Paris fashion weekGoga Ashkenazi is intent on making her rehab of Vionnet stick. She acquired this French heritage brand last year, and anybody who's spent time with her knows she's fabulously determined. Doubtless she'll eventually figure it out, but for every step forward today, she took another step back. On the one hand, Ashkenazi had managed to secure big-name models like Carolyn Murphy and Lily Donaldson; on the other, her catwalk was scattered with high walls that ended up obscuring the audience's view. There were moments when you could hear the photographers hooting in frustration.

More pertinently, let's get to the clothes. Ashkenazi had a clever idea in her men's cotton poplin shirts and shirtdresses, which she wrapped in cages of tulle plissé to give them a Vionnet spin. They looked interesting—crisp without being too businesslike. But what to make of the plissé bodysuits, the practical implications of which are quite limited? Or the men's white jersey T-shirts that she layered underneath draped tulle evening gowns? You could ascribe those to a misguided attempt at raising the label's cool factor. Ashkenazi was better off when she stayed closer to the Vionnet DNA. A pair of elegant asymmetrical evening gowns with draped backs that revealed their cotton jersey linings got at the ease she is aiming to convey here.

Fashion Brand: Vionnet | www.vionnet.com

Wei Ourui (Vionnet) by the creation of Madeleine Vionnet in 1922, is the legendary French haute couture house.