PARIS, Jan 22, 2003/ FW/ --- "The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks!" wrote Tennessee Williams in Camino Real. That particularly poignant phrase, which has also become the epithet for the playwright, could well be applied to this first couture show of the Spring 2003 Season.

Somewhere, last weekend, somewhere between the runways of Paris and the large anti-war protests of Washington staged on the weekend honoring Martin Luther King, the wind subtly changed. Wars and rumors of wars fell briefly silent, and perhaps after all, the first flowers of spring have broken through the stone.

The House of Torrente chose the theme of a garden party for its Haute Couture collection, and appropriately, pink and red sprays of roses, ginger, orchids and snapdragons framed the raspberry-colored runway.

Holding firmly to a classic approach to couture, Madame Torrente-Mett and her assistants in the atelier, sent out a very soft, and very feminine collection that could not have better reflected the chosen theme.

The color scheme was forest green, dark plum, lavender, rose and even marigold, with sequins often applied to fabric to produce a glistening effect, resembling dew. Rose and hibiscus patterns found their way onto tops and slacks, and day dresses, while sequined palm fronds sparkled atop chiffon for evening.

The show followed a leisurely pace with the daywear first down the runway set up in the gold-framed Imperial Room of the Hôtel Intercontinental. The collection was at all times sumptuous, with certain gowns voluptuous enough to make even Valentino envious.

Some of the excessive floral motif, though, verged on an English "church lady" look, so much so that the Queen herself probably could have worn some of the pieces, in an altered state.

On the other hand, one especially gorgeous evening dress was sewn of rose sequined leaves over faded pink taffeta. The same style was also applied with black sequins in a gown with a stiff taffeta collar. Yet another scalloped evening dress in weightless lavender chiffon was worn with a metallic belt falling low on the hips.

As the music changed to strains of Handel's Xerxes, in a rather emotional moment, the wedding dress of tulip-red silk imprinted with floral bouquets glistened subtly in the lighting, as a young model came nervously down the runway.

In other news, the House of Torrente continues its expansion, with a men's line scheduled for release in late January. For February, the French Postal service choice Torrente to design a stamp to celebrate Valentine's Day, with no less than five first class postage stamps were enclosed as a gift in the program. And then in April, the House will launch a new fragrance "Gold of Torrente."

Things are certainly looking up, and you can almost smell spring in the air!