Dries Van Noten sparkles at Paris fashion

Belgian designer Dries Van Noten on Wednesday sent out a collection combining boxy men's tailoring with ostrich feathers and sequins in the show-stopping surroundings of Paris's Hotel de Ville.

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour was among the Belgian's many admirers who applauded from the front row.

Looks included a collegiate-style striped coat and scarf teamed with dark trousers and a delicate white blouse.

Another featured a red, white and blue flapper-style dress worn with a long polo neck sweater and brogues.

Elsewhere, tiering, ostrich feathers and sheer fabrics gave many of the skirts and dresses a floaty, super-feminine feel.

"It was like all those female embellishments invading the menswear, that was a little bit the idea behind it," Van Noten told reporters backstage after the show.

"I just clash them together and see what happens, so you have a big grey men's coat and then start to throw little diamonds on it and little feathers and just see. I think sometimes fashion is so serious," he said.

Meanwhile, Swedish cheap chic fashion giant H&M was later Wednesday due to stage its first ever Paris catwalk show, hard on the heels of its Helen Hunt Oscar coup.

Best supporting actress nominee Hunt bucked the trend for haute couture by teaming an enormous diamond necklace with a strapless navy blue H&M gown at last Sunday's ceremony.

The show, featuring 25 outfits for autumn/winter 2013 due in the shops by September, will take place in the equally spectacular surroundings of Paris's Rodin Museum dedicated to the works of French sculptor August Rodin.

The museum, which in the past has seen shows by such illustrious names such as Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior, was a "mythical place" perfectly suited to the chain's plan to make an impact and provide an element of surprise, it said in a statement, adding that the show could be seen live at www.hm.com

H&M has seen rapid recent expansion, including in China, with over 2,500 stores worldwide by the end of May 2012. Last year it opened stores in new markets Bulgaria, Mexico, Latvia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Wednesday is the second day of the Paris shows. The city is playing host to nearly 90 ready-to-wear collections and presentations over nine days, wrapping up on March 6.

The highlight of the week is expected on Thursday when New York star Alexander Wang holds his first show for Balenciaga, the illustrious avant-garde fashion house founded in 1919 and now one of the jewels in the crown of the PPR luxury group.

Wang, one of the hottest names in US fashion who also has his own label, was announced last December as the replacement for Nicolas Ghesquiere whose surprise departure came after 15 years with the French fashion house.PARIS, Feb 27, 2013 (AFP)