HERMES ASKS "ANYONE FOR TENNIS?" WHILE KENZO HEADS FOR THE DESERT

       Jean-Paul Gaultier turned the runway into a tennis court on Wednesday for his spring-summer 2010 collection for the luxury brand Hermes as the Paris ready-to-wear week drew to an end.
       Despite their sweatbands, his languid girls did not look as if they intended to even perspire in their elegant cream knife-pleated skirts, which came in all lengths, from short and flippy from a dropped waistline to ankle-brushing maxis fastened like kilts.
       Think Suzanne Lenglen, the graceful French tennis superstar of the 1920s, rather than today's muscular, grunting athletes. Models wore long-line jeackets, with sleeves dangling free, or had stripy cardigans knotted at their waists, and toted streamlined sports bags with racquets poking out.
       Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton also gave a sporty twist to his luxury-ed streetwear with cyclists' shorts in silver lame, micro-mini dresses over leggings cropped at the knee and fringed denim jackets in shades of orange. Tweedy suit jackets with big pockets and others with elasticated waists were paired with military-styled pants.
       His favourite accessory was the backpack, which came adorned with furry animal tails, or was even incorporated into a denim jacket.
       "We decided to do something real and look at the clothes people wear in the street and in urban landscapes, things like army clothes, utilitarian clothes, jeans, parkas and wind breakers," Jacobs says. "And then, of course, we heightened it to a place where it became entertaining for all, which is what fashion is all about."
       For his spring-summer collection, Kenzo's Antonio Marras imagined a trip to the Sahara. Models wafted around airy sarouels, mixing stripes and squares, or in a delicate mosaic print, in browns and blues on brilliant white, all fluttering ties and obi sashes. Military-styled khaki jackets with epaulettes and drawstring hems and trenchcoats with rough rope belts, looked practical for a sandstorm.
       His finale of sarouels and turbans in vibrant shades of turquoise, purple and magenta evoked the traditional costumes of nomadic tribes like the Touaregs.
       At Chloe, British designer Hannah McGibbon imagined today's nomadic woman roaming the world in comfortable trousers, shirt and rustic sandals, keeping out the wind with a cape or poncho.
       Jumpsuits and shorts with big pockets, coats with leather detailing, were staples in her relaxed wardrobe in shades of white, earth and khaki.