Designer's shows as extravagant as their clothes

PARIS / Galliano, Gaultier, McQueen trade the catwalk for theatrical settings
British designer John Galliano staged an electrifying performance on Saturday, turning the inside of an old market hall into a faded mansion where an aristocratic older woman and her toy-boy husband greeted strange and extraordinary guests.

To the strains of accordion music, characters like a sailor and a bearded groundskeeper with two Labrador dogs mingled with celebrities including pop diva Kylie Minoguem, amid banquet tables and Persian carpets littered with playing cards and straw.

"It's quite decadent. We are very open-minded," joked Marc de Lacharriere, a high-powered French executive who was playing host for the evening.

Galliano, who famed for his over-the-top catwalk displays, drew criticism from fashion editors last season when he attempted a more straightforward presentation. With this extravagant show, he appeard to send his bosses a clear message: "Don't fence me in."

But he also made sure the theatrical setting did not overshadow the clothes, which ranged from his trademark bias-cut satin gowns to Empire-line cropped coats with leg-o'-mutton sleeves and bustle backs.

Jean Paul Gaultier chose a real-life theatre for his show for Hermès on Saturday, sending out elegant biker chicks in jackets made from crocodile leather lined with shaved mink and trimmed with sable fur.

"I think it's perfectly appropriate for Hermès, because women last century were on horses and now they are riding motorbikes," the French designer said, referring to the company's saddlemaker roots.

Slim riding pants were tucked into knee-lenght boots and topped with floorsweeping coats that gave the models a swaggering allure.

British designer Alexander McQueen went one step further, using a rock concert venue to show a collection inspired by his ancestor Elizabeth How, who has hanged at the Salem witch trials in 1692.

Models walked the length of a red pentagram traced in black sand under an inverted pyramid that served as a screen for macabre video images including swarming bees, naked women and a Satan-like figure whose face melted in flames.

The sinister staging, coupled with the distance of the models, all but overshadowed outfits including podshaped coats with leather leggings, a gold sequin catsuit with a solid gold breastplate and a floor-length green velvet dress embroidered with gold flames.

The mood was altogether more joyous at Kenzo, where 14 dancers from the Paris Opera took to the floor with life-sized rag dolls to strut a spirited tango.

Rippling skirts with giant rose prints and poncho-style capes in tartan prints punctuated the Argentine-flavoured display. Sardinian said the elaborate staging was designed for maximum visual impact.

"It's very important, because these 10 minutes are the culmination of six months work," he told reporters. "I have the duty of communicating a very precise message."