October 2, 2006
By Joelle Diderich
The Paris ready-to-wear shows kicked off on Sunday with the French fashion industry's leading official saying he did not believe organisers should ban the use of models considered underweight.
Didier Grumbach, head of the Chambre Syndicale - the body that governs French fashion - said that he did not plan to follow in the footsteps of Spanish authorities in setting guidelines for the minimum weight of models who appear on the catwalks.
"I think it's a non-issue. You don't solve public health problems by regulating the size of models," he said on Sunday.
"You know, fashion is only the reflection of what is happening in society. It is not the cause."
France's Health Ministry recently announced it was setting up a working group on body image, with the aim of establishing a charter with advertisers banning the use of excessively thin models. Grumbach said he did not plan to take part in the government talks.
"I honestly think we are not responsible for health problems," he said.
"Let the Health Ministry take care of health problems, and let fashion designers choose models according to their taste."
French designer Christophe Decarnin was certainly not in the mood to buck the prevailing appetite for super-skinny models.
His spring-summer collection for Balmain focused on mini dresses that reflected this season's revival of body-conscious dressing, as epitomised by Azzedine Alaia and Gianni Versace in the 1980s.
Though only in his second season at the house, Decarnin made a splash by dressing French actress Audrey Tautou and American director Sofia Coppola at the Cannes film festival last May. The young Hollywood set should snap up his latest skimpy creations.
Australian model Gemma Ward, whose "alien" look has been a major fashion influence in the last two years, paraded in a thigh-skimming strapless dress in pleated olive chiffon that was fit for a modern-day Athena.
Grecian influences abounded, from the sunray pleating of a white chiffon dress to the multi-strapped leather platform sandals.
Military influences came in the shape of cropped khaki cargo pants and distressed T-shirts riddled with little holes - much like the one front row guest Lenny Kravitz was wearing.
"I think Paris is an incredibly inspiring city, so that's why I'm spending a lot of time here," said the rocker, who was taking in the show with his daughter Zoe.
For many fashion editors too, Paris is the highlight of the month long ready-to-wear collections, which have already steamed through New York, London and Milan.
The French capital is unique in allowing commercial juggernauts like Christian Dior and Chanel to coexist with conceptual designers like Martin Margiela and Yohji Yamamoto.
Margiela is a critics' favourite despite refusing all media interviews. He stripped down the 1980s power woman to her undergarments, sending out his cast of non-professional models in flesh-coloured bodystockings with bulky shoulder-pads.
These "nude" tops, some featuring black applique circles over the breasts, were worn with tailored trouser suits with one leg scissored off. Sailor-striped jersey was fashioned into capelets and matching skirts.
Both ideas have been explored previously by Jean Paul Gaultier, with considerably more panache, but there is something admirable about Margiela's uncompromising vision of female strength.
Paris has a history of defying prevailing ideals of beauty.
British designer John Galliano shocked fashion editors last year by showing his creations on giants, identical twins, fat women, old men and dwarves, in what some observers described as a "freak show."
Gaultier, who this week celebrates 30 years in business, has been known to pluck his idiosyncratic models straight from the streets.
With more than 80 shows spread over eight days, the Paris show schedule this season is as packed as ever. Grumbach said an abundance of new names reflected the health of the sector.
"There has never been such strong interest in new brands and what is more interesting still is that they are not folding," he said. "It simply reflects world growth, which has been obvious in the last few years, and which is being felt in fashion." - Sapa-AP
  
 
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