In pics: Roundup of Best Looks from Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week 2019

As the Paris’ Haute Couture Week continues in the country’s fashion capital, luxury brand Chanel showcased its collection on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The brand’s show had a setup of guests being entertained in a mock-up Mediterranean garden with palm-tree lined garden and pool of a Tuscan-style villa. Being showcased inside the Grand Palais exhibition hall, the venue stood in stark contrast to its surroundings as the fashion capital was decked up in the snow that fell on the hall’s ceiling.&nbsp;

The show was inspired by designer Karl Lagerfeld’s favourite period, the eighteenth century, feathers adorned new twists on the brand's classic tweed suits, which came with ankle length or fishtail skirts. It also saw some models wearing pastel coloured prom-style dresses.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/berlin-fashion-week-staple-marc-cain-takes-to-the-catwalk-190844">Also watch: Berlin Fashion Week staple Marc Cain takes to the catwalk</a>

One strutted down the catwalk in a pale green number embellished with life-like flowers as celebrities including film director Sofia Coppola and actress Tilda Swinton looked on from deck chairs.

The fashion show closed with a model wearing a glittering silver swimsuit as the brand’s bridal look. The swimsuit also had a veil trailing from a swimming cap.&nbsp;

However, Lagerfeld failed to show up for the customary bow. He has been a part of Chanel as its artistic director since the early 1980s and is known for his striking visual displays.

Paris' Fashion Week runs until January 24.&nbsp;

As the Paris’ Haute Couture Week continues in the country’s fashion capital, luxury brand Chanel showcased its collection on Tuesday. The brand’s show had a setup of guests being entertained in a mock-up Mediterranean garden with palm-tree lined garden and pool of a Tuscan-style villa.

As the Paris’ Haute Couture Week continues in the country’s fashion capital, luxury brand Chanel showcased its collection on Tuesday. The brand’s show had a setup of guests being entertained in a mock-up Mediterranean garden with palm-tree lined garden and pool of a Tuscan-style villa. Being showcased inside the Grand Palais exhibition hall, the venue stood in stark contrast to its surroundings as the fashion capital was decked up in the snow that fell on the hall’s ceiling. The show was inspired by designer Karl Lagerfeld’s favourite period, the eighteenth century, feathers adorned new twists on the brand's classic tweed suits, which came with ankle length or fishtail skirts. It also saw some models wearing pastel coloured prom-style dresses. Also watch: Berlin Fashion Week staple Marc Cain takes to the catwalk One strutted down the catwalk in a pale green number embellished with life-like flowers as celebrities including film director Sofia Coppola and actress Tilda Swinton looked on from deck chairs. The fashion show closed with a model wearing a glittering silver swimsuit as the brand’s bridal look. The swimsuit also had a veil trailing from a swimming cap. However, Lagerfeld failed to show up for the customary bow. He has been a part of Chanel as its artistic director since the early 1980s and is known for his striking visual displays. Paris' Fashion Week runs until January 24.

Karl Lagerfeld goes missing as Chanel showcases its collection at Paris Haute Couture show

Fur trimmings were scarce on the past month's spring catwalk collections in Milan and Paris, but the two leading luxury centres are some way off following London Fashion Week in going fur-free.

Some top brands are resisting pressure from animal rights groups and more environmentally sensitive consumers, fuelling an industry debate that is far from played out.

Britain's Burberry and Kering's Gucci are among the latest household names to abandon fur.

Yet Fendi for instance - the Rome-based, LVMH-owned brand famed for its luxurious coats - is holding its ground on what is one of its signature traits.

"It's part of our history... and everyone is free to make their choices," Silvia Venturini Fendi, one of two creative directors at the Rome-based brand, told Reuters before the Milan catwalk show. Others prefer to sit on the fence.

France's Hermes said last month it had made no decision, and Prada dropped fur from advertising campaigns and shows to discourage demand but not from all its clothes, even if usage is minimal.

Luxury online retailer Yoox Net-A-Porter has also abandoned fur, and Los Angeles moved in September to outlaw its sale and manufacture within the city limits.

Few are yet to ditch the use of exotic skins like crocodile, however - less of a hot-button issue among consumers, but just as controversial for campaigners, even if some manufacturers have invested in their own farms to improve breeding conditions.

At Gucci's Paris show, snake skins came in trouser and dress form, while Kering's Saint Laurent channelled python boots. In Milan, snake skin ran through collections at Cavalli.

Anissa Putois, France spokeswoman for animals rights group PETA, said it wanted brands to ditch all types of animal skins, but that its anti-fur campaigns had been the most successful.

"Leather is the real impact on the industry," said vegan-friendly British designer Stella McCartney after presenting her brand's collection in Paris on Monday.

"Anything is better than nothing though." The next fashion weeks focused on winter would be the real test of the fur-free movement, she said.

