Paris fashion week started off on the wrong stiletto with a nationwide strike of public transport systems. Taxis in Paris are not as abundant as they are in London, and fashion editors arrived late at the Spring Summer 2006 shows as walking or indeed taking the metro, are not viable options.

But despite this set back, Paris fashion showed it was a country to reckoned with for cutting-edge style. Jean Paul Gaultier cultivated a ‘down-on-the-farm’ look for summer 2006, while Balenciaga harked back to its Spanish origins and Naoki Takizawa was inspired by bamboo forests for Issey Miyake.

At Balenciaga, France’s Nicolas Ghesquiere likes to revive ideas from the Spanish couturier’s archives and overhaul them to create a fresh 21st century look, and for this ready-to-wear it was no different. Taking the basics that made Cristobal Balenciaga a genius of cut, as well as Spanish renaissance, the young Frenchman’s collection was as light as a breath of fresh air and technically impressive.

Naoki Takizawa for Issey Miyake showed fluid macrame dresses and multi-directional ruching. Other dresses and tops were left to just wrap the body for comfort.

Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe” and a theme of “Active Resistance to Propaganda” proved British designer Vivienne Westwood, at more than 60, has lost none of the rebelliousness portrayed in her clothes. But for summer 2006 she had toned down on extravagance while keeping volume central for dresses and skirts that gave an impression of chaos but were crafted to precision.

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