Ivana Omazic for Celine AFP

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Today, 10 July 2009

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Yesterday, 09 July 2009

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> White farmers to be spared

With comfy chic at Stella McCartney and Ivana Omazic's down-to-earth femininity for Celine, female designers offered their fashion choices for women in Paris on Thursday.

Meanwhile at Yves Saint Laurent, Stefano Pilati juggled elegance and charm to produce gold-edged straight skirts or jacket collars that bubbled over, in his show at the Pompidou Centre.

For elaborate winter warmth, he cocooned models in wool capes including one made out of a sensational mass of pink flowers. All in all, he sketched a sleek outline with rich touches of gold and cute bows at the neck or waist.

And at Emanuel Ungaro, the job of interpreting the style wishes of today's woman for next winter has fallen to Norway's Peter Dundas who presented his debut collection.

Sensual and elegant, he sculpted a shapely silhouette for his first Ungaro ready-to-wear collection for autumn-winter 2006-07, all tightly held in by corset belts and perched on high heels.

He draped the body in figure-hugging dresses of silk or cashmere jersey and tight-fitting skirts, while wide scarves highlighted the waist and bustiers came in shiney crocodile or apricot-coloured feathers.

Mongolia fur punctuated coats and jackets, perhaps in cherry or rose. For elegant evenings, long dresses came in cloud grey, aqua green, beige or pearly grey. The Norwegian designer braided frocks at the bust or covered shoulders in a feathery bolero.

At Celine, Omazic, the Croatian designer who took over as artistic director last season, was inspired by Nancy Cunard, described in the style notes as a style icon of the 1930s. Cunard was an English writer, editor and publisher, political activist and poet.

Yves Saint Laurent

In fact, the way Omazic plunged the collars on jackets and coats gave an early 1960s feel to the collection whose wearable, modern pieces will surely delight fans of the French house.

Ultra-sleek, tiny, cropped leather jackets, were paired, for example, with a tweed herringbone, narrow skirt.

Trousers were short and narrow, while wide leather belts cinched the waist and bags ran the full range of sizes.

Or for a softer silhouette, free panel skirts swirled in black silk organza. The designer also contrasted textures teaming tweed with organza, crocodile with mink and mohair crochet.

Stella McCartney

US rocker Courtney Love provoked a frenzy of camera flashes from her seat on the front row of British designer Stella McCartney's show.

Overall the wardrobe was young and comfortable, with big slouchy cardigans, or cashmere sweaters with a giant rolled collar.

Knitted dresses with a high waist in greyish-blue or stripes were also sent out by the daughter of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, as well as tunic dresses. For evening, large sequins jazzed up a black dress.

And it all came in a selection of indigo tones, navy, camel or grey.

Similarly, Cacharel's mood was on the darker side, with greys, blue and camel for neat clothes that fell politely to above the knee in loose shapes, emboldened by metallic textures.

On Friday, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel kicks off the star names, followed later in the day by Christian Lacroix, Alexander McQueen and Martin Margiela. Paris fashion week runs until Sunday.