Leave it Dolce & Gabbana -- once the sultans of sexy -- to bring ' Russian peasant style' to the runway. As the models took to the catwalk to preview the D&G Fall/Winter 2008 collection, two themes -- ' Pimp My Bagpipes' and ' Matryoshkas On Parade' -- prevailed. Bloated fabrics and complex patterns in heavy layers hid every curve (the few these models actually have) which, understandably, gave me hot flashes. Argh! I' m too young for menopause!!

Hints of ' Matryoshka style' could also be seen in Rifat Ozbek' s Fall/Winter 2008 collection and Paul Smith’s Fall 2008 Ready-To-Wear collection. (We' ve been seeing a lot of matryoshka accessories lately, but I never expected a complete head-to-toe experience!) Let' s hope this trend moves in a slighty softer direction. I' m not ready to rock it frump-a-lump style just yet.

Here are some subtler ways to bring a little 'Russian peasant' into your life (without dressing like one).