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Fashion with passion fires up Paris show

Antonio Marras' collection for Kenzo fired Latin verve into the ready-to-wear winter season, which has often been quite unemotional elsewhere.­

But among the corseted waists on wide skirts, polka dots, bloomers and billowy balloon sleeves, the house's Sardinian designer offered hip-hugging high-waisted black trousers and matador bolero.­

And after Jean Paul Gaultier's highland fling with tartan last week, Kenzo's plaids were more sparing but were mixed with stripes, embroidery and checks, for a collection predominantly in dramatic red and black, with flashes of green and white.­

At the end, about a dozen male dancers, their hair slicked back and dressed in black, ran down on to the catwalk from the sidelines to tango with their partners, lifesize dolls attached to their feet.­

After being without a chief designer since the resignation of Phoebe Philo in January 2006 to spend more time with her family, Chloe turned a new page with Paulo Melim Andersson's runway debut.­ Under the front-row gaze of Australian pop star Kylie Minogue, the Swedish designer, formerly of Italian fashion house Marni, opted for youthful cheeky confidence in short squarish cuts.­

Zipped-up-the-front dresses were roomy but on turning revealed a bare back, tops had sweeping necklines but came in bright orange, and little dresses had low hip pockets but were slightly sheer.­

Although edgy, the look also had an air of 'not trying too hard'. 'The opposite of drama, a woman who is effortless and uncontrived,' the designer said in the programme notes.­

Fabrics were mixed up for contrasting matte and shiny effect, perhaps in the same colour, one intriguingly dubbed 'BBC Regency Drama Lipstick Orange'. Circles or strips shone and shimmered as embellishment on garments, at times nonchalantly paired with a print.­

Chunky ankle boots that looked a bit like Doc Martens, only with platform soles and big heels were worn with bare legs.­

At Hermes, Jean Paul Gaultier turned out the kind of wardrobe to make even those who have never got on a motorbike want to zoom off into the sunset on the back of one, dressed in a cool biker jacket in crocodile.­

Long and short trench coats also came in sleek leather, but for evening the French designer varied the look with satiny black trousers and waistcoat, long boots, with a white shirt and bow tie.­ The Paris ready-to-wear shows for next autumn-winter wrap up on Sunday with collections by Nina Ricci, Lanvin and Louis Vuitton.