Paris fashion week: Two trends compete on the catwalk

Celebrity designer Lindsay Lohan was a no-show at what should have been her second collection for Ungaro yesterday
Photograph: Christophe Ena/AP

There's been no official statement, but the brand's owner, Asim Abdullah, told WWD: "She's not involved in this collection."
Photograph: Maya Vidon/EPA

Jess Cartner-Morley, the Guardian's fashion editor, said: "To say they were an improvement on the previous collection is faint praise indeed, but the gaudy cheapness which was attributed to Lohan's influence still lingered."
Photograph: Maya Vidon/EPA

Stella McCartney's show was praised for its pared-down, slick tailoring, with evening dresses featuring asymetrical, sweeping hemlines
Photograph: Maya Vidon/EPA

The austere mood of the clothes contrasted with the opulent surroundings of the Palais Garnier, home of the Paris Opera
Photograph: Jacques Brinon/AP

The mood was also lifted by the choice of music: the show began with Ludacris’s Sexting - a parody of the infamous voicemail left by Tiger Woods
Photograph: Maya Vidon/EPA

Another McCartney staple is luxury sportswear - in this case a monochrome parka with detachable hood. The show was also free of fur and leather - unsurprisingly as the designer is a committed vegetarian
Photograph: Maya Vidon/EPA

Stefano Pilati's collection for Yves Saint Laurent featured the odd shock of colour, but was otherwise a stark, puritan affair
Photograph: Jacques Brinon/AP

The designer appeared to be inspired by 'monastic chic' - or perhaps had watched The Sound of Music one too many times. Oddly, the designer denied any religious symbolism
Photograph: Sipa Press / Rex Features/Sipa Press / Rex Features

Pilati said he had looked back to images from the Saint Laurent archive from the 1970s, creating gold pendants of models' silhouettes
Photograph: Patrick Kovarik/AFP

The first retrospective of Yves Saint-Laurent himself opens this week to coincide with the show
Photograph: Philippe Wojazer/Reuters

Vanessa Bruno is hugely popular for her laid-back luxe look, and this show continued in her signature vein
Photograph: Lucas Dolega/EPA

Masculine blazers worn over sheer floral dresses are bound to prove bestsellers, though leather shorts might challenge all but the very slim of thigh
Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

Antonio Marras for Kenzo was another designer looking back to the 1970s for inspiration, in his case with layering and longer hemlines
Photograph: Benoit Tessier/REUTERS

Kenzo has a rich heritage of prints, and a wide array of them featured on the catwalk yesterday
Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters