Renaissance belles stride catwalk at Damir Doma With statuesque figures in romantic ruff necks and cloaked in smooth suede and leather, Damir Doma whisked Paris to the Renaissance with an eastern twist, on day two of the ready-to-wear fashion shows Wednesday. In black, rust, camel or dusty pink, Doma's silhouettes stepped out in Elizabethan-inspired creations that paired delicate hand-pleated collars and billowing silks, with manly tailoring in the cut of pants and jackets. Suede desert pants and ample skirts were laced together with wide stitches, tucked into soft, Robin Hood boots with a folded trim, or paired with pointed slippers, worn under ample, cape-style jackets. Sculptural little hats balanced on the forehead, fur jackets in black or rust were overlaid with apron-like breastplates, alternating with kimono-style coats and jackets for a look part Samurai, part Renaissance hunting party. "It's a modern Renaissance collection," the Croatian-born, German-raised designer told AFP after the autumn-winter show at the Beaux Arts school on the banks of the River Seine. The 30-year-old said he sought to blend oriental and Western references, while injecting a "futuristic edge." Paris Fashion Week, which rounds off a month of womenswear shows that have taken fashionistas, models and media to New York to London and Milan, kicked off Tuesday with a day devoted to young designers. Later Wednesday the first big names take to the Paris catwalks, with Belgium's Dries Van Noten and the French house Rochas.