A model presents a creation by British designer John Galliano, at his Spring/Summer 2007 ready-to-wear fashion collection in Paris October 7, 2006. . Photo Credit: REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

By Anna Willard

PARIS (Reuters) - Designer John Galliano opened his spring/summer 2007 ready-to-wear collection on Saturday with sleek white suits and ended with swish evening gowns under enormous wire hats.

His show, in an old indoor market that is now used as tennis courts, was a hit with the star-packed audience.

Actress Demi Moore showed up with partner Ashton Kutcher and sat in the same row as singers Janet Jackson and Lenny Kravitz.

"I loved it, I thought it was beautiful," Jackson said after watching the models with fringes or partly backcombed hair and thick painted eyebrows.

Rachel Zoe, a celebrity stylist who is behind the looks of actress Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie said: "I thought it was so good."

Galliano, who is also the designer for the LVMH-owned Christian Dior, started with a white jacket with big shoulders and a wide collar over a slim fitting skirt. He moved on to a colourful selection of short dresses ending with glamorous, long gowns set off with oversized hats.

The final outfit was pale blue with discs and swirls in shiny gold embroidery with a huge black and blue foam circles arranged on wires around the head.

AFRICAN DESERT

Earlier in the day, Kenzo designer Antonio Marras dazzled guests with bright colours set against an African desert which he said was a nod to tensions between cultures.

His models paraded vivid pinks and greens and African-style headgear down a runway covered with sand in an underground room in the Louvre art museum.

"Today we have really some big problems between different cultures, between different nationalities that are arriving every year from other countries and that plays into my work," Marras said.

The bright colours represented different populations mixing together in the desert, he said.

The final dress for the LVMH-owned label was cream and covered in red flowers and jewels around the neckline. A huge train billowed out behind the model as she was followed back into the sand dunes by cut-out birds hanging from the ceiling.

On Friday night, British designer Alexander McQueen wowed the crowd with a theatrical show set in the Cirque d'Hiver, an old-fashioned circus.

An enormous cobweb-covered chandelier hung low over the stage and two string quartets played as the models displayed tailored and elegant clothes on Spanish and Edwardian themes.

He created corseted dresses, some with exaggerated hips, which turned into flowing skirts, and modern skinny trousers for the Gucci-owned label.

The finale was a long dress made of pink and purple flowers, some of them falling off around the stage.

At the Chloe show, where actor Kevin Costner was among the guests, high-waisted trousers in browns and oranges were teamed with ruffles, belts and jackets.

The label, which is owned by Swiss-based luxury goods maker Richemont is known for its romantic bohemian looks and targets a young clientele. Chloe has not yet announced a replacement to designer Phoebe Philo who quit at the beginning of the year to spend time with her family. Paris Fashion Week finishes on Sunday.