MFW Spring 2013: Our Top 10 Shows

As colorful as a sleeve of Starbursts, Frida Giannini's collection of azalea pink, coral, turquoise, lemon and lime looks brought the punch. Tunics worn with trousers featured heavily, as did dresses virtually dripping at the shoulders with bold ruffles. Also worth mentioning? The ornate jeweled chokers, which would make even a white tee feel special.

While perhaps not to everybody's taste, Miuccia Prada's streamlined, Japanese-inspired kimono dresses and flat floral graphics were certainly refreshing and innovative. And we can't wait to see envelope-pushing editors test-drive those metallic leather toe socks.

Alessandro Dell'Acqua is killing itl. His cerulean side-slit skirts printed with images of neoclassical figurines were graphic and gorgeous, while floral pieces slashed with red racing stripes were totally modern. And a figure-hugging sheath covered with silver bottle caps looked like something Venus would emerge from the sea wearing.

We loved the colorful chain-link trims and prints on Christopher Kane and Donatella Versace's wonderfully fun collection, as well as their heavy use of bright polka dots both super-sized and small. Knits blocked with magenta, yellow and green stripes were a fun take on the rasta look, and multi-zippered day dresses somehow made sheer athletic mesh seem chic.

Consuelo Castiglioni played with checks and balances—graphically speaking, of course. After opening with tie-waist coats and knee-length skirts in picnic plaids, she showed a section of monochromatic (!) leather dresses and separates in simple, sober black and white. The shimmering black jacquard finale looks, however, were anything but plain.

The label's eponymous founder has returned, and with a stellar homecoming collection to boot. Pocketed coats and dresses in oxblood and navy stayed true to Sander's minimalist roots, as did the designer's great color-blocked shifts and separates (most of which were shown with similarly duo-toned mid-calf boots). The white-on-white finale looks peppered with iridescent polka dots, though, were the real knockouts.

Massimo Giorgetti's bold and youthful collection has been a favorite of ours for several season. The designer's panther-patterned jumpers and monkey-fronted minidresses were tons of fun.

Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi used harlequin prints to best effect, splashing them on bubble dresses, peplum skirts and sharply peaked bustiers. Some of those diamond jacquards were cut with palate-cleasing stripes, others amped up with gleaming sequins. Total drama.

Tomas Maier showed beautiful '40s-inspired floral tea dresses, but balanced all that femininity with looks trimmed in metal studs and snakeskin insets. The second-to-last look, a belted party dress that featured crisscrossing rows of black beadwork, was a major highlight.

Karl Lagerfeld's Cubist inspiration was apparent in his paneled shirtdresses and skirts flanked by three-dimensional square pockets, and in the adorable dice-style clutches—some of which were carried by hand, others clipped to large totes. Less directly artsy (but equally amazing) were the Big Bang-printed looks that closed the show and resembled digital tie-dye techniques. Talk about an explosive finale.