"After the events of the last two weeks I feel that it is appropriate that I show my work here instead of continuing my previous plan to show in Paris," Lang explained.

"I feel very strongly that the spirit and the courage of the people of New York is a call to demonstrate our support in each of our various ways," he continued. "Presenting the Helmut Lang collection here is our way of supporting business in New York."

Lang also plans to present the collection to media and buyers via the Internet, CD-ROM, look books and show tapes, as he did with considerable success back in 1998, the first time a fashion house staged a show on the Web.

Preparations for this collection by Lang were seriously disrupted by the World Trade Center attack. His headquarters are located on Greene Street in Soho, and office computers were down for much of the past two weeks.

"I will miss all my friends from the international press in Paris, but I am sure that everybody will understand that I have to be in New York right now; there will be another time for me in Paris," Lang said.

Lang's move from Vienna to New York in 1998 was seen as proof of New York's role as a vital, creative center for fashion. His subsequent decision to stage his presentation in his new hometown in early September, before the European seasons, was shortly followed by major New York designers, and radically changed international fashion. New York has shown before London, Milan and Paris ever since.

Thus, Lang's announcement last June that he planned to return to show in Paris shook up the New York design world, even though Lang had showed in the European capital for over a decade before moving to America.

"It's an understandable decision, and the right one for him," said Didier Grumbach, president of the Chambre Syndicale, French fashion's governing body.

"I know Helmut very much wanted to show in Paris, but the moment didn't feel right for him," added Grumbach. Lang's time slot on Saturday morning will almost certainly be filled by a designer currently showing "off" the official schedule.

As reported, Lanvin and Louis Feraud have also called off their runway shows in Paris. These cancellations, however, were primarily due to the recent acquisitions of both houses by new investors. Cerruti has also cancelled its Paris presentation.

Grumbach stressed that Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe still plans to go ahead with a fashion soiree for some 2,000 in City Hall on Friday, October 12. "Clearly, there won't be any dancing, though we will have a glass of Moet."

The Milan season opened Monday under tight security, with an increased police presence and metal detectors at the entrance to the Fiera, the fairgrounds where many shows are staged.