on several of the dropped-waist looks, often in beige and fawn.

The no-holds-barred sex appeal for Anthony Vaccarello is not for the faint-hearted. The third Belgian designer to show on Paris fashion week's first day served up a black-and-white ode to the early '80s in a show that featured micro skirts, chainmail, a lot of skin and lashings of sensual leather. Strong retro shoulders, asymmetrical, diagonally cut skirts, upturned lapels and cowl collars set the fashion time dial firmly back to the era of the New Romantics. This was fused with the innate sexiness of his variations on the Little Black Dress. The best look was a black kimono-style top, which billowed in great contrast to the tight, bright shiny black mini. Subtle this was not, but then, subtle isn't glam-loving Vaccarello's thing.

Anne Hathaway has taken the unusual step of apologising to fashion fans for switching her Oscars dress from Valentino to Prada at the last minute.

Paris fashion week kicked off with a bold, “masculine'' collection for women in neutral colours by experimental South Korean designer Moon Young Hee. The Paris-based designer sent out an eye-catching collection of voluminous trousers, ruffle-covered tops and floor-length skirts. A master of layering, known for her fluid, feminine designs, she limited herself to a restrained palette of black, white, grey and ecru.

A handpicked selection of what’s new in fashion, food and beauty right now. See this week’s issue of Viva for more.

With 11 days of fabulous events taking place during a celebration of all things fashionable, there's no excuse not to be involved in the Fashion in the Big Little City festival.

Architecture, the patterns of painting movement "art brut" and the surrealistic colors of Dutch Master Brueghel were all inspirations behind Cedric Charlier's diverse fall-winter 2013-14 show in Paris. The first pieces, among the collection's best, mixed up sharp geometric panelling alongside oversize coats with fluid, rounded shoulders. Ensembles were made up of several layers, like square navy skirts on top of knee-length leggings with a rectangular bib form hanging down. There were also some great structured sheaths in silky navy and black leather. It's a far cry from the more fluid looks seen in Charlier's last collection.

Armani's latest winter collection came almost all in black, with accents of gray, navy and red. The chic-yet-simple collection spoke to a contemporary woman, who in the designer's own words is "a little man, a little woman, and a lot of both." Admiring front-row guests included singer Janet Jackson and a scattering of royalty: Charlene Wittstock, wife of Prince Albert of Monaco, and Tatiana Blatnik, wife of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark. The collection featured ultra-feminine long skirts in velvet or sequined chiffon, worn with tiny double-breasted or flared jackets. But the look also came with wide pants, complete with decorative suspenders. Evening pants were paired with dazzling sequined tops. Armani had more pants, including jumpsuits and Bermuda shorts, in his collection than most designers this round, where ladylike skirts and dresses were the preferred look. Armani's only concession to eccentric show stoppers were his funky Russian-inspired felt and furry hats, worn with every outfit.

The stars of the Oscars hit up the Vanity Fair and Elton John after parties.

As Life & Style Editor I have the heroic task of picking the most smashing red carpet looks, and deciding who was not so visually pleasing. So here you go. For all the red carpet banter check out the blog and tell me what you think of my picks on Twitter.

Stars walk the red carpet at the 2013 Oscar awards.

Thousands of people attended the International Tattoo and Art Expo at the Claudelands Event Centre in Hamilton over the weekend. The popular annual event draws some of the best tattoo artists from around the country each year.

Herrera has become almost as synonymous with the Academy Awards as a weepy acceptance speech.

The Salvatore Ferragamo show concentrates on shapes. All in black, white and navy blue, with no prints or bold shades, the clothes have to speak for themselves. Massimiliano Giornetti, designer for the Florentine brand best known for its accessories, gives his winter styles a voice through sculpted silhouettes and carefully chosen fabrics. A few examples: a wide Alpaca jacket is worn with an A-line short skirt in pony leather; an oversized cashmere pullover is paired with a dainty slip with beaded hemline; and a classic overcoat becomes even more classy when worked in shiny silk. Even fur and leather are worked to highlight the artistry of the collection, starting with suede stitched in smocking, or beaver shorn to look like satin. The famous Ferragamo shoe next winter is a knee-high boot with pointed toe and relatively low stiletto heel, cut out at the instep and laced up the barelegged back. The latest Ferragamo bag is a shopper with metal inserts.

The Weekend Herald takes a look at the cost of going to the Oscars.

Fendi is to fur what Ferrari is to cars. Yet given current concerns about animal rights, the brand has moved from the lavish fur coats that were all the rage in the 1980s to a more discreet way of interpreting fur as fashion. Fendi creative director Silvia Venturini, daughter of one of the company's five founding sisters, opted for wisps of fur used as hair decorations, bracelets, or charms hanging from Fendi bags. Fur also appeared as inserts in a skirt or a dress, or sheered and fashioned into a cozy, but not showy, jacket. Long fur, usually goat, also seen on other runways during Milan's preview showings, was used to make up a skirt or a cape.