News flash: #RafSimons is currently trending on Twitter, thanks to reports trickling in that Raf Simons, the menswear visionary who transitioned seamlessly into the lead at Jil Sander, might take the top post at Dior. But before we start proclaiming our love for all things Simons, it may be too early to take this at face value. The Dior rumor has included nearly every single designer with the chops to lead the house.

While we nursed seasonal allergies and dusted off our sweater collection last weekend, fashion's top globetrotters took to the streets of sunny Milan to catch the latest and greatest SS12 collections. Within 48 hours, an army of iconic fashion houses hit the runway to debut a range of ready-to-wear looks that transported spectators to exotic – and sometimes otherworldly – locales, like Emilio Pucci (shown here). Although this racy lace number has already been christened by Gwyneth Paltrow, we still love its intricate crochet work and subtle nod to the '90s. Read on for a few more favorites.

FW10 might be all about camel coats and a neutral palette, but come spring, fashion will be sporting a slew of candy-colored shades. The message at Milan Fashion Week, at least in terms of color, is loud and clear, bright and cheerful. Prada led the week's crusade for color with a collection that included vibrant splashes of oranges, greens, and blues, by way of structured garments and sumptuous fur accessories. When Skittle-toned hues weren't served up in monochromatic ensembles, they surfaced in banana prints and bold stripes. Jil Sander's catwalk was likewise awash in bright shades. Raf Simons, a critics' favorite this season, played with flowing, floor-length silhouettes in a color wheel Rothko would have approved of.

Just back from the menswear shows in Europe and feeling very inspired. I started in Florence for Pitti Uomo, made my way to Milan, and then on to Paris. I even managed a week of R&R in Greece, which left me feeling centered and ready for work again. It's a good thing, too, because the videos I am about to present to you took blood, sweat, and tears to download! Needless to say, I'm not the most tech savvy blogger, but I am working on it. (Move over BryanBoy!) Before I left, I invested in a new Flip camera so I could bring a little bit of the collections back home to share. So, without further adieu—and with apologies for my unsteady hand—here are some of my favorite snippets from the shows.

On Saturday night, Raf Simons presented a 15th-anniversary collection that garnered roaring cheers from the usually jaded fashion crowd. In it, the designer paid tribute to Martin Margiela's iconic 1990 white collection. It was a show that sealed his fate in fashion history, a collection that cemented his decision to design clothing instead of pursuing a career in industrial design, his original intention. And what a show it was.

I love backpacks in theory -- not only do they leave your hands free, but they’ll save your spine from scoliosis. However, finding a decidedly fashionable version can be next to impossible. Leave it to Raf Simons, the inimitable, avant-garde designer behind Jil Sander, to prove back-to-school can in fact blend seamlessly with high-fashion sensibilities. In response to the success of his first collection for the 60s-born brand, Simons is debuting a second installation, "Material World," consisting of covetable custom Eastpaks.

If designer Raf Simons has his way, future men will wear galactic jumpsuits and pleated mini-pants with jackets coated in plastic coconut flakes. Over the weekend in Paris, Simmons rolled out a new line that's part Blade Runner, part Merry Prankster. The materials ranged from "plasticized waffled cottons" to light wools which appeared to be coated in fragile coconut flakes. Part of the Paris menswear show that included Givenchy and Lanvin, the International Herald Tribune says Simons' creations exuded "power" with its "exquisitely sliced tuxedos, sleeveless and pared down to a shorts jumpsuit. Worn with winged flaps on sandals that pushed the show toward the futuristic, the rigorously tailored outfits were, as Simons said, 'the antidote to pajamas.'" Throughout the show, a message flashed on the wall: "There is a crack in everything. That is how the light gets in." Truly, Ken Kesey missed his true calling.