Rue du Mail basks in sumptuous materials

2009-03-04 23:36:01 -

PARIS (AP) - Martine Sitbon gave free reign to luxury fabrics, combining rich velvets, bold lames, sequins and silks in her Rue du Mail label's fall-winter pret-a-porter collection Wednesday.
Undaunted by the generalized economic gloom and doom, Sitbon sent out corseted sleeveless dresses and asymmetrical skirt and pantsuits that mixed and matched sumptuous materials to create what she called a «cabaret» look.
«I didn't do a princess» luxury, Sitbon said in a backstage interview, but rather a sophisticated collection «for a girl who wants to go out.
Just such a girl, French model Audrey Marnay, hailed the collection as «superb» and said she couldn't wait to get her hands on a slinky asymmetrical number with a single sequined sleeve.
Sequins were one of several luxuries that Sitbon piled on the collection in layer after luxurious layer. Paillettes dolled up the oversized collars of swingy coats in nubby woolen boucle and cascaded over a sheath dress, shimmering like scales.
Velvet panels competed with strips of lame and printed silk for attention on the scores of tulip bustier dresses that dominated the show. Elaborate sunpleats and asymmetrical cuts also cried out for attention, turning the dresses into a real eyeful.
It was a shame that many of them fit awkwardly, standing stiffly away from the models' bodies and refusing to hug their curves. No amount of busy paneling, no matter how sumptuous, could fix that.