In the pink (and red) ...

With the Spring/Summer 2010 haute-couture presentations kicking off today, I thought it appropriate to pen a love letter to my favorite couture-inspired color combo: pink and red. Such a pairing still draws askance expressions from the unitiated, those unhip to the fact that these days we're far more open to fashion's quirkier color palettes. Carolina Herrera, Matthew Williamson and Diane von Furstenberg are just a few who have employed the duo in recent seasons. And who doesn't love a pink Louboutin with its signature glossy red sole? For Spring, CL's Alta Spritney open-toe slingback comes in pink suede, satiating fans of the color combo and the designer alike.

There's a long tradition of the pink/red pairing in haute couture: Elsa Schiaparelli favored the coupling in her adventurous and often controversial designs, while more recently Christian Lacroix likewise used it to great effect in both solids and the luscious floral prints we'll all surely be missing with his absence from this season's couture runways.

With bold colors key to Spring/Summer 2010, I wanted to give a shoutout to two favorite must-haves now arriving in stores: Lanvin's Pompon PM Cabas Tote, seen above and now available at Barneys.com; "cabas" has its origins in the idea of a lady's workbasket, and I love the idea of this piece evoking the image of a woman walking through the Paris flower market, filling her cabas with peonies. And here, from Chanel's Spring/Summer 2010 preview, the house's iconic two-tone pump, tricked out in red and pink with a chrome-like platform, a chic update to the classic camel and black.

Pink and red? Separate or together, always a choice that is equal parts fresh, pretty and modern - and guaranteed to add some Spring to your step.