Fashion: Paris When It Poufs

Haute couture was once the undisputed empress of the fashion realm. Now it's bowing and scraping to Hollywood's royalty

When the lights went down after John Galliano's 18-karat Christian Dior haute couture show in Paris, a pack of paparazzi nearly trampled Bernard Arnault, chairman of Dior's owner LVMH, (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton), as they lunged for Sarah Jessica Parker. "Please, please tell Mr. Galliano I am so sorry, but I can't go backstage," she said as they snapped away. Parker was too busy putting on her own fashion show across town at the Hotel Plaza Athenee, where she was filming the final episode of Sex and the City.

Between setups, she and costume designer Patricia Field had sneaked off to...

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