Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten is one of the famous “Atwerp Six” who have been defying rules of fashion (such as the need to design eight collections a year) since the 1980s. So it’s little surprise that Mr. Van Noten on Wednesday defied most every trend that we’ve seen for Spring 2011.

Rather than fine cotton poplins, he showed luxe relaxed denim that looked as though it had been dipped in bleach or other dyes to make the color morph across the garment. A compelling highlight was a tailored dark blazer with denim arms. I took it, at first, to be a tailored vest over a denim work shirt. The juxtaposition – tailoring with denim – was a perfect analogy for modern life. Few of us have room in our days for pure formality.

The slightly Asiatic florals on silk were also something we haven’t seen in Milan or New York for spring, offering retailers a new thing to leap on. One carryover from the Yves-Saint-Laurent-70s trend was a black Le Smoking tuxedo jacket. But it was turned as casual as a tailored jacket with denim sleeves by adding patch pockets.

Later in the afternoon, several editors could be heard discussing their earlier forays into Dries Van Noten land at the designer’s two new shops overlooking the Seine from Paris’ left bank. Apparently, the shops haven’t stocked up on enough merchandise.

Italian fashion designers created shimmering; fluid seems for their 2011 spring/summer collections, mixing fringes and lengths to attract women who are as aware of their bodies as of their money.

Crystal embroideries, golden belts and reflect heels shone at the Milan shows ended on Tuesday. A longer calendar and a new central location concerned more buyers than last year, corroborate signs of recovery for luxury good brands.

“Buyers increased to more than 15,000 this year, with more coming from Asia and the United States,” Mario Boselli, president of Italy’s National Chamber of Fashion, said on Tuesday.

“There was more vigor, also because of the enhanced economic situation after the crisis,” he explained.

Fashion houses Cavalli and Ferragamo said sales continued to increase in the third quarter, but kept a cautious outlook for the rest of 2010, as many see 2011 as a test year for revival.

A relaxed, sensual elegance inspired Dolce&Gabbana, whose bride-to-be models wore white clothes made from bed linens and tablecloths in a compliment to Italy’s best sartorial custom.

Crystals were sewn on long-slung robes, similar to those seen at Armani, whose blue collection was enthused by desert nomads.

Paris’ Karim Bonnet — who started out modifying second-hand clothes into what he called a “post-punk” look — sent his models down an open-air catwalk outside the capital’s Gare de l’Est, to the in tears sound of the pipes.

One fashion model wore a bodice of edible-looking white pearls across her back, her breasts naked under a draped shirt of sheer lace, and tufts of appalling pink tulle adorning the toes of her balance-defying shoes.

There was a bricolage, pick-and-mix think to Bonnet’s dresses made of thick, rug-like, multicolored hush-up, cut from old jute sacks or brown paper bags, or the utilitarian-looking chains use for shoulder straps.

Brooke Taylor — who among his real-life partner Nana Aganovich forms the London-based duo Aganovich — told AFP their spring/summer 2011 appear is “a puzzle, which lets you unite and accessorise clothes, collars and sleeves.”

But here the tone was sober, austere even, with clean black-and-white lines, only broken up by the infrequent oil-stain like red print, enthused by poppies by the US photographer Irving Penn.

The design duo set up a rusty anchor and piled-up ship chains in the centre of a distinctive Marais courtyard to showcase their latest look.