Its recently released calendar for the March collections reveals that all of the shows in the opening seven days concentrate on the Right Bank of the Seine.

"The biggest headache that editors and buyers faced was sitting in traffic for several hours every day. Our new schedule should significantly reduce that time," Didier Grumbach, president of the Chambre, French fashion's governing body, told FWD.

With the exception of Dries Van Noten and Zucca, who both will show in the Ecole des Beaux Arts, every designer is scheduled to show on the Right Bank.

However, Grumbach denies suggestions that Paris was in any way abbreviating its schedule.

"We have ten to twelve for the first seven days. That doesn't sound shorter to me. More and more people want to show here and the numbers keep growing," Grumbach said.

The Chambre president noted that 90 percent of shows will be concentrated in these locations: The Carrousel du Louvre, Union des Arts Decoratifs, Petit Palais, Palais de Tokyo, Espace Ephemere Trocadero.

Several designers had apparently responded to requests from Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour that they stage their collection early in the Paris season that runs from Thursday March 7 to Friday March 15.

"We know that Madame Wintour is leaving on Tuesday night. She told us so. She will see the collections she wants. We cannot concentrate more," said Grumbach, expressing some surprise that the Vogue honcho didn't want to stay longer.

"Let's not forget that three new designers will debut on Wednesday -- Jacques Fath, Leonard and Jean-Louis Scherrer," he noted.