At Paris Fashion week, the Iris Van Herpen autumn/winter couture show kicked off with an electrifying performance by a living statue shooting what looked like lightening bolts into the audience. It was a memorable way of introducing the avant garde designer's theme, which was voltage. White trapezoid silhouettes with all-over spiky appliques perfectly evoked the high-energy fuzz of a voltage current. In black, several dresses sported fine, bendy strips which pointed upward, like human hair that's exposed to static electricity. The theme of sea creatures is recurrent in Van Herpen's artistic vocabulary - seen explored in one column dress that was reminiscent of the energy-rich phosphorescence of deep-sea Medusas. This show - featuring some of the most imaginative clothes the Dutch wunderkind has produced - will set her in good stead for her debut ready-to-wear show in March. The stars came out in force to see the new Dior collection. Celebrities in the audience included Jessica Alba, Sigourney Weaver and Laetitia Casta. The catwalk was surrounded by box hedges and hazelnut trees, to set off the romantic designs. The flower theme was most obviously expressed in floral embroideries. And in this respect, the floral reference was less subtle than last season, which played more with the inverted flower silhouette of Dior's famous 1947 "New Look." Newcomer on the block Alexis Mabille has just obtained the haute couture label. His collection was baby sweet and ultra feminine. Truly a collection made for a princess.