It's fashion news from Paris. In the aftermath of the controversy surrounding John Galliano's haute couture collection for Christian Dior in January, Galliano has decided to answer his critics and go into print himself with the Christian Dior Daily, a spoof newspaper that was gaily printed all over the autumn ready-to-wear collection.
Couture is recognised as a laboratory of ideas which get played out in the ready-to-wear collections, but who would have imagined in the furore over the hobo-inspired couture collection that he would bravely stick to the theme. However, the imagery was presented in a diluted, softer and more feminine form.
The ragged Aran knits are still there, but Galliano slipped them over beautiful biased-cut chiffon dresses tattered at the edges. There were rag jackets, but there were also bleached denim shear ling trenchcoats and tiny jeans-style boleros in ostrich leather.
The newsprint, with headline photos of Galliano, were printed on to leather coats and fluttering chiffon dresses suspended from the shoulders on "CD" link chains. The look was couture with street attitude and will prove hugely wearable.
The Italian designer Valentino never attracts controversy because his clothes are so classic and so client-friendly.
You can't go wrong with a Valentino herringbone tweed trenchcoat and little cashmere sweater or the ruffled georgette cocktail dresses.
However, the trousers with pleated flares would look dodgy on anyone other than those with the perfect proportions of the supermodel Giselle. Valentino's style is safe, unchallenging, luxuriously elegant fashion.
The Paris Collections is not just about couture fashion. It is also a showcase for young avant-garde designers. Paris-based Irish designer Sharon Wauchob's reputation is growing each season as the message gets around that she is a talent worth watching.
Her designs are inventive and uncompromising, but also very feminine, with shirred leather and looped ribbon skirts and sweet pom-pom necklines. Her silhouette was loose and cocooned the body in tweed, tulle or figured velvet, mixing conceptual with commercial pieces in an intriguing way. Judging by this collection, we are going to see a lot more of Wauchob.