PARIS, February 27, 2006 – A.F. Vandevorst's Filip Arickx and An Vandevorst said they had "a seduction" in mind while designing their fall line—that of the artist Joseph Beuys by an imaginary paramour. The concept played to what is usually one of the duo's strengths: lingerie. At one point, four models performed a sort of striptease, untying softly tailored white shirts to reveal retro underpinnings, and for good measure, the designers featured a disembodied voice chanting "silence is sexy" on the soundtrack. The overall effect though was curiously unerotic—a state of affairs that wasn't helped by the fact that the show was staged in Paris' cavernous and altogether unromantic Palais Omnisport.

The collection worked better when the Belgian duo abandoned the carnal pursuits for the kind of smart sportswear that would fly at the office or on a first date—think stiff trenches, slouchy cardigans, and fur gilets. The latter came in many variations and lengths; the chicest were cinched at the waist, just grazing the hips. A pair of dresses, one in a cream kimono style and another in pleated black jersey, was covered up, but didn't lack for come-hither appeal. And speaking of sexy, the few over-the-knee leather boots A.F. Vandevorst showed had the collection's menagerie of clunky rabbit-fur booties looking like children's winterwear in comparison.

– Nicole Phelps