COMPLETE COLLECTION DETAILS

PARIS, July 6, 2006

By Sarah Mower

It's the vivid and unique color sense of Christian Lacroix that knocks you sideways. Even the tights in his couture collection beam out news about the shades of the coming season: turquoise, purple, and brilliant scarlet. See them set against khaki, bronze, teal, midnight, dusty pink, pale gold, hot orange, and ice-blue, and it's a sensory feast before you even take into account the layered delicacy and intricate details of the clothes.

Suffice to say that this collection captured the trends and pushed them into a personal realm that could only exist in the mind of Lacroix. He showed short-and-leggy shifts with a waistless, floating volume. He did egg-shaped coats, strapless bell-skirted damask dresses, leg-o'-mutton sleeves, and extravagant astrakhan capes. Renaissance balloon sleeves cropped up alongside infanta dresses and draped chiffon gowns. There was gilding and lamé; ribbons and jet; clouds of tulle; and billows of taffeta. By some miracle, none of these elements ended up fighting one another. After 20 years, Christian Lacroix is, without doubt, at the height of his powers.