Hand painted silks, free-falling chiffon ball gowns and crocodile dresses all signaled that — economic downturn be damned — couture (real haute couture that is, not a mention of Juicy or Christian Audigier “fashion”) is back. Bolder, bigger and more expensive than ever before, spring 2012 haute couture hit the ever-chic Parisian runways Monday and prompted inaudible gasps from _moi_ from the sixth row of my history class (my apologies to the girls in front of me who were startled from their usual recapping of the weekend’s parties). Below are some highlights and beautiful things to ignite your weekend. Or just your Pinterest board. No judgment.

Renowned for his focus on the intricate and time-consuming practice of creating haute couture pieces, John Galliano’s firing is still being felt at the Dior fashion house. Bill Gaytten worked closely with the ill-fated designer during his tenure and has been progressively getting closer to Galliano’s extravagant vision of Dior couture, but it is feeling a bit recycled at Spring Couture 2012. The sheer motif and the silhouettes (New Look silhouettes aside) have both been features of recent shows. Galliano at the very least took Dior’s classic New Look silhouettes and put a theme around them, which resulted in wildly entertaining couture runway shows, the likes of which we will probably not see for a long time. Nonetheless, there is plenty to “ooh” and “ah” over. Gaytten may have recycled the sheer trend, but his use of tulle and chiffon is absolutely beautiful. The opening 1940s-era New Look confection for example? Stunning. The final ball gowns themselves are art pieces and it would be shameful if they do not make their way to gala openings such as the Met Ball or the Oscars. This [red stunner](http://www.vogue.com/collections/spring-2012-couture/christian-dior/runway/#/collection/runway/spring-2012-couture/christian-dior/40/) ignited my Twitter page, but I am mesmerized with [this look](http://www.vogue.com/collections/spring-2012-couture/christian-dior/runway/#/collection/runway/spring-2012-couture/christian-dior/10/). All in all, I feel as if Gaytten is finally starting to earn his place at the helm — even if it may be short lived.

At Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld retracted a defined waist silhouette showing up on runways everywhere and instead showed a collection of “women-friendly” (read: breathable) dresses and evening wear that Coco herself would be proud to call Chanel. It takes the work of a true visionary like Lagerfeld to transform pre-fall’s Indian opulence to a couture show not completely devoid of beading and flash, but definitely scaled back from almost-costume levels to a color palette of varying blues, navies and the old standard, black. All the classic elements of a Chanel show are here from the suits to black evening wear and really display [what a difference a month makes in the fashion industry](http://www.vogue.com/collections/spring-2012-couture/chanel/runway/#/collection/runway/spring-2012-couture/chanel/9/).

Giambattista Valli and Versace showed very different couture collections, but both are relatively new to this decade’s couture shows: Valli, who has only one other couture outing, and Versace, who has not had a public couture show in eight years. As the newcomer, Giambattista Valli has put in the effort to create wearable couture, an oxymoron in this theatrical arena. One might think that his work might not feel special or inspired enough after this declaration, but in reality, this ideal results in beautiful chiffon gowns and romantic pieces that look [decidedly chic, young and Parisian](http://www.vogue.com/collections/spring-2012-couture/giambattista-valli/runway/#/collection/runway/spring-2012-couture/giambattista-valli/23/). Look for young Hollywood starlets like Elle Fanning to clamor over these gowns within the next few months. On the other hand, Versace vamped up its collection with architectural pieces such as [this space age look](http://www.vogue.com/collections/spring-2012-couture/versace/runway/#/collection/runway/spring-2012-couture/versace/15/). What’s interesting is the fact that Donatella chose to line these very structured pieces with floral lace. As I stated in last week’s column, fashion is, above all, a game of balance. I think something is being done right when couture looks this provocative.