But with sustainability the buzzword for many in fashion, some have argued fur could be more eco-friendly than some synthetic materials and pushed for pelts not to be wasted.

"If we look at sustainability seriously... it is better to use leather and fur from the food chain rather than dumping them in a landfill," said Carlo Capasa, President of Italy's national fashion association CNMI said, stressing a regulatory framework was needed.&nbsp;

Fur trimmings were scarce on the past month's spring catwalk collections in Milan and Paris, but the two leading luxury centres are some way off following London Fashion Week in going fur-free.

Fur trimmings were scarce on the past month's spring catwalk collections in Milan and Paris, but the two leading luxury centres are some way off following London Fashion Week in going fur-free. Some top brands are resisting pressure from animal rights groups and more environmentally sensitive consumers, fuelling an industry debate that is far from played out. Britain's Burberry and Kering's Gucci are among the latest household names to abandon fur. Yet Fendi for instance - the Rome-based, LVMH-owned brand famed for its luxurious coats - is holding its ground on what is one of its signature traits. "It's part of our history... and everyone is free to make their choices," Silvia Venturini Fendi, one of two creative directors at the Rome-based brand, told Reuters before the Milan catwalk show. Others prefer to sit on the fence. France's Hermes said last month it had made no decision, and Prada dropped fur from advertising campaigns and shows to discourage demand but not from all its clothes, even if usage is minimal. Luxury online retailer Yoox Net-A-Porter has also abandoned fur, and Los Angeles moved in September to outlaw its sale and manufacture within the city limits. Few are yet to ditch the use of exotic skins like crocodile, however - less of a hot-button issue among consumers, but just as controversial for campaigners, even if some manufacturers have invested in their own farms to improve breeding conditions. At Gucci's Paris show, snake skins came in trouser and dress form, while Kering's Saint Laurent channelled python boots. In Milan, snake skin ran through collections at Cavalli. Anissa Putois, France spokeswoman for animals rights group PETA, said it wanted brands to ditch all types of animal skins, but that its anti-fur campaigns had been the most successful. "Leather is the real impact on the industry," said vegan-friendly British designer Stella McCartney after presenting her brand's collection in Paris on Monday. "Anything is better than nothing though." The next fashion weeks focused on winter would be the real test of the fur-free movement, she said. But with sustainability the buzzword for many in fashion, some have argued fur could be more eco-friendly than some synthetic materials and pushed for pelts not to be wasted. "If we look at sustainability seriously... it is better to use leather and fur from the food chain rather than dumping them in a landfill," said Carlo Capasa, President of Italy's national fashion association CNMI said, stressing a regulatory framework was needed.

Milan Fashion Week: Fashion firms steer clear of fur on runway

Boat traffic on the Seine came to a standstill on Sunday to make way for a floating runway featuring movies stars and models in an extravaganza orchestrated by cosmetics company L'Oreal to coincide with <a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/pleats-and-sparkles-meghan-markle-favourite-givenchy-paris-168730">Paris Fashion Week.</a>

Luxury clothing brands from Chanel to Kering's Gucci have for years picked increasingly elaborate settings to present their collections, and now beauty firms are getting in on the act.

Actors Eva Longoria and Elle Fanning were among the famous faces marching down the 60-metre catwalk along with models such as Duckie Thot and Soo Joo Park as crowds of spectators gathered on nearby bridges.
<img alt="Loreal fashion week" data-caption="Actor Aja Naomi King at a public event organized by French cosmetics group L'Oreal as part of Paris Fashion Week.&amp;nbsp;" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c3ce60fa-7f7a-4db7-a8a1-7135f75ba22e" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/New%20%2834%29.jpg" />
River traffic in front of Paris' Quai D'Orsay museum was stopped for 30 minutes for the event to celebrate the cosmetics mass market L'Oreal Paris brand.
<img alt="paris fashion week" data-caption="Eva Longoria (right) and model Cindy Bruna (left) at a public event organized by French cosmetics group L'Oreal as part of Paris Fashion Week.&amp;nbsp;" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f9492387-7267-4e5e-bdd3-648d722af923" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/New%20%2835%29.jpg" /><img alt="paris fashion week" data-caption="Cheryl Cole (left) and&amp;nbsp;Doutzen Kroes (right) at a public event organized by French cosmetics group L'Oreal as part of Paris Fashion Week.&amp;nbsp;" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7377b7b6-b512-4e4b-9f3a-d4a3fb60b4e8" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/New%20%2833%29_0.jpg" />
"We wanted to create something new, that would be accessed by the widest possible audience and at the same time highlight our Parisian DNA," said Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou, global brand president of L'Oreal Paris.

The show was broadcast on Tmall, owned by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, and other shopping platforms after last year's L'Oreal runway display spurred a spike in web traffic on the day.

Paris Fashion Week runs until October 2.&nbsp;

Boat traffic on the Seine came to a standstill on Sunday to make way for a floating runway featuring movies stars and models in an extravaganza orchestrated by cosmetics company L'Oreal to coincide with Paris Fashion Week.

