Hermes unveils its Paris show, as Ukraine’s designers unite

By THOMAS ADAMSON
AP Fashion Writer

PARIS (AP) — A giant glowing crystal rock evoked a glamorous alien planet for Hermes’ VIP guests at Saturday’s show at Paris Fashion Week. Earthen hues like browns, reds and yellows were used to to create designer Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski’s utilitarian, low key yet luxuriant universe for spring. Elsewhere, Ukraine’s top fashion designers used Paris Fashion Week to promote their war-battered industry. Designer Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood wove an aesthetic from yesteryear — medieval and renaissance nobles and peasants — into his drape-heavy silhouettes. And the late 1960s got a facelift in a collection from Elie Saab that featured babydoll dresses, miniskirts, psychedelia, crop-tops and jabot collars — but never lost that floaty, contemporary Saab touch.