Marc Jacobs takes timely approach

Paris fashion week finished on a high note with strong shows from Louis Vuitton, John Galliano and Lanvin. A slimmer, post-rehab Marc Jacobs had fashion writers and celebrity guests like Maggie Gyllenhaal, Sofia Coppola and Dita von Teese scrambling for their seats when he appeared on the catwalk to launch the Louis Vuitton show. The label's creative director was determined to start on time - or no more than a fashionable 15 minutes late - after being criticised last year for two-hour delays.

According to Jacobs (pictured with models), hips are the new erogenous zone with drop-waisted coats and flouncy skirts. Black dominated along with chocolate, cream, pale mint and camel. "The kinky, cartoonish feel of last season's collection, on which he collaborated with the artist Richard Prince, was replaced by something more serious and luxurious," wrote Carola Long in the Independent.

New Yorker Jacobs said backstage that the show was inspired by his American passion for Paris: "I adore Sarkozy, I adore Carla Bruni, the Eiffel Tower is almost in my garden. To me this was a vision of what a French fashion show used to be like." (Continued below)

Earlier in the weekend, British designer John Galliano showed lavish designs that recalled the turn-of-the-century Belle Epoque and the Twenties. At Lanvin, designer Alber Elbaz showed silk cocktail dresses in black and inky blue.