The Paris Report

That fashion is still in 50s mode was evident at the Paris autumn/winter shows. From Celine's circle skirts to the boxy jackets at Dior, designers are still inspired by all things heritage and twee.

Referential to the past, Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent was an inspiration of YSL's Opium collection, while Jean Paul Gaultier at Hermes drew on the French Luxury House's past of horses and leather, to create the finest of leather jackets and luminous printed scarves.

At Balenciaga, Nicholas Ghesquiere mixed inside with the outside, to create interesting conceptual pieces such as shrunken knits and little bolero jackets, though greatly received by press, the clothes are perhaps not as commercial as the lovely cocktail suits and dresses at Rochas, where Olivier Theyskens played with contrasting materials and volume.

Helmut Lang took his conceptual ideas one step further this season, to create an even more abstract collection with skirts that flipped up at the back to become a cape. Alexander McQueen left his penchant for theatrics at home, and let the clothes speak for themselves. Soft and subtle leopard print chiffons were teamed with shearlings.

That fashion is stuck in a time zone and anchored in a safe haven is evident. Across the globe, designers have brought back the glamour of the past but not moved forward as in past seasons. Perhaps this is echoing the mood of consumers, where 2004 is yet another year of uncertainty and economic unrest. Fashion should be interesting and inspiring in these times. And as Vanessa Friedman of FT recently quipped after the Paris shows: why should designers re-write someone else's history when they are still in the midst of creating their own?