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PARIS - As the rain cleared and the sun came out over Paris, the mood on the catwalk turned black.
Karl Lagerfeld, the maestro of French fashion and the designer behind Chanel, sent out models for his own name label in monochrome, mannish tailoring for fall 2008 with only a single flash of colour in the red lining of a coat.
Top model Irina Lazareanu, on-off muse of British Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty, led the line up down the runway of long fitted skirts with high waists or short skirts kicked up with toile.
The falling hemlines, particularly of high-waisted body-hugging black shirts, prompted speculation Lagerfeld was succumbing to the darkening mood in the global economy.
Historically in fashion, women have covered up from neck to ankle as the economic outlook dims, and the Milan shows last week were marked by sombre colours and lowered hemlines from even the most risque designers.
But Lagerfeld, whose personal style was in evidence in the collection in the high white collars worn by the models, shrugged off that suggestion.
"I don't believe in one style, it can be a longer skirt or short, a mini skirt, you cannot have a line with only one length, you always need more," he told reporters backstage.
The Paris fashion season, following on from New York, London and Milan, marks the final leg of the catwalk cycle that will establish the trends for next season and provide vital inspiration for the world's biggest retail apparel chains from Zara and H&M to Marks and Spencer.
- REUTERS
