Models wear creations for the Yamamoto Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show in Paris, Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
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Women in sunglasses and body-hugging designs sashayed down a sleek, black runway beneath an Eiffel Tower glowing orange in the night.
Wisps of fringe swished from the hem of a lemon-yellow creation, its model clutching a shiny handbag adorned with safety pins.
The eyes of the couture world were fixed even more than usual on France's always-chic capital in recent days, as designers showed off their latest work for Paris Fashion Week after going mostly virtual for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While most of this season's 97 shows remained online as the country recovers from another wave of COVID-19 infections in the summer, about a third did opt for a physical return to the runway, including industry heavyweights from Chanel and Hermes to Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Laurent.
They chose an eclectic collection of iconic backdrops - alongside the Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral and serene Seine River; the tree-lined 16th-century Tuileries Garden in central Paris; the glassy, bulbous orb of La Seine Musicale concert complex. After one show in the fashionable Le Marais district, models strutted into the streets outside to enthusiastic cheers from surprised bystanders.
On hand were thousands of camera-happy onlookers as well as New York fashion editors newly able to cross the Atlantic after pandemic travel restrictions between Europe and the United States were relaxed.
The event also wasn't lacking for star power, with the likes of Gillian Anderson, Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Catherine Deneuve, Roger Federer, Giveon, Vanessa Kirby, Demi Moore and Rosamund Pike making appearances.
French first lady Brigitte Macron joined top officials one evening at the Hotel des Invalides for the showing of a new collection by Italian designer Fabio Porlod featuring female amputees and women who have been injured. The Defense Ministry called the initiative 'œpart of a charity evening whose funds raised will improve the living environment of seriously wounded war victims, victims of attacks and people hospitalized at the National Institution of Invalides.'ť
Models wear creations for Saint Laurent Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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A model, who is an amputee, has her dress adjusted prior to the 'Victoire, on defile!' (Victory, we walk!) fashion show, at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris, Wednesday, Sept. 29 2021. A new collection by Italian designer Fabio Porlod will feature female amputees and women who have been injured. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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A model wears a creation for Saint Laurent Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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A model wears a creation for Saint Laurent Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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French President's wife Brigitte Macron, left, and Secretary of State in charge of People with Disabilities Sophie Cluzel, right, applaud an amputee model during the 'Victoire, on defile!' (Victory, we walk!) fashion show, at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris, Wednesday, Sept. 29 2021. A new collection by Italian designer Fabio Porlod will feature female amputees and women who have been injured. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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A model wears a creation for Acne Studios Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
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A model wears a creation for Rick Owens' Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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Olivier Rousteing, center, accepts applause as he walks with models at the conclusion of the Balmain Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show in Paris, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
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A model wears a creation for the Valentino Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show in Paris, Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
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A model wears a creation for Acne Studios Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
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A model wears a creation for Saint Laurent Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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Models wear creations for Acne Studios Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
The Associated Press
Models wear creations for Saint Laurent Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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Models wear creations for the Isabel Marant Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show in Paris, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
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A model wears a creation for Rick Owens' Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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Models wear creations for the Dior Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
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Models wear creations for Rick Owens' Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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