Boat traffic on the Seine came to a standstill on Sunday to make way for a floating runway featuring movies stars and models in an extravaganza orchestrated by cosmetics company L'Oreal to coincide with Paris Fashion Week. Luxury clothing brands from Chanel to Kering's Gucci have for years picked increasingly elaborate settings to present their collections, and now beauty firms are getting in on the act. Actors Eva Longoria and Elle Fanning were among the famous faces marching down the 60-metre catwalk along with models such as Duckie Thot and Soo Joo Park as crowds of spectators gathered on nearby bridges. River traffic in front of Paris' Quai D'Orsay museum was stopped for 30 minutes for the event to celebrate the cosmetics mass market L'Oreal Paris brand. "We wanted to create something new, that would be accessed by the widest possible audience and at the same time highlight our Parisian DNA," said Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou, global brand president of L'Oreal Paris. The show was broadcast on Tmall, owned by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, and other shopping platforms after last year's L'Oreal runway display spurred a spike in web traffic on the day. Paris Fashion Week runs until October 2.

Hollywood stars, models walk for cosmetic giant on Seine river in France

Sophisticated tailoring, softly pleated dresses and glittering eveningwear were on show at Givenchy during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday, as designer Clare Waight Keller unveiled her latest collection for the LVMH-owned French couture house.

The Briton landed one of the most coveted jobs in fashion earlier this year when she designed the wedding dress worn by Meghan Markle for her marriage to Prince Harry, and the former US actress has repeatedly stepped out in Givenchy since.

The clean lines Waight Keller has become known for were on display in the latest spring and summer 2019 collection, in asymmetric or plunging necklines and a series of two-tone outfits.

High-waisted, tailored trousers came with a combat-style twist. Belted jackets for him and her were subtly layered, while pleated panels adorned flowing, colourful dresses.

Shimmering silver eveningwear looks provided the runway finale, with plenty of glittery fringes catching the light.

Paris Fashion Week runs until October 2.&nbsp;

Sophisticated tailoring, softly pleated dresses and glittering eveningwear were on show at Givenchy during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday, as designer Clare Waight Keller unveiled her latest collection for the LVMH-owned French couture house.

Sophisticated tailoring, softly pleated dresses and glittering eveningwear were on show at Givenchy during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday, as designer Clare Waight Keller unveiled her latest collection for the LVMH-owned French couture house. The Briton landed one of the most coveted jobs in fashion earlier this year when she designed the wedding dress worn by Meghan Markle for her marriage to Prince Harry, and the former US actress has repeatedly stepped out in Givenchy since. The clean lines Waight Keller has become known for were on display in the latest spring and summer 2019 collection, in asymmetric or plunging necklines and a series of two-tone outfits. High-waisted, tailored trousers came with a combat-style twist. Belted jackets for him and her were subtly layered, while pleated panels adorned flowing, colourful dresses. Shimmering silver eveningwear looks provided the runway finale, with plenty of glittery fringes catching the light. Paris Fashion Week runs until October 2.

Pleats and sparkles at Meghan Markle favourite Givenchy in Paris

In the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, Saint Laurent's models splashed along a water-soaked runway on Tuesday as part of the French fashion label's latest spectacular to showcase its collection for Paris Fashion Week.

The brand, part of the Kering conglomerate, has been using Paris's famous landmark for maximum effect in recent seasons to present its sexy take on Parisian chic under designer Anthony Vaccarello.

Navy, high-waisted trouser suits tucked into snakeskin boots set the tone for the first part of the catwalk run as dusk fell over the city. Vaccarello's trademark skimpy hemlines were also on display, in daring mini-dresses with see-through tops or glittery romper suits.

But the collection also featured a more playful side, with some outfits covered in brightly-coloured stars giving them something of a circus air.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Eiffel Tower was also the focal point for a handful of animal rights activists from PETA. Dressed as bunny rabbits, they called on Paris Fashion Week to follow in London's footsteps with fur-free runway shows.

A growing number of brands, including Italy's Versace and Gucci and more recently Britain's Burberry&nbsp;are giving up on animal fur, though exotic skins are still widely used by many to make leather handbags or shoes.

In the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, Saint Laurent's models splashed along a water-soaked runway on Tuesday as part of the French fashion label's latest spectacular to showcase its collection for Paris Fashion Week.

