Fashion peaks in three major shows

A model presents creations for Valentino. [Photo by Bertrand Guay/AFP]

Lancome is paying tribute to fashion house Sonia Rykiel with a party to mark its new collaboration on a makeup brand.

At the exclusive Ecole Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris' storied Left Bank, the Parisian cosmetic giant is hosting a celebrity-filled event called the Club Saint-Germain party.

Award-winning film director Jacques Audiard, Spanish actress Adriana Ugarte and models including Coco Rocha are among the headlining VIPs.

The event - with stunning and surprising scenography - features a live performance by three internationally-renowned music artists under the artistic direction of French artist Andre.

Elie Saab goes classic

Old-school Hollywood glamour was back in vogue at Elie Saab's fall collection.

It injected the fashion calendar with the most archetypally couture show seen all season.

Saab, like other couture masters, plays with his own rulebook and need not pay heed to the wearable trends of the season.

Split leg, floor length sensuality was the order of the day.

A velvet royal blue evening gown was given a twist, with asymmetrical feather-like detailing at the shoulder and waist.

It complemented a brooding palette of dark and often sheer materials with the signature Saab cinched-waisted hour glass vava-voom silhouettes.

One highlight was a mother and daughter couture ensemble in gray, modeled simultaneously.

Flashes of art nouveau patterning were the season's added ingredient, evoking the graphic sensuality of Gustav Klimt.

The creative musing reached its climax in a traffic-stopping floor-length textured ball gown. It had fashion insiders reaching for their cameras with its blissful couture embroidering of thousands of blue and cream flowers.