"An Angel Passing By" was Christian Lacroix's take on his collection, yet for all the lightness and sweetness of the show, with its vivid colors and artistic flowery decoration, this was not a show about flights of fancy. It was rooted in Lacroix's vision as firmly as the new generation puff-ball skirts were grounded in the models' fuchsia hose and black and white checkered shoes.

"I was influenced by the two years of research," said Lacroix, referring to the exhibition "Histoires de Mode" at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, in which the designer mingled his 20 years of design with the fashion museum's archives.