Michelle Obama seems to be single-handedly thrusting unknown designers into the fashion stratosphere. First, there was Jason Wu who, before the now infamous Inaugural Gown, was known only in fashion circles.

Sophie Théallet is the latest no-name to get noticed arguably from being a favorite of today's jackpot when it comes to celebrity endorsements, the First Lady. Earlier this week the French-born designer, who specializes in boho-luxe designs (read: very expensive and pretty hippie-like dresses), won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund which gives $200,000 to deserving upstart designers. While the honor is voted upon by members of the CFDA, it certainly didn't hurt that only months before, Michelle Obama wore Théallet's dresses to a number of events including Senator Edward Kennedy's funeral.

So who is Sophie Théallet? Turns out, she's one of those behind-the-scenes stars of the design world. According to her bio, she was tapped by Parisian department store Le Printemps to design her own collection right out of design school. After that, she paid her dues as an assistant designer to Jean-Paul Gaultier and Azzedine Alaïa where she was dubbed his right hand woman.

Three years ago, she moved to New York and started freelancing for various fashion brands. In 2005, she launched resort line Motu Tane with beauty guru Francois Nars.

The packed social calendar around the holidays can confound even the most organized shopper. Dress codes can range from casual low-key family gatherings to business attire for company parties and all-out black-tie New Year's Eve soirees. It's enough to make the most seasoned glamazon reach for a glass of Veuve Cliquot. The bleak economy notwithstanding (or precisely because our spirits desperately need lifting), fashion designers have given us plenty of ways to ring in the new decade. Here are five hot looks for the holidays.

DRAPING: Draping has come a long way from the time of Madam Gres, the haute couturier who introduced the Grecian gown to French society in the 1930s. Today's pleats range from subtle to on-steroids. Donna Karan placed so many pleats in one of her evening gowns, it drenched the model liquid metal. Balenciaga's draped skirts have a strength and structure that bring to mind the Statue of Liberty. And Los Angeles designer Juan Carlos Obando's draped white gown is pure Hollywood screen siren.

ORIGAMI: The Japanese art of paper folding begins with a square that folds and creases into geometric patterns. In fashion, pleats and folds create texture on everything from bodices on Donna Karan gowns to stiff structure at the necklines on an emerald cocktail number by RM Rouland Mouret and kick up the waist of a Christian Dior frock. The look is sculptural and artistic.

WHITE: Perhaps inspired by Michelle Obama's wedding-white inauguration gown by Jason Wu, white gowns are everywhere for the holidays. Polo Ralph Lauren offered a one-shoulder white silk bombshell and ingeniously uses a boyfriend's blazer to tone down the white sugary froth of ruffles and frills (pictured above). Givenchy went a little bit Halston with a jersey gown tied at the waist.

VELVET: This was the year velvet came out of mothballs. As I reported earlier this year, Gianfranco Ferre, Lanvin and Elie Saab blew fashion watchers away with their long, black velvet gowns with structured cap sleeves a la the '40s. And Aquilano.Rimondi came out with a bright red velvet belted cocoon coat that Neiman Marcus The Christmas Book calls the stuff of fairy tales.

SHINE ON: Whether it's jeweled-colored beads on embroidery at Marchesa or a gold metallic Grecian dress at Tadashi Soji, shine always works for the holidays. If you don't want to go head-to-toe, do an accent or two. Gunmetal and copper sequined skirts and leggings will have you giving the Christmas tree a run for its money.

There was once a time when the resort/cruise collections were made for the rarefied woman who could afford to escape the winter by heading to the tropics (she needed swimwear and a caftan, did she not?). Not anymore. While still a David to the Goliath fall and spring collections, resort is catching the attention of more and more people.

Like air travel and cell phones, is resort bound for the masses?

Collections are just now beginning to hit stores and, for a season that's ostensibly all about lounging around on the beach or the deck of a boat, there's a lot of fashion news to digest: optical motifs, exotic locales like Marrakesh, sheer, leathers for day, aquatic, scuba, old-world charm, draping and, of course, nautical.

The media is doing their part. Fashion magazines are pointing out 'It items' like the floral ribbon-laced sandal from Prada, a bright green croc tote from Roberto Cavalli and pretty much everything in Chanel's stunning parade of black and white caftans and graphics (above).

Fashion insiders have long contended resort/cruise is either an evolution of fall or a preview of spring. That's not necessarily the case today, says style and beauty expert Mary Alice Stephenson. Stephenson explained to me this week that fashion has become like fast food and designers are compelled to feed the hungry. In other words, a resort collection must stand on its own.

