Short hemlines dominate Chanel show

German designer Karl Lagerfeld appears with a model at the end of his Spring/Summer 2007 ready-to-wear fashion show for French fashion house Chanel in Paris October 6, 2006.

Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld launched his spring/summer 2007 ready-to-wear collection on Friday with models parading trademark Chanel jackets over underwear-revealing skirts.

Victoria Beckham and actress Katie Holmes sat in the front row as models paraded tiny sequined skirts or short dresses under pink-and-grey striped cardigans pulled over the back of the head.

A tip from Lagerfeld for any potential clients who might be put off by the sky-high hemlines: "If you don't like it very short then you put it over trousers."

Chanel shows always draw a star-packed crowd and singers Lenny Kravitz and Kanye West were also in the audience, enjoying the men's collection.

One model wore a stripy cardigan under a belt with the traditional Chanel logo and another wore an evening style sleeveless black jacket over tight black trousers.

"It was beautiful baby," Kravitz whispered to the pony-tailed Lagerfeld after the show while West said he particularly admired one outfit decorated with pills.

"I loved a lot of the looks in there," said West.

Guests to the show were given bags stuffed full of eyecream, and makeup and the models carried the handbags and wore the oversized sunglasses that are all important for profit margins at luxury goods houses.

"I don't show anything that is not for sale," said the 68-year-old Lagerfeld.

"Whatever you see on the Chanel runway you can have it in the shop. You have to go early because those things disappear quite quickly and the sales girls have a tendency to hide them for their favourite clients."

It was the second show of the week for Lagerfeld who presented clothes for the label carrying his own name on Monday.

The Chanel models strutted around a dazzling white stage highlighted by the sunlight streaming through the glass roof of the Grand Palais.

The Palace, which was built for the 1900 World's Fair near the elegant Champs Elysees avenue in central Paris, also provided the setting for the show of another iconic French label, Yves Saint Laurent, on Thursday night.

Designer Stefano Pilati bathed the entrance in a violet light and girls in spiky-heeled shoes stumbled along a runway was made out of earth and thousands of violets and a violet scent wafted through the building.

He opened the collection with a black and white belted coat and continued with baggy trousers that met at the ankles.

Actress Catherine Deneuve and Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova looked on as he finished with a violet flowery dress with ruffles and a cutaway back.