IN PICTURES | YSL sends silky evening gowns down Eiffel Tower runway

French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent hosted an evening catwalk presentation at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday, showcasing a series of slender cocktail gowns from a catwalk overlooking the base of the Eiffel Tower.

Long-legged models strode across a pale pink carpet in long, sleek dresses, some wispy at the bottom, and wrapped in sharp-shouldered tuxedos and oversized faux-fur coats, as electronic music by French DJ Sebastian played.

In his show notes, creative director Anthony Vaccarello cited the style of 20th century anti-fascist poet Nancy Cunard, known to favour chunky jewellery and masculine silhouettes.

The Kering-owned label closed the second day of shows at Paris Fashion Week, which runs through March 8 and caps a month of fashion events in New York, London and Milan.

At the end of the show, Vaccarello dipped into the crowd to embrace guests in the front row, including fashion icon Betty Catroux and actress Catherine Deneuve. 

Reuters