"People want whatever's new," she says. "And designers like to keep customers surprised with their unique point of view. Shoppers are putting more thought into their splurges. So designers have to seduce the buyer with making the pieces usable in every aspect of their lives."

Others tell me resort/cruise is the one time designers get to cut loose and get creative. Saleability is less of an issue for a season that lasts, at most, two months. Of course, some designers go overboard. Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa caught hell from my former employer Women's Wear Daily for his lineup of transparent dresses: "A long-standing argument against such [formal runway] presentations for resort is that inevitably some designers will crossover to the too-editorial side." Too-editorial means that those dress will have nothing whatsoever with how you and I dress in reality.

Still, as buyers we are demanding uniqueness, a slice of our favorite label. We want pieces to seamlessly integrate into our wardrobes. We want reality. And we want season-less items to wear far into next year.

We want it all, don't we?

I was at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, last week soaking it all in. This was the site where the sultans displayed decapitated heads on stakes to discourage bad behavior among their subjects. Probably the most famous of these heads was Dracula's (Vlad, the Impaler) which had been preserved in honey. Not a bad piece of ghoulish history to come across to get in the spirit of Halloween.

Probably the closest thing you can get to horror in the fashion world is goth. At its worst, goth is all about death, rot and decay. At its best, goth is erotic even a romantic period style of dress. Typically, goth is all about dark colors-blacked out eyes, whitened skin, black hair and a plethora of body piercings.

Most people think goth fashion came out the post punk scene that rose up out of the United Kingdom in the '80s. In fact, goth origins are ancient and appears to be the result of a combination of influences from random events that occurred over the centuries.

One of the best books I've ever come across on the subject is Gothic: Dark Glamour by Valerie Steele. The stunning coffee table book, first published a year ago, traces goth from its Eastern Germanic tribal roots to modern-day black-clad teenagers and sexually-charged vampire fiction.

Steele, chief curator at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, takes the magnifying glass to haute goth as seen through the eyes of designers John Galliano, Rick Owens and Alexander McQueen. It's a fascinating, visual journey through the aesthetics of the macabre.

Some of you might recall, the original Goths were warmongers who tried to take down the Roman Empire in Istanbul, thousands of years before Dracula lost his head to the sultans. I find it particularly interesting that today's goths have nominated Dracula as their token villain. At least at Topkapi Palace, there's a connection. A column commemorates the Roman victory over the Goths.

In fashion, goth is still one of the most effective ways to communicate rebellion and subculture. It's shocking. Unsettling. The fashion equivalent of a good scare on Halloween. Just the kind of buttons, designers like to push. Take London designer Gareth Pugh's spring 2010 collection, pictured above.

Far be it from me to criticize designers when they get creative, try something new or push the envelope. That's fashion.

But, is it me, or are designers presenting collections in Paris this week getting downright costume-y? More than a few of them have gone from subtle references in their collections to frighteningly literal representations of sea creatures, Roman gladiators or whatever else inspires them.

Take Louis Vuitton's show yesterday. Marc Jacobs used giant Afro wigs-the kind you'd pick up on the Halloween aisle-in his presentation. Disappointingly, the Afros were the only things unifying the collection comprised of everything but the kitchen sink (Davy Crockett fur, American Indian accessories, military looks, hippie, club kid, etc.).

Alexander McQueen called his show Plato's Atlantis. With hair sculpted into reptilian fins, models walked by in oversize platformed shoes that looked like heads-scary in more ways than one (you could probably break an ankle in those things). Reptilian patterns, scales and otherworldly silhouettes brought home the idea that we all came from ancient creatures of the deep.

It was a chainsaw massacre at Viktor & Rolf. Paying homage to the economy, the duo took a chainsaw to tulle gowns, cocktail gowns and jackets. To be fair, you expect this sort of thing from these fashion pranksters. These guys have been poking fun at the industry for years (and laughing all the way to the bank).

Designers are in the midst of a heated argument at Milan fashion week-whether one should dress for sex or dress for abstinence in a global recession. Seems a fitting debate in a country where the famously womanizing Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Pope Benedict XVI are its two most powerful leaders

On the celibate team sits Miuccia Prada, who practices restraint on a regular basis (well, by Italian standards). She further reigned in her collection (well, by Prada standards) to include charcoal knee-length walking shorts, Fifties-style swimwear and demure day dresses. The ever quirky Marni showed knee-length shorts and paired them with thick-strapped shoes with thick soles worn with beige ankle socks (I can hear my boyfriend's protests now). Roberto Cavalli went AWOL from his I'm-too-sexy position in the marketplace, putting out modest peasant dresses with hems stopping mid-calf.

