Today in Paris...

Paris Fashion Week kicked off on Tuesday under a perfect blue sky. First up on the fashion week agenda - a spot of sightseeing as journalists and VIPs headed to the Eiffel Tower.

Hiring out a hall at one of the world's most iconic monuments is a luxury that few can afford. Making a statement was mission accomplished for Fatima Lopes who splashed out on the Iron lady's prestigious salle Gustave Eiffel for her Spring/Summer 2011 Ready-to-Wear show. The young Portugese designer knows exactly how to captivate a crowd: in the year 2000, she invented the world's most expensive bikini - a bona fide 'body jewel' made out of gold and diamonds with a million dollar price tag. Engineering the grand opening of the final leg of the international fashion week proceedings was a piece of cake for this designer whose middle name (we suspect) is extravagance...

A grand opening indeed! Will Paris be able to pull it off after Milan's almighty punch? The City of Lights may boast 92 catwalk shows this season (around twenty more than Milan) but the designers here have a hard act to follow. All will be revealed this week...

(CJL)