Benetton celebrates fortieth in style

Paris - Benetton celebrated its 40th anniversary with a huge runway show in Paris' Pompidou Center and a gala dinner Tuesday, October 10th that featured a memorably inspired performance by Patti Smith.

Benetton flew in plane loads of editors - everyone from Robert Verdi of New York to Kerstin Schneider of German Elle - packing out a giant custom-made show space on the ground floor of Europe's most visited modern art museum.

Think the United Colors of Benetton done mega large, as a natty casting of uber babes marched down the enormous catwalk before an appreciative audience, many of them wearing that anonymous uniform of the Italian middle-level executive, gray cool wool suits, knee socks, super-polished shoes and shiny silk tie.

It was a family affair, where Luciano, Giuliana, Gilberto and Carlo Benetton took a long stroll together down the runway to a standing ovation, a prolonged moment of cheering for the world's biggest fashion brand. Benetton, with 5,000 stores in 120 countries makes H&M or Zara look, well, kinda' small.

The place was so packed, Formula One honcho Flavio Briatore even had to stand with his leggy date, and eldest brother Luciano sat in the second row. Make Benetton the most democratic brand - when was the last time you saw the president of a French house do that?

"I had no other choice," Luciano cracked to FWD backstage after the show. "There were so many people, it was either that row or none."

Cannily styled by London lad Karl Templar and slickly sound-tracked by ace DJ Frederic Sanchez, the show had just the right rhythm.

"The Pompidou invited us and we're delighted to be here to thank everyone for all their contributions. When I think how much the press has written about us, and how much you all helped, it's amazes me," smiled Luciano, his full head of white hair giving him a suitably ducal air.

The actual clothes featured some natty takes on modern tribes - Amsterdam rave party goers, Covent Garden punks and Copenhagen Christiania hippies - with bright-hued takes on Argyle sweaters, chunky cable knits, wedge platforms in orange and green, plastic coated warrior tanks, granddad leggings, Matrix jackets and fab Laplanders sweaters. Nothing revolutionary, but damn good clobber. For the Nth show this season, Russian lovely Natasha Poly got to wear the best look - posh-punk jeans and furry sweater, ideal for intense clubbing.

One had to ask, however, has no one at Benetton ever witnessed the artiness of a Prada video-enhanced runway, a theatrical Alexander McQueen show or how cleverly Lanvin stages their shows? One could not help thinking that this show cried out for a multi-media layer to fully capture the four decades.

Post-show, the Venetian family, generously laid on some great fare - we'll never forget the red lettuce risotto, made to perfection, amazingly for 600 - and performances by the great Youssef Ndour and Smith.

Her spoken version of that great anthem "People Have the Power" made for an unforgettable moment and a stirring prose poem.