Paris seemed to be standing still this season. With the current economic climate weighing down on just about every designer, the shows themselves were safe and for the most part terribly uninteresting. Call it the recession effect or just simply a reflection of the atmosphere, but a fashion week usually known for being vibrant, irreverent, directional and fashion forward seemed to be none of these things. Let’s hope that next season brings back the palpable excitement and mischievous quality that ordinarily is Paris Fashion Week.

Dear Readers,
Welcome to the 2008 Stylies Awards, the Fashion Awards for a new millennium, our primal scream at the glamour scene, celebrating the Best and Brightest in the Stylish Universe for the past year.

In 2008, we experienced a vast crescendo, waves upon waves — there he goes, there goes Speed Racer — of trends, styles, ideas, models, designs and designers inundating us at a fast and furious pace. It was difficult to keep up, but we Aced the test, because fashion is our passion. Woooo.

Nobody does fashion week like Paris! The most important and influential shows in the world take place in Paris. The epitome of chic, Parisian fashion houses influence the rest of the fashion world. Here are the top 5 Paris SS09 fashion shows.