Paris 2010 spring collection keeps hemlines low and sexy

October 2, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

PARIS (AP) — Galdiatrixes in minidresses that looked as if they were made from the skins of freshly vanquished crocodiles and models that scintillated like human disco balls had the run of Paris’ catwalks Thursday as the City of Light’s spring-summer 2010 collections moved into day two.

Balmain, whose peaked shouldered jackets and minuscule second-skin dresses have made it the It Brand for jet-setting party girls, continued to deliver the goods, sending out peaked-shouldered jackets and minidresses in ragged-hemmed, cave girl leathers or warrior chain mail — much of it shorn of the usual sprinkling of rhinestones.

Not to worry, though: Even without the Swarovski crystals, the Balmain woman still shines. She just left the serious glittering to fans of rising Indian star Manish Arora.

His models strutted their high-voltage, rhinestone-covered stuff on the stage of Paris’ notorious Crazy Horse cabaret in a show that was every bit as thrilling — if a tad less salacious — than the strip teases usually on offer at “le Crazy,” as it’s often called here.

In keeping with the high hemlines at Balmain and Arora, Belgian-born designer Bruno Pieters served up tiny bustier dresses in translucent microfiber that recalled pantyhose. His compatriots, design duo A.F. Vandevorst, riffed on the stocking theme, layering them over romantically draped silk trousers to create sensuous, if a tad bizarre, safari wear.

Japanese designer Hiroko Koshino took out her magnifying glass, fielding a collection that used fabrics whose improbable color combinations and swirling motifs were inspired by close-ups of insects’ wings. Koshino, who is at the head of a retail empire of more than 200 boutiques in Japan, delivered pretty dresses in yellow, green and blue satin bodices with intricate printed chiffon skirts.

Paris’ nine-day-long ready-to-wear displays move into day three today with shows by Japanese designers Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto.