Runway Report: I Am Batman: Couture as Costume

Is society in need of superheroes? Or are the new couture costumes a superhero trend in disguise? With all the buzz surrounding the most anticipated movie of the year, The Dark Night, which opens next week and could earn the Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar nod, we wonder if it’s the movie itself, the Met’s Superhero Gala, or a society in need of a pick-me-up that sparked a major superhero trend on the Autumn/Winter couture runways in Paris last week.

Particularly on the Jean Paul Gaultier and Chanel runways, where sleeves were big, sweeping silhouettes were big and major headgear was big, couture as costume has taken on a super-heroic life of its own. Ways to Get Your Superhero Fix: * Don't Miss The Dark Night, beginning July 17, 2008 * Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy exhibit on until September 1, 2008 * Shop Ricky’s NYC for the best in over the top products for makeup and hair * Accessorize at the MoMA store with whimsical, geometric scarves and glass bubble jewelry