I imagine that the average Parisian woman wakes up mid-morning, throws on a pair of Chloé pants, a jersey T-shirt, Hermes scarf, vintage Balenciaga jacket, and Chanel flats. She twists her hair into a loose and effortless chignon, adds a touch of color to her lips, and is out the door in 10 minutes flat. She hops on her bicycle to a cozy little café and has a lemon scone with a café au lait and a cigarette. After, she takes a casual trip to the Louvre and then heads down to Louis Vuitton on the Champs Élysées for a new watch. En route home, she stops at some markets to pick up some Pinot Noir, bread, cheese, and ingredients for the coq au vin she will whip up for some friends for a late dinner.

This may just be a fantasy, but it's one I'm sure just about every girl has had. The thing about Parisian women-the reason they are so charmed-is that they appreciate the finer things in life. That is reflected in this season's Paris Fashion Week. Never mind that we are in the midst of a recession. What else would Paris designers do as a reaction, but create even more gorgeous, more opulent designs? True, the smart thing would be to design more sensible pieces that a woman can feel comfortable investing in. While some designers like Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel and Alber Elbaz for Lanvin answered to that need, they-along with their fellow Paris designers-did not make women feel that they have to compromise their desire for luxe beauty. They-much like Parisian women-know better, and they know that when luxury customers start to veer in a more practical direction, you have to wow them and remind them why they love clothes.

At Chloé, Paulo Melim Andersson has gotten quite comfortable as the house's latest Creative Director. He had gotten off to a slow start, but the past couple of seasons have shown that he truly understands the spirit of the Chloe girl. She is urban, fresh, quirky, and feminine, and this collection was a treat for any girl who sees herself in that light. Melim Anderson's use of chiffon is reminiscent of Chloé's Lagerfeld days in the 70s, but it was that combined with the house's more modern affinity to organza, embellishments, and embroidery that made this collection shine. And the floral prints-vintage Chloé.

Chanel was classic. The models walked a circle that ended at a carousel on which the looks could be admired repeatedly throughout the show. An excellent theme to support the idea that with Chanel, it's always that timelessness and reverence to Coco Chanel's original vision that makes it a forever lasting name in fashion. Tweed suits are the house's bread and butter; particularly, it was the long charcoal coat over a matching mini-dress that caught my eye.

Perhaps it was the candy colors, or maybe just the anomalous grins on the models' faces that made me crack my own little smile. Sonia Rykiel was honest-to-goodness fun, and she had reason to celebrate this season-it was the line's 40th anniversary. Celebrate they did with lovely intarsia sweaters, exuberant trapeze shapes, and party frocks galore. I will be coveting virtually every piece of this collection. Anything that makes model Snejana Onopka smile that wide must be absolutely fabulous for the soul.

Austerity was a subject embraced by many designers in Paris this season, including Stefano Pilati for Yves Saint Laurent. The severity of the molded shapes and the angular take on tailoring were stunning. It was intriguing to see that any trace of romanticism that was ever present in previous YSL collections is giving way for more structural experimentation.

Just as rigorously constructed were the clothes at Balenciaga. The pioneer of other-worldly shapes, Nicolas Ghesquière fused his futuristic aesthetic with the legacy of Cristobal Balenciaga's original vision. This modernization drawn from classic elements of the house's historical designs is Ghesquière's gift to the legendary line and its loyal patrons. Slick surfaces comprised of plastics and latex were his focus, but also shown were beautifully draped velvet tops over skinny pants, which were equally striking.

I've said it before: Christian Lacroix is exquisite. On the heels of his Couture collection, he managed to translate those looks into a consumer-friendly Ready-To-Wear collection that is just as fanciful as ever. There was the brocade, the gold lamé, the feathery details. As far as shapes, it was all about volume; and the drop waists (such an accessible silhouette for women now) were a favorite of mine.

The same Couture to Ready-To-Wear adaptation occurred at Christian Dior. While I preferred Lacroix, John Galliano's achievements were notable as well. It was 60s, glamorous, and wearable. What I love about Dior is each season is a surprise. One moment, Galliano's muse can be an art scene icon, the next it can be a glam rock groupie, and after that he might draw inspiration from an elegant 1960s socialite.

And the most brilliant and memorable collection in Paris, and of all the Fashion Weeks in all of the cities of the world really, was undoubtedly Alexander McQueen's. He explained that he imagined a dark, gothic girl living inside the 600-year-old elm tree in his own garden. One day, she emerges from the darkness to meet a prince, who falls in love with her and makes her a queen. The result of this tale was a collection so magical, it transported me to another world, utterly untouched by fashion and consumerism and every stigma associated with clothing. It was more than clothing, more than costume-it was art and emotion and storytelling from a truly inspired place. A fairy tale ending to my Fashion Week series. Fin.

By Dana Poblete

Read about New York, London, and Milan Fashion Weeks!