PARIS, Oct 2, 2007/ FW/ --- Take the Parisian ‘bourgeoises’ with silk dresses or jersey jumpers and give them a crash course in mechanics, not a theoretical one – a real one, in the middle of tires, mufflers, and exhaust pipes. Put them in a garage and teach them all the secrets of connecting rods, spark plugs and lubricating oils. Have them intern at some sewage or trash collecting company in a big city. You’ll have then an idea of Jeremy Scott’s inspiration for his Spring 2008 collection, presented today in Paris and expected on the evening of October 17th at the Los Angeles Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

Apart from the fact that automobiles and fashion can easily be connected -as seen in the very last sentence by pure chance-, Jeremy Scott has proposed the most unique pieces for next summer. The wilderness of city back alleys was very aesthetically rendered by the setting of the runway show at the Elysée Montmartre, a Parisian club famous for its mythic themed nights, since the techno and electro music eras have hit the dance floor.

However, as Jeremy Scott never does it like any other, what could have been a great idea for clubwear, has been treated here on daywear garments with all the characteristics of elegance. Although the models had all been made up -men and women alike- as if they came out of the bad end of a mud slinging contest, although the girls were nearly all wearing wide hats in the shape and print of a trashcan lid over their impeccable hair buns, although their accessories looked like they were cut in a tire for a belt or in the shape of a cross-point truss screw for earrings, their poses at the end of the catwalk were so Chanel, so Mugler, so Dior, that there was a strange elegant and sexy roughness attached to this presentation.

Based on the unheard of juxtaposition of dirty waste and delicate charmeuse silk, Jeremy Scott has created a kind of new muse for the 21st century. She can wear a refined light coat-dress with tire prints, a big jersey jumper loaded with many-colored international road signs and a wrench-like bracelet, a fantastic pair of very slim fitted pants of orange cotton denim boasting an oversize ruler print.

A beige tanker displays a black print of a paintbrush and a spanner, many dresses in the same shades are printed with the marks of heavy boot soles, but in all these looks, the elegant cuts and refined materials cleverly clash with the print and with the accessories. For instance, a very elaborate pleated shirt front plays with a wide ruler print on a pencil skirt, a see-trough blouson jacket of black organza reveals a tanker with tire print worn under it, a sewage piping pattern embellishes a long-sleeved shirt-dress with bow tie.

Only the bride, at whose side Jeremy Scott took his bow, was probably meant for the runway only: a trash can dress, complete with handles, topped by a tulle veil worn under a worker’s hard hat, was certainly not meant to trespass the threshold of any temple escorted by her father…

However, there is always much wit and style in these garments which, far from being reserved to club kids and label whores this season, could cater to the needs of city daywear with a plus. Eccentric, yes, but with thought; outrageous, of course, but always savvy; daring, certainly, and reserved only to whoever has enough self-assurance to transgress classicism with intelligence.