![\"paris](\"https:\/\/www.capitalfm.co.ke\/lifestyle\/files\/2013\/07\/paris-fashion-week-ends.jpg\")
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The Paris couture shows wrapped up on Thursday at the end of four days of collections notable for come backs by designers Christian Lacroix and Viktor&Rolf and supermodel Naomi Campbell.<\/p>\n
Drawing cheers as she appeared on the catwalk with models half her age, 43-year-old Campbell kicked off the first show for Versace in a black micro sequin jacket constructed like a book.<\/p>\n
Dutch designers Viktor Horsting Rolf Snoeren, meanwhile, returned to Paris couture after an absence of 13 years with a collection that was more a platform for abstract and conceptual ideas than fashion showcase.<\/p>\n
Fittingly, half the collection of 20 sculptural black looks has already been sold to an unnamed art collector, according to industry journal WWD.<\/p>\n
But the highlight of the couture shows was undoubtedly a one-off return by French designer Christian Lacroix who presented a tribute to the late Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli.<\/p>\n
Schiaparelli, who died in 1973, and her great rival Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel were among fashion’s most prominent figures between the two world wars.<\/p>\n
The Schiaparelli house failed to adapt to post-war austerity, leading to its closure in 1954.<\/p>\n
Partly presented on a rotating carousel of mirrors, Lacroix’s 18-piece “Homage to Elsa” collection for the relaunched house reinterpreted many of the designer’s influences such as fairgrounds, circuses and military uniforms.<\/p>\n
In one circus-inspired piece, a pleated symmetric bustier and oversized skirt were teamed with an embroidered clown’s hat.<\/p>\n
The dress required 40 metres (130 feet) of silk and 350 hours’ work.<\/p>\n
But Lacroix — the one time darling of fashion editors who has dedicated himself to theatrical costumes since losing his own fashion house in 2009 — scotched any suggestion he might return permanently.<\/p>\n
Asked if it was a possibility, he said: “No. What has always excited me about fashion is theatre costumes. My childhood dream — I am achieving it now.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Paris couture shows wrapped up on Thursday at the end of four days of collections notable for come backs by designers Christian Lacroix and Viktor&Rolf and supermodel Naomi Campbell. Drawing cheers as she appeared on the catwalk with models half her age, 43-year-old Campbell kicked off the first show for Versace in a black micro sequin jacket constructed like a book. Dutch designers Viktor… <\/p>\n