In the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, Saint Laurent's models splashed along a water-soaked runway on Tuesday as part of the French fashion label's latest spectacular to showcase its collection for Paris Fashion Week. The brand, part of the Kering conglomerate, has been using Paris's famous landmark for maximum effect in recent seasons to present its sexy take on Parisian chic under designer Anthony Vaccarello. Navy, high-waisted trouser suits tucked into snakeskin boots set the tone for the first part of the catwalk run as dusk fell over the city. Vaccarello's trademark skimpy hemlines were also on display, in daring mini-dresses with see-through tops or glittery romper suits. But the collection also featured a more playful side, with some outfits covered in brightly-coloured stars giving them something of a circus air. Earlier on Tuesday, the Eiffel Tower was also the focal point for a handful of animal rights activists from PETA. Dressed as bunny rabbits, they called on Paris Fashion Week to follow in London's footsteps with fur-free runway shows. A growing number of brands, including Italy's Versace and Gucci and more recently Britain's Burberry are giving up on animal fur, though exotic skins are still widely used by many to make leather handbags or shoes.

Watch: Models walk on water-soaked Eiffel Tower runway

Saint Laurent makes a splash on water-soaked Eiffel Tower runway

With Paris men&#39;s fashion week coming to an end Sunday night, we pick out five of the big trends in the autumn-winter collections:

The young ones

Youth may be wasted on the young, as Oscar Wilde once quipped, but style isn&#39;t, insisted the Paris shows, which went all-out to capture the hearts of millennials.

Rarely have the catwalks been so focused on teens and twenty-somethings.

The hoodie conquered all and skate kid chic was everywhere, with Japanese brand Facetasm going so far as to send its models out with what appeared to be fake acne.

The slogans that ran through The Etudes, Lanvin and Chinese brand Sankuanz shows were pure teen spirit, &quot;Never mind&quot;, &quot;Nothing&quot; and &quot;Destroy&quot;.

Dior&#39;s Kris Van Assche, whose show was a rallying call for a &quot;new tailoring&quot; aimed at the young, summed up the adolescent fascination.

&quot;I have always been drawn to the moment when boys become men and they are still clinging onto to dreams, desires and freedoms and haven&#39;t yet slipped into the straitjacket,&quot; he told AFP.

Logos

Not since the 1980s heydey of bling branding has fashion had such a fascination with logos.

Dior, Loewe, Balenciaga, Andrea Crews, Louis Vuitton, Icosae and even tastemaker in chief Dries Van Noten went logo a go-go.

Like much else these days you can blame/credit Georgian trendsetter Demna Gvasalia and his Vetements collective, who name-checked no less than 54 big brands in its last show.

Gvasalia was up to his old logo banditry tricks in his show for Balenciaga, appropriating Bernie Sander&#39;s campaign logo, much to the US Democratic Party senator&#39;s amusement.

There was less to smile about at Vuitton, where its collaboration with the super hip US street label Supreme had decidedly mixed reviews, with the New York Times calling it &quot;the fashion version of a murder-suicide&quot;.

Women everywhere

This was supposed to be men&#39;s fashion week, but with so many women also on the catwalk you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.&nbsp;

Mixed and gender-fluid shows have been a thing for a while, but now it has almost become the rule to have a few women models in men&#39;s shows, much to the chagrin of some like Dior&#39;s Van Assche who claims men&#39;s clothes are losing definition.

Once he builds that wall, maybe President Donald Trump could come over and help restore some male pride. He does after all have his own Trump men&#39;s clothing line.

Vive the Establishment!&nbsp;

The establishment may be a dirty word politically right now yet fashion can&#39;t get enough of its stuffy symbolism.

The colours of burnt gold, rust brown and red are nothing if not upper class, and aristocratic Prince of Wales overcheck tartan turned up in all sorts of unlikely places.

You would think you were at a grouse shoot looking at some of the fabric Paul Smith, Agnes b, Officine Generale, Alexandre Mattiussi, Kolor, Loewe, Berluti and Haider Ackermann put out.

Upper crust dandies abounded, most memorably at Ann Demeulemeester, with pinstripes also figuring strongly even among such cutting edge labels as Christian Dada and Henrik Vibskov.

Trainers with everything

Overall, however, informality was king -- Paris being far too cool to be casual about anything. There was almost no formal wear at all apart from a handful of red-carpet two pieces at Agnes b and the odd outfit that might do at a stretch at Berluti, Ann Demeulemeester and Wooyoungmi.

Dress suits and evening wear appear to be over, trodden into the ground by the onward march of trainers, which were matched with everything from the couture heights of Dior to Balenciaga&#39;s Frankenstein office suits to Vuitton, no longer a synonym for well-heeled where footwear is concerned anyway.&nbsp;

(AFP)

The catwalks were focused on teens and twenty somethings. The hoodie conquered all and skate kid chic was everywhere

