Don't mess with Mugler - celebrity support in the form of Lady Gaga for French label Thierry Mugler.
Although not present in person, Gaga premiered her new movie at the start of the label's spring/summer collection at Paris Fashion Week.
Gaga's good friend and stylist Nicola Formichetti is the French label's creative director and, like the pop star herself, the show that followed was dramatic and different.
It featured cut outs, deconstruction and asymmetric shapes that appeared uncut or unfinished at the ends.
This was Ken Downing of U.S. department store Neiman Marcus's verdict.
SOUNDBITE: Ken Downing, Senior Vice President an fashion director at u.s. department store Neiman Marcus, saying (English):
"It's interesting to see the techno fabric, but done in a very organic so you had something that was done in a very modern but also something coming from the seam. What about the movie, with Gaga at the beginning? I guess we're not going to mess with Mugler. That's not exactly what what she said but I won't use those words. No one's going to mess with Mugler after that. It was a great show."
An opening message to remember with a collection warmly received.
There were also cocoon-like shapes - calfskin and neoprene fabrics dominated, and while usually used for wetsuits, when stretched across the body they looked like a second skin.
Serbian-Australian transgender model Andrej Pejic watched the presentation.
SOUNDBITE: Transgender model Andrej Pejic, saying (English):
"I think it was beautiful. I think the clothes were very wearable and very commercially viable. But at the same time there were some nice references to the original Thierry Mugler, which I'm a huge fan of."
The showcase ended in equally dramatic fashion. What began with a range of white and tan colours finished with black evening wear.
Paris Fashion Week runs until October 5th. Other highlights expected over the coming days will be the catwalks of fashion heavyweights such as Dior, Lanvin and Louis Vuitton as well as those of Cacharel, Chloe and Kenzo, all of which have had new appointments at their creative helm recently.
Kathi Urban, Reuters.
