Peter Copping's Nina Ricci collection wasn't nearly so sweet as it has been the last few seasons, but that was a good thing. He seems to have caught the same fever so many other designers have, for a new kind of imperfect glamour, or "Parisian nonchalance," as he referred to it in the show notes.

So all of the clothes were a little unpolished, and the models' hair a little undone. A black full skirt in "metal radzimir" had a rumpled texture, and a mint green skirt suit a fringy surface.

Rounding things out were what have become Ricci signatures -- lush and touchable sweater coats, softly-tailored suits and romantic dresses with a mademoiselle chic, the best in a black devore velvet calla lily pattern. On a side note, the jeweled headbands were a fresh alternative to the overplayed statement necklace. I'm ready to wear one of those right now.

-- Booth Moore in Paris

PHOTOS:

Nina Ricci fall-winter 2011 runway collection photo gallery

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Photos: Looks from the Nina Ricci fall-winter 2011 runway collection shown during Paris Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times

Nina Ricci hasn't had such a big red carpet moment since Reese Witherspoon wore that canary yellow dress at the 2007 Golden Globes. Back then, Olivier Theyskens was still designing the collection. Now Peter Copping is at the helm, and he created the romantic black gown worn by Nicole Kidman at the SAG awards. The lace back is stunning, and her Fred Leighton floral necklace isn't too shabby either.

-- Booth Moore

Photo: Nicole Kidman. Credit: Lucy Nicholson / REUTERS.

One of the most stunning looks on the Golden Globes' red carpet was the color emerald green, seen in gowns worn by a variety of stars, as reported by our Booth Moore on Sunday. Intrigued? You too can incorporate some emerald into your wardrobe, whether in a dress, earring or cuff. [FabSugar]

Justin Bieber, marketing genius. Well, someone is. Bieber's nail polish collection with Nicole by OPI, One Less Lonely Girl,  has sold out at Wal-Marts nationwide. [People]

So now Bieber is in talks to open a Kardashian-style themed shop at the Grove in L.A. The idea is it would sell stuff like skateboards, sneakers and lollipops. Can you say "tween?"  [Racked]

Tao Kurihara has decided to end the Tao Comme des Garçons line after this spring's collection. [WWD]

Peter Copping, artistic director at Nina Ricci, has unveiled his first advertising since joining the French house in 2009. Ads from the shoot, featuring model Malgosia Bela in a frothy dress sitting on a banquette, will be in Vogue Paris in February. “She looks contemporary, modern, sensual — all those things I see for the Ricci woman,” Copping told Women's Wear Daily. The ads were shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin at the Greenwich Hotel in New York [WWD]

Word is that Noodle Stories in Los Angeles plans to open a temporary shop, NS Temp, that will carry  Issey Miyake and HaaT by Issey Miyake, which is known for its innovative design and is hard to get in L.A. [Mondette]

Jimmy Choo, a darling of women's footwear, has been in expansion mode, and now plans to launch a range of shoes for men. [Telegraph]

Kim Cattrall is the new face of Olay's Total Effects anti-aging body products. We love seeing a youthful but age-appropriate actress -- she's 54 -- in the campaign. [StyleList]

--Susan Denley

Photos: Catherine Zeta-Jones, from left, Elisabeth Moss, Angelina Jolie and Mila Kunis. Credits: Zeta-Jones and Moss photos by Mario Anzuoni / Reuters; Jolie photo by Matt Sayles / Associated Press; and Kunis photo by Jason Merritt /Getty Images

Although several designers have tried to forge a modern identity for Nina Ricci over the last decade, the French fashion house is still better known for the iconic fragrance L'Air Du Temps (launched in 1948 in the Lalique bottle with glass doves) than for clothes. 

But the brand's new creative director, Peter Copping, is trying to change that. Copping follows on the heels of Belgian designer Olivier Theyskens, who wowed critics and fashion eccentrics alike with his collections (remember those heel-less fetish shoes?) but didn't sell much of anything.

Copping, who is British, is aiming for more of a balance between fantasy and reality on the runway. "It's called the fashion industry after all," he said over toast and hot chocolate in Los Angeles this week.

His first two collections have been sexy and sweet, with lots of lingerie-like details, lace and bows, and an emphasis on party dresses and feminine knits. Now he's hitting the road to sell, stopping at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills for a trunk show and charity event on Thursday.

Here are a few things you need to know about the designer.

1) He designed for Louis Vuitton for 12 years under Marc Jacobs, whom he describes as "incredibly precise." "If there is one criticism I would make of that time, it's that we jumped around a little too much," he said. "At Nina Ricci, I want to be more consistent and true to the image of the house."

2) He attended the Royal School of Art in London, where one of his school projects was to design a Nina Ricci wardrobe. 

3) He lives in Paris' 17th Arrondisement, in a neo-Gothic building with an interior taken from a 17th century Spanish palace. "It's very Harry Potter-ish," he said.

4) He collects 18th century porcelain, which he finds at flea markets.

5) The Nina Ricci archives have not influenced him. "Unlike at a house like Dior, Nina Ricci doesn't really have many iconic pieces. It's more about a romantic, feminine spirit."

6) However, the spring 2011 collection does reference artists who were contemporaries of Nina Ricci, including glass designer Rene Jules Lalique, painter/illustrator Christian Berard and novelist Jean Genet.

There's been a boudoir theme in several of the early collections at Paris Fashion Week. But the woman behind the dressing room door has taken vastly different forms.

