COMPLETE COLLECTION

PARIS, January 24, 2001

By Armand Limnander

Attending a Saint Laurent couture show is a bit like having a 10-course meal at a three-star Michelin restaurant: Just when you feel like you couldn't possibly indulge in more, along comes another course to tempt and amaze you. At the end of it all, one is left with a feeling of profound, almost reverent satisfaction.

A full third of the 100 looks Saint Laurent showed were tailleurs—some with straight trousers, others with strong pencil skirts, but all perfectly cut and paired with unobtrusive tanks and blouses. Cocktail hour provided a lesson in flou: Saint Laurent's belted, off-white, mallard blue and iris crepe dresses delicately skimmed the body, following its every curve and movement.

Day turned into evening with ensembles that were colorfully embroidered with naif lemons, mandarins and cherries; satin smokings and high-waisted black paillette skirts provided a dramatic counterpoint. Of course, there were also those gorgeous, unmistakably Saint Laurent gowns to choose from: Consider a long drink of navy crepe topped by a puff of white fur, a flamenco-inspired waterfall of cyclamen ruffles, or an organza show-stopper embroidered with shimmering polka dots. And what does the Saint Laurent bride wear? Not trains and tulle (after all, Saint Laurent is the designer who made feminism ultra chic). Instead, she's off to a Marrakesh honeymoon in a gently fitted, perfectly versatile champagne suit.