With Paris men's fashion week coming to an end Sunday night, we pick out five of the big trends in the autumn-winter collections: The young ones Youth may be wasted on the young, as Oscar Wilde once quipped, but style isn't, insisted the Paris shows, which went all-out to capture the hearts of millennials. Rarely have the catwalks been so focused on teens and twenty-somethings. The hoodie conquered all and skate kid chic was everywhere, with Japanese brand Facetasm going so far as to send its models out with what appeared to be fake acne. The slogans that ran through The Etudes, Lanvin and Chinese brand Sankuanz shows were pure teen spirit, "Never mind", "Nothing" and "Destroy". Dior's Kris Van Assche, whose show was a rallying call for a "new tailoring" aimed at the young, summed up the adolescent fascination. "I have always been drawn to the moment when boys become men and they are still clinging onto to dreams, desires and freedoms and haven't yet slipped into the straitjacket," he told AFP. Logos Not since the 1980s heydey of bling branding has fashion had such a fascination with logos. Dior, Loewe, Balenciaga, Andrea Crews, Louis Vuitton, Icosae and even tastemaker in chief Dries Van Noten went logo a go-go. Like much else these days you can blame/credit Georgian trendsetter Demna Gvasalia and his Vetements collective, who name-checked no less than 54 big brands in its last show. Gvasalia was up to his old logo banditry tricks in his show for Balenciaga, appropriating Bernie Sander's campaign logo, much to the US Democratic Party senator's amusement. There was less to smile about at Vuitton, where its collaboration with the super hip US street label Supreme had decidedly mixed reviews, with the New York Times calling it "the fashion version of a murder-suicide". Women everywhere This was supposed to be men's fashion week, but with so many women also on the catwalk you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Mixed and gender-fluid shows have been a thing for a while, but now it has almost become the rule to have a few women models in men's shows, much to the chagrin of some like Dior's Van Assche who claims men's clothes are losing definition. Once he builds that wall, maybe President Donald Trump could come over and help restore some male pride. He does after all have his own Trump men's clothing line. Vive the Establishment! The establishment may be a dirty word politically right now yet fashion can't get enough of its stuffy symbolism. The colours of burnt gold, rust brown and red are nothing if not upper class, and aristocratic Prince of Wales overcheck tartan turned up in all sorts of unlikely places. You would think you were at a grouse shoot looking at some of the fabric Paul Smith, Agnes b, Officine Generale, Alexandre Mattiussi, Kolor, Loewe, Berluti and Haider Ackermann put out. Upper crust dandies abounded, most memorably at Ann Demeulemeester, with pinstripes also figuring strongly even among such cutting edge labels as Christian Dada and Henrik Vibskov. Trainers with everything Overall, however, informality was king -- Paris being far too cool to be casual about anything. There was almost no formal wear at all apart from a handful of red-carpet two pieces at Agnes b and the odd outfit that might do at a stretch at Berluti, Ann Demeulemeester and Wooyoungmi. Dress suits and evening wear appear to be over, trodden into the ground by the onward march of trainers, which were matched with everything from the couture heights of Dior to Balenciaga's Frankenstein office suits to Vuitton, no longer a synonym for well-heeled where footwear is concerned anyway. (AFP)

Five top trends at Paris men's fashion week

The chauffeur of Kim Kardashian West, Michael Madar, has been released along with two others by the French police regarding the armed robbery of the former, last year in October.

The arrest of Madar had led to suspicions that the gang had inside information on Kardashian&#39;s movements.

The three will face no charges.

On suspicious grounds, 17 individuals were arrested by French police on Monday.

Among them were Michael Madar and his younger brother Gary Madar, both of whom work for the limo company used by Kim Kardashian.

Fourteen people remain in custody, including a 72-year-old who is suspected of being among the armed men who took part in the robbery.

Investigators believe they have detained five men who took part in the theft including a 72-year-old and a 60-year-old, both with long criminal records for robbery.

The police tracked down the suspects after finding DNA at the crime scene which led to a surveillance operation on the suspects.

A police source said that almost everyone arrested was known for organised crime.

The Paris robbery took place on October 3 when Kim Kardashian and her sisters were in town for Paris Fashion Week.&nbsp;

Five masked gunmen wearing police uniforms burst into her residence and tied her up during the robbery.

The haul was worth nine million euros?&nbsp;the biggest from an individual in France in two decades.

(WION with input from agncies)

French police arrested 17 individuals on suspicion grounds on Monday

The chauffeur of Kim Kardashian West, Michael Madar, has been released along with two others by the French police regarding the armed robbery of the former, last year in October. The arrest of Madar had led to suspicions that the gang had inside information on Kardashian's movements. The three will face no charges. On suspicious grounds, 17 individuals were arrested by French police on Monday. Among them were Michael Madar and his younger brother Gary Madar, both of whom work for the limo company used by Kim Kardashian. Fourteen people remain in custody, including a 72-year-old who is suspected of being among the armed men who took part in the robbery. Investigators believe they have detained five men who took part in the theft including a 72-year-old and a 60-year-old, both with long criminal records for robbery. The police tracked down the suspects after finding DNA at the crime scene which led to a surveillance operation on the suspects. A police source said that almost everyone arrested was known for organised crime. The Paris robbery took place on October 3 when Kim Kardashian and her sisters were in town for Paris Fashion Week. Five masked gunmen wearing police uniforms burst into her residence and tied her up during the robbery. The haul was worth nine million euros? the biggest from an individual in France in two decades. (WION with input from agncies)

Kim Kardashian's driver released from French police custody

They wear the world&#39;s most beautiful and expensive clothes yet their faces are the picture of blank boredom.

