Greetings From Paris

The fashionable jet set is so weary, darling. It's the final week in a month-long fashion show marathon that begins in New York and bounces to London and then Milan. But, hey, the last leg is Paris, so how bad can it be? Take a look at the latest for Spring/Summer 2008 from Paris Fashion Week. At left, on the runway at the Dior show on Oct. 1, 2007.

A Stylish Start For Fashion Week

John Galliano, designer for Christian Dior, blended androgynous tailoring with slinky Hollywood glamour in a show that might have been a tribute to screen siren Marlene Dietrich. At left, a model walks the runway during the Dior Spring/Summer 2008 ready-to-wear show in Paris on Oct. 1, 2007.

A Stylish Start For Fashion Week

Rapper Kanye West, arriving at the Dior fashion show with Alexis Phifer, approved of the Dior show's soundtrack, which included Billie Holiday. "I thought the presentation was beautiful, the way the music fit the clothes perfectly," said West, a regular at the Paris shows.

A Stylish Start For Fashion Week

Also in the front row at the Dior fashion show in Paris: British singer Sting, second from left, and his wife Trudie Styler, left.

A Stylish Start For Fashion Week

A model poses on the runway during the Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2008 ready-to-wear fashion show in Paris on Oct. 1, 2007.

A Stylish Start For Fashion Week

A model pauses on the runway in an evening outfit by designer John Galliano for the Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2008 ready-to-wear collection show in Paris on Oct. 1, 2007.

A Stylish Start For Fashion Week

Don't you just hate it when designers get all politically conscious? Vivienne Westwood used her Paris ready-to-wear show to protest a plan by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to increase the number of days terrorist suspects can be held without charge to 56. She called the collection "56" and wrapped some of the models in drapes bearing that number.

A Stylish Start For Fashion Week

At 66, the queen of punk fashion has kept her quirky edge. Her show, in a room in the Louvre art museum, featured padded hips and bustiers in day-glo colors. Here, models walk the runway during the Vivienne Westwood Spring/Summer 2008 ready-to-wear show in Paris on Oct. 1, 2007.

A Stylish Start For Fashion Week

Who knows what this is supposed to be all about. A model wears an attractive print dress with a goofy headdress during British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood's Spring/Summer 2008 ready-to-wear show in Paris on Oct. 1, 2007.

A Stylish Start For Fashion Week

This must be Vivien Westwood's attempt to show she's still got punk. A model walks the runway in a fringed spangled bikini and a childish T-shirt during the designer's Spring/Summer 2008 ready-to-wear show in Paris on Oct. 1, 2007.

A Stylish Start For Fashion Week

Meanwhile, French designer Christophe Decarnin is reviving the House of Balmain, and giving it a more modern look. At left, a model shows a short dress during the Balmain Spring/Summer 2008 ready-to-wear show in Paris on Sept. 30, 2007.

A Stylish Start For Fashion Week

A model walks the runway in a dress by Christophe Decarnin during the Balmain Spring/Summer 2008 ready-to-wear collection show in Paris on Sept. 30, 2007.

A Stylish Start For Fashion Week

A model shows a dress by Christophe Decarnin during the Balmain Spring/Summer 2008 ready-to-wear show in Paris on Sept. 30, 2007.