thoughts on style

Answer: The use of paper as art in this week's Chanel couture show in Paris.

It was not quite the ancient art of origami, and although just as beautiful, it was not a work by the brilliant Yulia Brodskaya. It was the collaborative efforts of Karl Lagerfeld and Japanese hairdresser Kamo that produced one of the most creative, brilliant and blindingly beautiful Chanel shows since I can remember. According to a review of the show on Style.com, "Key to the show's success was the involvement of Kamo, a Japanese hairdresser and Lagerfeld discovery whose team scored and scissored out—while sitting on the floor of a Chanel backroom—the incredible constructs of paper roses, camellias, leaf fronds, and feathers that adorned each girl."

Not only did I love the use of paper in the show, I loved the use of several shades of white. It is not often to see a designer use shades of ivory, eggshell, and very bright whites in the same collection. Lagerfeld was not only able to pull this off through his use of minimalist, architectural looks (much like the paper itself), but also because he made it less predictable than white on white on white by mixing the shades, and adding details using contrasting materials. This added a touch of the unexpected, a touch of the new, a touch of true style.

View the complete collection at style.com .

Maybe it's New York - the grey buildings, the grey sidewalks, the grey mood of the laid-off bankers, the grey winter weather (especially the disgusting slush all over ground after it snowed today), but maybe it's the fashion world's reaction to all of this. Either way, grey is making a comeback.

Marni, Herve Leger,Yves Saint Laurent, Robert Rodriguez and many more designers are showing grey this season. Some pair it with metallics, or neon brights, or pastels, and others prefer a more monochrome palette. Although I would not go overboard and wear head-to-toe grey, I tend to like this color because I think everyone can find a shade that looks great with their skin tone. Another reason I am for this trend is because grey accessories are like black or brown accessories - literally the neutral of the neutrals, and can be paired with a variety of outfits. I suggest buying a grey clutch and a grey layering piece, such as a lace camisole, that can be mixed with some vivid colors which will blend nicely.

Whether one buys into the trend or not, is it a sign of the times when a dull, muddled, neither-here-nor-there color becomes trendy? It doesn't matter to me, as long as Marc Jacobs, Consuelo Castiglioni and the rest of the design world can make it look chic for us.

Shop the look three ways - casual grey for day, dressy-glamorous for evening, and dressy-modern for evening.