THE British designer Alexander McQueen took the Highlands and Macbeth as the reference points for a collection in Paris last night which restored the true spirit of the romantic renegade to the catwalk.
McQueen's wild and free show took in a broad sweep from Culloden to the Victorians' fascination with plaid. Feather head-dresses and bird's nest hats accessorised belted tweed suits in the shades of moor and heather.
An hourglass-gown was made up of rows of pheasant feathers. Kilted dresses and trouser suits in the red McQueen clan tartan were embroidered with punk-style black Latex and gilt.
Bonnie Prince Charlie-style frock-coats in pastel brocade were worn with multi-ruffled dresses in lilac chiffon and pale plaid, bell-shaped dresses featured regal ruffs at the neckline and white tulle petticoats. A Victorian bride appeared in a froth of tattered tulle, ending in a classic McQueen fishtail-hem, her veil held aloft by antlers. The finale featured a hologram of Kate Moss, the British model, in tulle writhing inside a glass pyramid.
Earlier, Karl Lagerfeld infused the spirit of "Coco'' Chanel with a dose of "anglomania''. White "kinky'' boots were paired with tweed suits and black lace mini-dresses; punky black streaks decorated blonde hair; and cream lace Victorian-style tunics, with leg-of-mutton sleeves, sported wide, flared pantaloons. The collection, for next autumn/winter, was again a master-class by "the Kaiser of fashion'' on how to keep a traditional brand alive and in step with the 21st century.
The signature Chanel tweed suit had been tweaked yet again: this time, as a cardigan-jacket elongated to mid-thigh and a skirt hoisted to above the knee. Long chiffon shirts or jerkins, worn under shorter jackets, tossed another layer into the mix. Meanwhile, frilled shirts added a dandified, Beau Brummel touch, echoed again in fitted riding-coats and frock-coats.
This weekend there are shows by the Japanese avant-garde labels, Junya Watanabe and Comme des Garcons; Antonio Marras for Kenzo; Jean Paul Gaultier for Hermes; John Galliano; and Miuccia Prada.
Tomorrow Marc Jacobs, the American designer, brings the series to a close with his collection for Louis Vuitton.