PARIS, Oct 9, 2004/ FW/ --- It’s a free spirited bohemian summer for Paco Rabanne as Rosemary Rodriguez made references to the hippie movement of the 1960s with its eclectic influences converging into a youth subculture that changed the world.

And in this auspicious moment, Rosemary Rodriguez is also blazing a new trail for the House of Paco Rabanne, which is known for the use of high-tech materials and fabrics as she incorporates natural materials such as shell, and eco-friendly fabrics such as cotton, linen and washed silk into the collection.

The metal lace waistcoat and vests are worn over pre-washed cotton voile and cotton satin, a union of the old and the new, resulting into a distinctive look that will probably be the new Paco Rabanne.

Shells, glass beads and feathers are turned into breastplates. With the breastplate as one of the signature looks of the House usually done in metal and plastic is now made of natural materials, Rosemary Rodriguez’s juxtaposition of these seeming disparate elements again brings Paco Rabanne into a new age.

And like the free spirited theme of the collection, the designer’s maverick thinking echoes the nonconformist attitude of Mr. Paco Rabanne himself that launched a new attitude towards fashion during the 1960s.

As Rosemary Rodriguez went back to the decade where her mentor made fashion history, Rodriguez writes a new page in the Paco Rabanne history book with this collection.

Spring / Summer 2005 will be remembered as a very refreshing, striking and memorable collection by Rosemary Rodriguez. For the avid Paco Rabanne fans, it will be one of those collectibles that they would surely want to get their hands on.

The audience, recognizing the House’s change of tempo, and in a way, the revolutionary thinking that Rosemary Rodriguez brought this season gave the designer a standing ovation at the end of the show.

And in another good omen from the fashion gods, the designer’s three-year old toddler who was probably following her seemed to come out from nowhere and walked the runway ahead of her.

The audience was all smiles during this propitious moment for the sweetness and preciousness of a child just learning how to walk.

This I would take as another good portent from the fashion gods as the House of Paco Rabanne trail blazes a new road for itself.

Paco Rabanne

Paco Rabanne

Paco Rabanne

Paco Rabanne