Why do fashion models always look so miserable?&nbsp;

&quot;You don&#39;t smile. It is just not done,&quot; said model Ty Ogunkoya as catwalk stars criss-crossed Paris for fashion week.

In his decade as a top model, the 26-year-old Nigerian-born Londoner has never once permitted himself a grin.&nbsp;

&quot;I have modelled for everyone, and no one has ever asked me to smile,&quot; he told AFP. &quot;To be honest, it would feel weird if I did.&quot;

&quot;When I walk I think about something sad, like when my cat died,&quot; added Klara, a 18-year-old Slovakian model. &quot;It was run over by a bus.&quot;

But do models really need to be so glum?

&quot;Never forget it is the clothes they are looking at and not you,&quot; Victoire Macon Dauxerre, a former model for Celine and Alexander McQueen, said she was told.

In her book, &quot;Never Thin Enough&quot;, she tells how she was warned to &quot;never, ever smile&quot;.

- &#39;It&#39;s so not done&#39; -

Her modelling agency&#39;s catwalk coach taught her how to get the perfect &quot;haughty killer look&quot; by slightly dropping her chin and lifting her eyes at the same time.

Rising young star Matthieu Villot told AFP the reason for the unspoken ban on smiling was clear.

&quot;They want to show the clothes and not our faces. If we smile we focus attention on our faces and not the clothes,&quot; said the 22-year-old medical student.

Ogunkoya said he had been never told not to smile but &quot;my whole preconception of modelling was moody guys and girls going down the runway... It is so not done they don&#39;t have to say.&quot;

Fashion historian Lydia Kamitsis said it was not always so.

The vogue for expressionless models is actually very recent, she said, dating from the rise of the Japanese designers Yohji Yamamoto and Commes des Garcon in the early 1980s.

&quot;This was also the period of the supermodels (Cindy Crawford, Imam and Elle Macpherson) who very much had their own personalties, and it was a reaction against this,&quot; she said.

&quot;In the 1960s, when collections were first presented as shows, models often smiled, laughed and even danced to music.

- Walking clothes hangers -

&quot;Now they are seen as walking clothes hangers. It&#39;s all about effacing their personality... the clothes are it.&quot;

Anthropologist Leyla Neri, the director of fashion at the New School Parsons Paris, agreed.

She dates the first appearance of moody, often scowling models to Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin in the 1960s.

It then sped up with the rise feminism and &quot;women&#39;s need to be taken seriously in their professional lives, so you see women striking strong, unsmiling poses in Armani suits&quot;.

&quot;Men have never smiled on the catwalk because they never have had to smile to please,&quot; Neri insisted.

&quot;In the 1950s models smiled all the time, in fact they were kind of living dolls,&quot; she added.

&quot;With emancipation and designers like Yves Saint Laurent you get more a androgynous look, and women became more masculine and powerful.&quot;

Contemporary designers have an &quot;even more minimalist vision&quot;, Neri argued. &quot;They want the most neutral faces and bodies possible to show their work.

&quot;They do not see their models as an ideal of beauty any longer. That is something that the public has not quite understood.&quot;

Every few years, however, iconoclasts like French designer Jean Paul Gaultier send models out smiling.

Indian creator Manish Arora also cheers things up by casting his bohemian friends.

And several models ended up beaming through British designer Paul Smith&#39;s last Paris menswear show.

&quot;I didn&#39;t tell them to smile,&quot; he told AFP afterwards. &quot;I have nothing against smiling. If the clothes make them happy, go for it,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Villot, who took part in that show but didn&#39;t dare a smile, said models are often afraid to look too happy in case they end up looking ridiculous.

&quot;The serious face you can do every time, but if you smile you don&#39;t know how you are going to look.&quot;&nbsp;

Ogunkoya agreed. &quot;It&#39;s easier to just walk and zone out. Smiling is definitely more of a challenge.&quot;

But would he smile if asked? &quot;Why not? You get asked to do the most random things in this job.&quot;

(AFP)

The vogue for expressionless models is actually very recent, said fashion historian Lydia Kamitsis. It started in the 1980s

