Arizona Tribune - Hermes celebrates felt at Paris Fashion Week

The label sent out models in fitted designs with sharp cuts, small belts accentuating the waist and jackets with padded shoulders, bucking the oversized trend seen on many other catwalks over the last week.

Felt appeared first in mica grey or slate grey, paired with leather at the purpose-built venue in central Paris that was shaped like a horseshoe and decked out in brown felt.

The advantage of felt, which other brands like Marie Adam-Leenaerdt have also highlighted this Fashion Week, is "being able to work it like leather, cut it however you want", explained the house's designer, Nadege Vanhee.

The collection also featured short biker-style jackets and a bomber jacket.

At Vivienne Westwood on Saturday, creative director Andreas Kronthaler put British tailoring and the brand's trademark tweeds at the heart of the collection, declaring there was "nothing more sexy than a suit".

The jackets in muted greens, greys and mauve were large to the point of oversized with broad shoulder pads, paired with long ties that dragged on the floor.

The unisex show also featured male models in chunky pumps and over-the-knee heeled boots with heels, underlining the growing convergence between men's and women's fashion.

The appearance of several mountain outfits also pointed to the growing interest of luxury labels in the high-end ski apparel market.

One of the other big trends of the last week -- fake fur -- was clearly on show at Saturday's show by Lebanon-based Elie Saab.

French designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin unveiled what he called a more "mature" collection designed for both work and all-night dancing.

"You can be as talented, strong, and serious as possible, but you can also be sexy while doing it," he said.

E.Flores--AT