Half the joy, or the downright pain in the neck for fashion week regulars, is carting yourself from one end of Paris to the other to watch the next show. At lunchtime Monday guests gathered on gold rimmed seats round the edge of a lavish, age-old ballroom in the Grand Hotel at Opera to wait for the fall/winter collection from Gaspard Yurkievich. As usual, proceedings didn’t get underway until an hour’s wait when the boos from photographers were embellished with gasps from the front row where a giant chandelier was hoisted back up to the ceiling in fits and jolts while the orchestra settled into play.

Models decked in whacked out black dresses and elegant, pleated trousers did the rounds to the sounds of American singer Danny. Highlights included, tights with silver prints, figure-hugging mini short/skirts and feather-laden tops in crimped silk. It was a bit like punk rock goes glam for the night in style.Later on at the Cite de L’Architecture et du Patrimoine near Trocadero, hipsters awaited the latest collection from Germany’s Wunderkind to the sounds of electronic music in a dimmed hall with muted mirrored walls. The show was a fabulous throw back to the 30s, combining flowing ruffled dresses, country-fied jackets and jodhpurs, and some hit daywear, combining style with glamour. Backstage the Wunderkind greeted well-wishers as models took sultry poses for photographers and sipped champagne in the back room where a celebration was truly underway. The food was decidedly healthy.

Belgium’s Maison Martin Margiela, meanwhile, had a tent built on the water’s edge a stone’s throw away at the Basin du Trocadero. But for many the collection remained elusive with security oblivious to the domino effect of the late running schedule of the day, keeping ticket holders outside once the show began. The booby prize was to climb the impressive Trocadero steps and peer at the looming Eiffel tower to the clanging sounds emanating from the tent, whilst snacking on the chocolate bar that served as the invitation.

Liza Foreman
Entertainment Business Journalist