COMPLETE COLLECTION DETAILS

PARIS, January 22, 2002

By Stephen Todd

"I'd normally put Kim Cattrall in Lacroix, pondered Sex and the City stylist Patricia Field after the show. "But I'm thinking this collection might be more Sarah Jessica."

What made this season "more SJP" was its youthful, almost funky mix of fabrics, forms and eras. Lacroix's eclectic daywear included a white plissé babydoll with a high ruffle collar, worn under a transparent organza parka; a pink crepe coat with black curlicue arabesques; and a trompe l'oeil linen jacket with "Africano-Provençal" chintz sleeves, worn over canary-checked cream-silk pants. The wildly styled collection looked like a wardrobe of sexy separates pulled together by an It girl on the go. Belts of red passementeries pulled back ethereal dresses and sealed them with silver clasps. Ribbons and bows came slung across hips like jaunty war decorations. One voile T-shirt featured red fringe dripping down over the heart.

Even the nighttime looks felt surprisingly modern, mostly due to the unexpected combinations of color and fabric. Patchwork skirts of lace and painted cotton billowed out from understated, smoky organza tops. A long sheath dress in gold sequin-fringed lace tinkled as the model walked. An asymmetric décolleté lace gown came with an abstracted corsage at the hip. But then there was that wafty leopard-chiffon caftan, split all the way up the leg. Maybe there's a little Kim left in Christian yet.