PARIS, Feb 1, 2003/ FW/ -- Xavier Delcour had the misfortune to follow the Helmut Lang show on Sunday afternoon, and so he had the unpleasant task of captivating an audience still reflecting on the strokes of a master.

In an old theatre in Montmartre, on a runway bathed in red lighting, this young Frenchman who is based in Brussels sent out an all black collection for fall 2003.

There is a growing interest in Delcour's work, and each season the crowd gets thicker.

And each year, the hard hitting shows pack a lot of heat.

Teenage models sashayed down the runway cockily sporting hairstyles that resembled a James Dean bad-boy-of-the-50s look.

The all black collection was, as usual, heavily into leather.

It was shredded, fringed and woven, falling from the arms, coattails and backs in cascades.

Erotic half-shirts were deconstructed to cover just the upper chest, and ruffles found their way enigmatically onto knit shirts.

Hip hugging pants and snazzy trenches helped turn up the heat on a chilly winter afternoon.

Despite a beautifully cut thin lapel suit, most of the collection had a course edge, too heavily grounded in Goth.

The T-shirts emblazoned with "Encore" meant just that, because we've seen it all too many times before.

Too much of the same thing gets old fast.