Then again, sex sells. Versace stayed true to form. Sex, sex and more sex with Donatella's brand of cigarettes afterward, thank you. Slits cut up to there. Necklines cut down to there. Cut-outs revealing erogenous zones. Towering stilettos. Short, short, short. (Definitely more my boyfriend's speed, I'm guessing.)

What are OTKs, you ask? Over-the-knee boots. And if you follow fashion even a little, you know that OTKs, or thigh high boots, are having a moment.

This is no small trend. Shop for OTKs online and not just designer shoe companies pop up (Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Sigerson Morrison, Stuart Weitzman and Sergio Rossi have some of the best versions). More than 300 brands have gotten in on the action, including denim labels like 7 For All Mankind and Lucky Brand Jeans.

Clearly, designers are ready to cash on what they're betting will be a big, big trend this fall. But this week, I talked wto noted trend expert Tom Julian who's currently flying around the country promoting his book Nordstrom Guide to Men's Style. He's been speaking to random shoppers-both men and women-and all say they will buy items that have a longer lifespan than just one season. Whether or not OTKs fit the bill remains to be seen.

OTKs present another problem, too. Because of their close association with the world's oldest profession, pulling the look off can be downright, ahem, tricky.

Here's how the designers think you should do it: Miuccia Prada paired high-high leather waders with tweed short shorts and heavy sweaters. Hussein Chalayan added garters (pictured above) to his high-heeled versions, then presented them with short dresses and tailored boyfriend jackets. Louis Vuitton balanced his tough-girl versions with nothing but flounce-ruffles, balloon dresses and draped skirts.

At New York fashion week, several trendsetters took their shiny new OTKs out for a spin. Most, like Halle Berry on Jay Leno a few nights ago, chose to pair the boots with a super short dress. It was sexy, but was it chic? What do you think?

Here's my take: As long as you meet head-on the sexiness of an OTK with something NOT sexy, you'll wipe out even the tiniest whiff of stripper. For example, the sexier the dress, the flatter the boot should be. Got a killer pair of OTKs with a stilleto heel? Rock the look with a boxy boyfriend blazer or slouchy sweater. Julian says that when it comes to knitwear, the cardigan is the new layering sweater and works best in luxe fabrics like merino wool and fine gauge cashmere. Works for me.

How many countless man hours of work goes into New York fashion week? It's particularly impressive that publicists can check in hundreds of people in less than 30 minutes and all the while weed out gate crashers, deal with seat stealers and accommodate divas.

There are certainly more difficult tasks then sitting in the audience. Still, being shuttled through show after show-and trying to retain what you've seen-is exhausting. Today, it all comes to an end.

So what's the best thing about fashion week?

"For me? When it's over!" quipped Fern Mallis, Senior VP IMG Fashion, who organizes Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. "It's such an exciting week. It's like school reunion twice a year."

"Renewal," answered Linda Fargo, Bergdorf Goodman's Senior VP of Fashion.

"People watching for me," said Genlux magazine's creative director Stephen Kamifuji.

And my favorite answer came from André Leon Talley, Editor at Large, at Vogue. "My bed!"

I know. Call me insane, but I've been waiting for this day to come. Overalls have returned.

Ralph Lauren, in his infinite wisdom, has declared this über comfortable piece of clothing fashionable again as evidenced by his Spring show held earlier today.

"I am inspired by the character of the worker, the farmer, the cowboy, the pioneer women of the prairies living authentically through challenging times," he said in his program notes. "I have always admired the honesty of their work wear-the weathered jean, the sturdy overall, the jean jacket, the faded blue work shirt, the naive print of a floral dress."

With the sounds of trains, banjos and Bob Dylan blaring in the background, Lauren sent models out in ripped, stitched and patched RRL denim overalls. One he paired with a metallic pale blue lame blouse and a crystal-encrusted shoe more appropriate for the evening. Another, he topped with an indigo striped jacket. Finally, he created a carpenter pant out of faded blue ombre charmeuse.

The overall certainly fits the baggy, low-crotch pant silhouette of the moment. Genius. Do you agree?

Move aside, paint splats, watercolor prints and all manner of brights. Spring collections like Catherine Malandrino's (pictured above) are also putting it into neutral. Neutrals have traditionally been the stalwart of spring, but these neutrals have, for lack of a better word, umph. There's something urban about them.

Rich khakis are everywhere (Alexander Wang, Vena Cava). Gray matters, particularly darker shades ranging from slate gray to dark charcoal (Narciso Rodriguez, Milly by Michelle Smith). Pale, oh-so-pale-it's-barely-there ice blue looks just perfect right now (Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs). And flesh tones like beige, milky ivory and taupe are so delicate I did a double take because I wasn't sure those models were clothed (Max Azria, Donna Karan).

