"It's all about my love affair with Paris," declared fashion designer Marc Jacobs as his latest collection for Louis Vuitton hit the runway on the final day of Paris Fashion Week.
The 45-year-old American designer's Gallic theme, which was accompanied by the voice of French cultural icon Edith Piaf, certainly seemed to strike a note with the 1,000-strong audience, which included style icon Dita Von Teese, Kerry Washington and rocker Lenny Kravitz.
Short skirts, many of which featured a sheer panel at the back, were a key feature of the collection, as was an emphasis on decoration. Beading, fringes, feathers and sequins were just a few of the embellishments giving next season's creations an especially feminine feel.
Paris' oldest fashion house, Lanvin, had also embraced sequin, bow and beaded detailing, but the big news for its spring/summer 2009 collection was structure and texture.
Gleaming satin sheaths in mustard, nude and burgundy were intricately tucked and pleated at shoulder and bodice, while the same approach gave a voluminous feel to tops teamed with super skinny pants.