News Coverage:

I Love Paris in the Springtime

Any so it's clear that springtime has come to Paris.

The annual ritual of Fashion Week is set to begin late next week, with 90 officials shows spread over 8 days. Albeit, last minute change and speculation have left an air of uncertainty hanging on the horizon, much as the clouds of war that are still gathering.

When the Paris Ready-to-Wear shows ended in October, rising global tensions and an uncertain economy were troubling designers, buyers and business managers. Six months later, rising global tensions and an uncertain economy all seem déjà vu, as if time has been frozen for six months.

To the mix this time, the diplomatic chill in Franco-American relations has Fashionista on both sides of the Atlantic increasingly nervous.

In Paris this week, speculation has boiled over once again about the future of Julien McDonald at Givenchy, a troubled House with floundering sales. Rose Torrente-Mett made a sudden exit from Torrente, while the House cancelled its show. Ritu Berry, either quit, or was forced out, as designer for Scherrer Ready-to-Wear late last year, and that house never even bothered to schedule a show.

Kenzo, as well as Gilles Rosier, are missing from the official list, while Christian Lacroix has announced plans for a "working session" in the atelier in place of a runway show.

Balmain has opted to dramatically reduce guests, in a move widely regarded as damage control in the wake of uneven reception of its Haute Couture collection last January.

Still other names, those that form the heart of Paris couture, Chanel, Dior, Ungaro, Valentino and Jean-Paul Gaultier, are showing as scheduled.

In a fateful turn, that is sure to add even more incertitude to the Rites of Spring, the United Nations Security Council has scheduled a vote on the latest Iraq resolution for the second day of shows.

But as this is Paris, the world of beauty can not lie far beneath the veil: so as the world's fashion press, buyers and enthusiasts assemble, an air of celebration is blowing in the wind.

Spring has come: the season when the world loves Paris most of all.

* Review Only - Photos not available.