They wear the world's most beautiful and expensive clothes yet their faces are the picture of blank boredom. Why do fashion models always look so miserable? "You don't smile. It is just not done," said model Ty Ogunkoya as catwalk stars criss-crossed Paris for fashion week. In his decade as a top model, the 26-year-old Nigerian-born Londoner has never once permitted himself a grin. "I have modelled for everyone, and no one has ever asked me to smile," he told AFP. "To be honest, it would feel weird if I did." "When I walk I think about something sad, like when my cat died," added Klara, a 18-year-old Slovakian model. "It was run over by a bus." But do models really need to be so glum? "Never forget it is the clothes they are looking at and not you," Victoire Macon Dauxerre, a former model for Celine and Alexander McQueen, said she was told. In her book, "Never Thin Enough", she tells how she was warned to "never, ever smile". - 'It's so not done' - Her modelling agency's catwalk coach taught her how to get the perfect "haughty killer look" by slightly dropping her chin and lifting her eyes at the same time. Rising young star Matthieu Villot told AFP the reason for the unspoken ban on smiling was clear. "They want to show the clothes and not our faces. If we smile we focus attention on our faces and not the clothes," said the 22-year-old medical student. Ogunkoya said he had been never told not to smile but "my whole preconception of modelling was moody guys and girls going down the runway... It is so not done they don't have to say." Fashion historian Lydia Kamitsis said it was not always so. The vogue for expressionless models is actually very recent, she said, dating from the rise of the Japanese designers Yohji Yamamoto and Commes des Garcon in the early 1980s. "This was also the period of the supermodels (Cindy Crawford, Imam and Elle Macpherson) who very much had their own personalties, and it was a reaction against this," she said. "In the 1960s, when collections were first presented as shows, models often smiled, laughed and even danced to music. - Walking clothes hangers - "Now they are seen as walking clothes hangers. It's all about effacing their personality... the clothes are it." Anthropologist Leyla Neri, the director of fashion at the New School Parsons Paris, agreed. She dates the first appearance of moody, often scowling models to Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin in the 1960s. It then sped up with the rise feminism and "women's need to be taken seriously in their professional lives, so you see women striking strong, unsmiling poses in Armani suits". "Men have never smiled on the catwalk because they never have had to smile to please," Neri insisted. "In the 1950s models smiled all the time, in fact they were kind of living dolls," she added. "With emancipation and designers like Yves Saint Laurent you get more a androgynous look, and women became more masculine and powerful." Contemporary designers have an "even more minimalist vision", Neri argued. "They want the most neutral faces and bodies possible to show their work. "They do not see their models as an ideal of beauty any longer. That is something that the public has not quite understood." Every few years, however, iconoclasts like French designer Jean Paul Gaultier send models out smiling. Indian creator Manish Arora also cheers things up by casting his bohemian friends. And several models ended up beaming through British designer Paul Smith's last Paris menswear show. "I didn't tell them to smile," he told AFP afterwards. "I have nothing against smiling. If the clothes make them happy, go for it," he said. Villot, who took part in that show but didn't dare a smile, said models are often afraid to look too happy in case they end up looking ridiculous. "The serious face you can do every time, but if you smile you don't know how you are going to look." Ogunkoya agreed. "It's easier to just walk and zone out. Smiling is definitely more of a challenge." But would he smile if asked? "Why not? You get asked to do the most random things in this job." (AFP)

Why top fashion models never smile

&quot;Don&#39;t put your daughter on the stage,&quot; Noel Coward, the great chronicler of the follies of fashion, once warned in his song &quot;Mrs. Worthington&quot;. 
 
His advice has not quite made it to the catwalk, where nearly a dozen little girls toddled down the runways of the Paris haute couture shows on Wednesday. 
 
French designer Franck Sorbier dressed up half a kindergarten class as little tsarinas with fez-like pillbox hats and red fur-trimmed cloaks as a colourful contrast to the mourning weeds of his aristocratic Russian black widows. 
 
And Elie Saab, whose ball gowns are often the thing of little girls&#39; princess fantasies, also sent two children out as mini-me versions of their catwalk mothers trailing clouds of organza, feathers, and glitter. 
 
Other trends spotted on the runway: 
 
Waders for madam? 
 
Wellington boots have been awfully stylish for some time now. But who in their wildest dreams who would have thought that fishermen&#39;s waders would too? 
 
After the trendsetting French brand Vetements set jaws dropping with their silk Manolo Blahnik stiletto waders that reach right to the ribs on Sunday, John Galliano went full rubber Wednesday. 
 
The English-born designer has long been in love with a very 18th-century kind of aristocratic anarchy, and in his new collection for Maison Margiela, his fantasy punk duchesses went to the ball in wellies. 
 
A wench who seemed like she has just led the storming of the Bastille powered down the runway in waders under an Empire line gown, while another in a pirate tricorne hat waded ashore in search of booty. 
 
&quot;A sense of the incredible and the impossible spins throughout the collection&quot;, Galliano wrote in his notes, adding that his &quot;fantasy is tempered by the jarring authenticity of today&#39;s reality.&quot; 
 
&quot;Napoleon and Josephine meet skate culture,&quot; quipped the New York Times&#39; Vanessa Friedman on Twitter. 
 
Squared shoulders: 
 
Although little of haute couture -- which is destined for the wardrobes of the world&#39;s richest women -- filters down to the malls, you can be sure that you will be seeing squared shoulders on the high street this winter. 
 
