I am inclined to be unflinchingly cynical about any designer, who decides to offer infamous heiress Paris Hilton as the main attraction of his show. It is quite impossible to watch the silly girl strut down the catwalk, her platinum hair extensions in full swing, and refrain from thinking, “This must be a joke.”

Paris certainly has an unmatched ability to make the finest clothes look cheap and trashy. The pewter party dress and white wedding gown Julien put her into were no exceptions. That said the rest of the collection, thankfully presented by professional models, had certain redeeming powers. PETA’s number two enemy MacDonald (number one being the misfortunate Anna) sent out a few fabulous fur coats, worth writing home about. Sumptuous, luxurious and lavish, they screamed grandiose opulence. Also, the designer’s jewel toned gowns, embellished with ostrich and peacock feathers -- reminiscent of Italian maestro Cavalli’s red carpet numbers – were laboriously tailored and finely executed.

All and all, Julien did not present a bad collection. He simply displayed bad taste.

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