Riding high with Dior

Sultry Amazons in negligees and jodhpurs and modern-day Nefertitis in identical blunt-cut black wigs skulked Paris' catwalk on Friday, as the French capital's autumn-winter 2010/11 ready-to-wear shows moved into an exhilarating day three.

Christian Dior designer John Galliano was out of the gates with a sexy equestrian-themed show that synthesised two of the luxury label's recent looks: riding gear and lingerie-as-outerwear. Cropped tweed jodhpurs were paired with ruffle-y tops in whisper-light chiffon, and the girls pranced down the runway in stiletto-heeled riding boots.

The French luxury powerhouse fielded an Amazon-inspired collection at the spring-summer haute couture shows last January. But while Galliano's couture equestrians were creatures of the day, the ready-to-wear women were night riders who mixed naughty lingerie with their sturdy horse gear.

Cropped tweed jodhpurs were paired with skimpy lingerie tops and trenches in buttery maroon leather, and the models wore thigh-high riding boots with stiletto heels.

Leather, the horsey material par excellence, was seen everywhere, from little jackets with pinched waists and ample peplums to flippy skirts in punched leather so fine it looked like lace.

Eveningwear was whisp-light, a muted rainbow of feathery silks spun into delicately beaded empire waisted gowns and nighty dresses.

Balmain

Every It Girl worth her painted-on jeans or her peak-shouldered jacket is also coveting a piece by Balmain. And designer Christophe Decarnin gave them what they want with a collection that took the label’s now hallmark distinctive shapes and served them up in a new, richer, more luxurious palette.

The skintight pantsuits, which had ’70s glamrock feel, and minidresses with shoulders as outsized as Louis XIV’s ego were served up in rich, regal purples and sparkled with a royal treasury’s worth of gold.

Models in stiletto booties pounded the catwalk in long-tailed jackets in velvet brocade and pants in sequins and leather that looked as if they had been shrink-wrapped to their size zero bodies.