Grey skies don’t deter Rihanna at Paris fashion week

By Alexandria Sage PARIS (Reuters) – Rainy skies did not deter the fashionistas from gathering this week in Paris – with singer Rihanna this season’s front-row “It” girl – as the Fall/Winter ready-to-wear collections promised cold weather looks to warm the iciest of hearts. As winter refused to say goodbye in the City of Light, Dior head designer Raf Simons resuscitated his “flower woman” on Friday, this time sheathing her in doubled-breasted power suits with white laces up the sides. Still, the audacious fabric and colour combinations, such as emerald green and fuchsia, kept fans of the house of Dior buzzing, and Rihanna, who sipped champagne from the front row at Lanvin the night before, slipped backstage to schmooze with Simons. Designer ready-to-wear, or pret-a-porter in French, is an 85-billion-euro ($116 billion) global business, according to Euromonitor, and the fashion week that runs from Tuesday through to March 3 is a major advertising weapon for brands.