The desperate mistress:

At Zac Posen's show, his first in Paris, things got off to a strong start with lace insets spiraling around pants legs, a twisted black and white ombre silk dress that appeared as if it had been sprayed on the body, feather boleros and salt and pepper tweed jackets.

But then the Folies Bergere-style details really started to pile on--eye-shaped embroideries, snake-like lace, feathers that looked as if they had been hastily applied. It was the come-on that came on way too strong. 

The mum in need of a makeover:

At Rochas, designer Marco Zanini went the other direction and hit Frumpsville, with 1930s, dropped-waist silk wallpaper floral print gowns and pajama pants, shapeless coats and housedresses, all worn with knee highs and head scarves. Sex appeal? No. An excuse not to shave your legs and wash your hair? Maybe.

The young wife:

Nina Ricci's Peter Copping struck the perfect balance of sexy and sensual, practical and pretty, pairing a black-and-white lace bandage skirt with a simple men's button-down shirt, for example, and sleeveless leather blouse in a print inspired by the house's famous Lalique perfume bottle, with an everyday taupe cotton poplin paperbag waist skirt.

Softly tailored jackets and matching skirts with playful asymmetrical ruffles made for a more feminine spin on the suit. Just the thing to take a woman from lunch with friends, to dinner with her honey--and whatever comes next.

--Booth Moore in Paris

Photos, top: Looks from the Zac Posen Spring-Summer 2011 runway collection shown during Paris Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson & Peter Stigter / For The Times.

Photos, middle: Looks from the Rochas Spring-Summer 2011 runway collection shown during Paris Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson & Peter Stigter / For The Times.

Photos, bottom: Looks from the Nina Ricci Spring-Summer 2011 runway collection shown during Paris Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson & Peter Stigter / For The Times.

Product designer Philippe Starck has turned to fragrance, and will rework the iconic dooule-dove L'air du Temps bottle for Nina Ricci. The flask was originally designed by Marc Lalique (of the equally iconic Laliques)  with Robert Ricci. Okay, I am wondering: is this an update that is really needed? [WWD]  

Steven Madden eyes Betsey Johnson, as the design firm reportedly defaults on a $48.8-million loan. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

What's the secret to great-fitting jeans? Wash them only every six months, says Levi Strauss' director of brand concepts Carl Chiari, with spot cleaning and airings in a steamy bathroom in between. That's what he does with his 15-pair wardrobe. [Wall Street Journal]

Kardashian news of the day: the sisters add handbags and shoes to their line for Bebe. [People] 

Designer Catharine Malandrino reports on "how I spent my summer vacation," and it sounds way more divine than most: Saint-Tropez, shopping for antique furniture at vineyard flea markets, sailing azure seas, sipping rose on the beach. She hints that this will inspire her next summer collection. [WWD]  

Meanwhile, J. Crew's "looks we love" feature can inspire ideas for terrific fall outfits. [FabSugar] 

A small lot of country singer June Carter-Cash's sleek 1960s wardrobe is up for bid on website 1stDibs. [StyleSectionLA]

Acne has joined forces with Candy magazine to create an androgynous line of clothing specifically aimed at transvestites and cross-dressers. My question: is it really cross-dressing if there is no cross-over? [Vogue UK]

--Susan Denley

Photo:  L'Air du Temps Credit: Nina Ricci

Charitybuzz.com, an auction site specializing in philanthropic campaigns, is hosting an auction that includes merchandise and experiences courtesy of some of the fashion industry's most illustrious players.

The auction, which kicked off on Thursday and ends May 6, is a companion event to biggie art auctioneer Christie's "Earth Day -- Green Auction: A Bid to Save the Earth."

The collection of more than 200 items, many of which are "dream" experiences, includes a personal fitting for "his and hers" bespoke suits made of sustainable fabric by eco-friendly designer Stella McCartney; a chance to dine with Vera Wang and a $10,000 credit at her flagship store; two front-row tickets to a Missoni fashion show, plus lunch and a fitting with designer Angela Missoni; and -- perhaps the mother of all fashion offers -- an outfit chosen and styled personally by Giorgio Armani to attend the Vanity Fair Oscar After-Party in 2011.

The auction also includes experiences and merchandise from Nina Ricci, Gucci, Ermenegildo Zegna, Marni, Proenza Schouler, Harry Winston, Irene Neuwirth and Sharon Khazzam.

The funds raised will benefit the campaign’s partners: Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council, Central Park Conservancy and Conservation International.

-- Emili Vesilind

Follow All the Rage on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo: A customized Bottega Veneta handbag, up for auction as part of the Earth Day lot on Charitybuzz.com (estimated value: $20,000). Credit: Charitybuzz.com

In just his second season at the house, Nina Ricci designer Peter Copping is carving out a new niche for old-fashioned Parisian chic. It's not a look we've seen a lot of on the runway lately, and it had real charm.

Key pieces included a ladylike wool pencil skirt, a tweed jacket with a defined waist, Liberty print blouses, a black bustier dress with lace and ribbon insets, and a red floral jacquard evening coat with a round collar. Silk flower corsages and belts were fun, as were flirty platform pumps. Instead of peek-a-boo cutouts over the toes, they had peek-a-boo cutouts in the backs of the shoes.

And for those anti-fur advocates out there, it should be noted that Copping used faux fur trim on a slouchy moleskin coat and soft knit cardigans. It looked just like the real thing. 

-- Booth Moore in Paris

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Photos: Nina Ricci's fall 2010 runway in Paris. Credit: Peter Stigter and Jonas Gustavsson / For The Times