Fashion&#39;s top table, Chanel, Dior, and Giorgio Armani, all pushed their shoulders out in their new collections, and the trend which has also been percolating through the men&#39;s shows last week&nbsp;seems unstoppable. 
 
In what will almost certainly be her last collection for the Italian house Valentino before taking over at Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri added the merest of puff shoulders to the odd dress. But she would not be deflected from her glorious recreation of a Renaissance court, all ruffs, regality, and silk breeches. 
 
If this is the sort of unstated grandeur she will bring to Dior, Paris will gladly open its gates to its new queen. 
 
Back to the woods: 
 
That eternal sprite Jean Paul Gaultier ran deep into the Japanese forest for inspiration for his show. And by the amount of fur he put on the catwalk, he probably came back via Siberia. 
 
With the world the way it is, we need &quot;to breathe the air, get away from it all, and get closer to nature,&quot; he told AFP. 
 
With a palate of deep bark-coloured coppery reds and browns, he dressed his women like wood spirits and fairy queens, their faces framed by haloes of fur or wool. 
 
Others seem&nbsp;to have escaped from some Middle Earth, though even in their wildest fantasies no Hobbit noblewoman would ever dream of looking this good. 
 
Dutch pair Viktor &amp; Rolf also embraced nature and the idea of the found and reused, describing their equally romantic crafty collection as being &quot;alive with cascading blossoms... and metallic dragonflies&quot;. 
 
In their crumpled Dr. Seuss top hats, their models looked like tramp princesses; and no less regal for being so. 
 
(AFP)

Franck Sorbier dressed up little girls as little tsarinas with fez-like pillbox hats and nearly a dozen little girls walked the runway

"Don't put your daughter on the stage," Noel Coward, the great chronicler of the follies of fashion, once warned in his song "Mrs. Worthington". His advice has not quite made it to the catwalk, where nearly a dozen little girls toddled down the runways of the Paris haute couture shows on Wednesday. French designer Franck Sorbier dressed up half a kindergarten class as little tsarinas with fez-like pillbox hats and red fur-trimmed cloaks as a colourful contrast to the mourning weeds of his aristocratic Russian black widows. And Elie Saab, whose ball gowns are often the thing of little girls' princess fantasies, also sent two children out as mini-me versions of their catwalk mothers trailing clouds of organza, feathers, and glitter. Other trends spotted on the runway: Waders for madam? Wellington boots have been awfully stylish for some time now. But who in their wildest dreams who would have thought that fishermen's waders would too? After the trendsetting French brand Vetements set jaws dropping with their silk Manolo Blahnik stiletto waders that reach right to the ribs on Sunday, John Galliano went full rubber Wednesday. The English-born designer has long been in love with a very 18th-century kind of aristocratic anarchy, and in his new collection for Maison Margiela, his fantasy punk duchesses went to the ball in wellies. A wench who seemed like she has just led the storming of the Bastille powered down the runway in waders under an Empire line gown, while another in a pirate tricorne hat waded ashore in search of booty. "A sense of the incredible and the impossible spins throughout the collection", Galliano wrote in his notes, adding that his "fantasy is tempered by the jarring authenticity of today's reality." "Napoleon and Josephine meet skate culture," quipped the New York Times' Vanessa Friedman on Twitter. Squared shoulders: Although little of haute couture -- which is destined for the wardrobes of the world's richest women -- filters down to the malls, you can be sure that you will be seeing squared shoulders on the high street this winter. Fashion's top table, Chanel, Dior, and Giorgio Armani, all pushed their shoulders out in their new collections, and the trend which has also been percolating through the men's shows last week seems unstoppable. In what will almost certainly be her last collection for the Italian house Valentino before taking over at Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri added the merest of puff shoulders to the odd dress. But she would not be deflected from her glorious recreation of a Renaissance court, all ruffs, regality, and silk breeches. If this is the sort of unstated grandeur she will bring to Dior, Paris will gladly open its gates to its new queen. Back to the woods: That eternal sprite Jean Paul Gaultier ran deep into the Japanese forest for inspiration for his show. And by the amount of fur he put on the catwalk, he probably came back via Siberia. With the world the way it is, we need "to breathe the air, get away from it all, and get closer to nature," he told AFP. With a palate of deep bark-coloured coppery reds and browns, he dressed his women like wood spirits and fairy queens, their faces framed by haloes of fur or wool. Others seem to have escaped from some Middle Earth, though even in their wildest fantasies no Hobbit noblewoman would ever dream of looking this good. Dutch pair Viktor & Rolf also embraced nature and the idea of the found and reused, describing their equally romantic crafty collection as being "alive with cascading blossoms... and metallic dragonflies". In their crumpled Dr. Seuss top hats, their models looked like tramp princesses; and no less regal for being so. (AFP)

Children: Paris haute couture week's latest accessory