Classic With an Extra Twist, or Two at Paris Fashion Week Surely someone at Rochas was not making a pun in the program notes, which called fabric for generously cut coats a "Prince of Whales Check." Marco Zanini's collection of feminine classics had volume to spare as the Paris fall shows began under wraps. Mr. Zanini's clothes were not heavy, despite the dramatic silhouette, and he offered as many slim-line coats in wool or brushed camel hair, mid-calf pencil skirts and pajama sets in silk crepe as he did oversize cocoons and "50s circle skirts. His notes referred to "a dignified womanly persona;" presumably he meant someone who just likes slacks and sweaters with loafers. The colors were refreshing - those soft camels and taupes mixed with bronze, pale blue and bitter yellow - and the worn texture of the wools added to the nice, unfussy quality of many of the clothes. But the oversize pieces seemed more flabby than dignified, unless you're in the market for a Snuggie. Dries Van Noten also let loose on Wednesday with masculine overcoats, wide-cut trousers and silk-fringed tunics in a collection that recalled his eclectic men's wear show in January. For that show, Mr. Van Noten imagined men hastily grabbing any old thing after a wild night on the town. The effect was charming, in part because of the dazzling variety and texture of coats and knitwear. Not surprisingly, the strongest looks in his fall women's show were coats and tinsel-embellished blazers. Other tailored pieces in a red and cream wool stripe evoked the pattern of a burnoose. Mr. Van Noten often blends cultural references, and that may explain the piano-fringed layers and the languid lines. But the collection didn't hang together particularly well, and the spree of feather-dotted coats and dresses seemed at odds with his classy aesthetic.