Of course, there's a method to the madness. Designers are hyper aware that the shopper is going to go for basic pieces that complement what's already in their closet. Neutrals do the trick. And you can always change it up with a colorful bag, scarf or shoe.

Switzerland has nothing on Spring 2010.

Who can forget the scene in The Devil Wears Prada in which Miranda (Meryl Streep) lectures Andy (Anne Hathaway) on cerulean blue?

...I think it was Yves St Laurent, wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets? Cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin.

The rant is memorable no only because it was snarky, but also because it was informative. That's exactly how it happens. Silhouettes and colors take on lives of their own and, before you know it, you have a full-fledged trend.

Halfway through New York fashion week, there's indication orange could be the next cerulean blue, in a manner of speaking (purple and red have been in the limelight recently).

Designers presented several orange "groups" -- three or four looks in one color scheme -- in their collections. Donna Karan's orange gowns and dresses were striking against a mostly pale palette of grays, silver and white. At Carolina Herrera (pictured above), orange gowns and dresses played beautifully off of an array of purple gowns. Carlos Miele showed a killer short cocktail dress with a racer back, one of the highlights of his show.

If that's the color of spring, thank goodness it's flattering. Orange you glad we aren't talking about mustard green?

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On any given minute of any given day, rain or shine, lookie loos crowd the entrance to the Bryant Park tents during fashion week. Who are they hoping to see? Do they see them? And how much time do they spend hanging out?

Here's what a few said as the Max Azria show let out this afternoon:

"I read my fashion magazines and I find it quite fascinating--the whole excitement around it," said Clare Payn, an investment banker and photographer from London.

"I don't know what's really going on, but it's exciting. I just saw [a pair of] super heels." said Jenni Lanfear, a personal assistant in Australia. "New York fashion week is huge...especially coming from Australia.

"I'm hoping to see Anna Wintour [Editor in Chief of Vogue]," said another Aussie Jimmy Mouzakiotis, buyer for a supermarket chain. Mouzakiotis had already seen The September Issue (which, BTW, is more than I can say).

And, finally, I approached Noreen Young, a makeup artist brandishing a camera. "Wait. Wait. I'm trying to get Linda Wells [Editor in Chief of Allure magazine]." She got her shot as well as that of InStyle's Fashion Director Hal Rubenstein. "He was just kissing somebody," she beamed.

Average hanging-around time, according to my informal poll? 10 minutes.

Great sightings like Mickey Rourke and Lucy Liu were at the show, but publicists make a point of letting celebs know how to slip out the back way.

At New York fashion week, you have access to throngs of fashion journalists, stylists, celebrity stylists and buyers. I was dying to ask these stylish people how they have navigated shopping in a downturn. Are they shopping? Are they cutting back? Have their buying habits changed?

Yes, yes and yes (except one self-proclaimed shopaholic who said if she allowed herself to buy one thing, she'd fall off the wagon).

Answers like this came back unanimously: "I used to buy cheap and volume and now I buy fewer things that are better quality and I take care of them."

Timeless pieces top people's lists for fall. A midnight wool coat. A pair of black pumps. The perfect white shirt. An LBD, of course. And all are planning to make these purchases from well-established designers.

There's little talk of wear-'em-once pieces like plaid trousers, It handbags or look-at-me shoes. If buying more of a statement piece, like the one pictured above from Tuleh (Spring, 2010), they'll wear it a million different ways. In other words, they're shopping like Europeans, not Americans.

"I'm focusing in on what I need and I need a black dress. " said Jennifer Lee Rosth, a fashion editor based in Austin, Texas. "I've been shopping my closet for two years. I was so glad that I had been an American before because I had 15 black dresses. But, now, I'll be more choosy."

There are so many eye-arresting Spring looks marching down the runways this week, it's easy to overlook what's going on up top. But the look that caught our eye shouldn't be getting short shrift. Short hair.

A few models have already succumbed to the shears. Bangs are brushed forward and cut to frame the face. The back is rounded and tapers in at the nape of the neck. Think Peggy Moffitt in the topless Rudi Gernreich bathing suit. Very simple, very '60s mod and very edgy next to the sea of mostly curly, long tresses.

The timing couldn't be better. Look around and note who's wearing short hair. I bet your list is very, ahem, short. It's time for a change and, if fashion week is any predictor of things to come, change is on its way. Besides, most of us are already eschewing other purchases for one great haircut.