PARIS, Jan 29 — Haute couture is, naturally, all about the clothes, but the catwalks of Paris were replete with gorgeous, zany accessories this week.

Shoes were one of the main focal prints, ranging from the sublimely romantic to the punkishly garish.

Chanel riffed on its famous round-toe pump by encrusting the cap with pearly beads and raising it onto a curved cork wedge heel for a modern edge, while Guo Pei also opted for carved wedge heel in mustard yellow, teamed with elaborate ribbons for ankle straps.

Maison Margiela, however, was all about the knee boot, sprayed with multicolored motifs of everything from lipsticks to stars.

Elsewhere, headdresses were a big trend.

They ranged from Egyptian in style, seen at Jean Paul Gaultier, to Roman, as seen at Valentino, although several houses opted for fairytale-like crowns to create a romantic vibe.

This was the case at Zuhair Murad, where metallic leaves decorated the models’ hairstyles, as well as at Elie Saab, where floral tiaras contributed to the enchanted feel of the collection.

There were flashes of bling, such as the jewel-encrusted baseball caps seen at Elie Saab, and the humungous earrings on show at Guo Pei.

There was also a nod to the quirky, with ornamental purses like the vintage cat bag seen at Ulyana Sergeenko stealing the show. — AFP-Relaxnews