PARIS: Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto set layers of full, flounced skirts spinning -- quite literally, on a Paris catwalk Monday at his women's winter ready-to-wear show.

Already rounded like spinning tops, the skirts were filled out by hoops to create further volume, then slowly began to turn around the waist, first at the upper level in black and white polka dot, then followed by the lower one.

Power-driven devices hidden under the skirts created the motion, which went down well with the international fashion crowd, in the French capital until Sunday to view collections for next winter.

With perhaps an ironic wink at lovers of logos, the veteran designer chose a brown leather coat with gilt prints resembling a logo to open his show, as the model pulled behind her a case on wheels.

At Viktor and Rolf earlier, the models had walked down a darkened runway lit only by individual lamps attached to the metallic 'scaffolding' constructed over their heads and somehow fixed to their bodies.

Also suspended from the fixture were the clothes pinned at several points, so that skirts and dresses fanned right out, tops and coats stood high or oversized off shoulders, making the models also seem like puppets on a string.

The dynamic Dutch duo Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, who are known for their spectacular catwalk shows, rounded off the dramatic look with traditional clogs, some colourful, others like Delft Blue pottery.

Strong decisive women with a battle to win, or standing tough in the face of adversity, seemed to have captured the imagination of two female designers in their visions for the late noughties.

With their arms swinging stiffly by their sides, Russia's Alena Akhmadullina sent her models fearlessly marching out battalion-style to the drum roll and brass sound of a military parade.

For 'protection' their dress or blouson jacket had small pyramid-shaped embellishment like studs, only in leather or fabric rather than metal, on shoulders or like chest armour.

"This is a girl who is not only struggling but really winning and winning not only in everyday life but also winning for her country," the designer explained backstage through an interpreter.

Not only that but her lover is away at war, so during her long wait for his return, she wears his clothes, such as khaki parka or trench coats, aviator blouson, T-shirt with lots of front pockets and sweat pants.

But, amid all the leather and utility style, the Saint Petersburg designer's heroine retained gentler moments of femininity with dusty blue silky or soft gold glittery dresses.

Leather and other animal skins were also key for Turkey's Ece Ege of the label Dice Kayek, who said her autumn-winter 2007-08 line was "a collection of protection" in a post-apocalyptic world.

Shoulders were built-up or severely shot out horizontally like futuristic uniforms for these tough survivors, in scraped-back high pony tails and high black socks, their arms covered by long leather glove-like sleeves.

Inspired by Japanese cartoons, she threw in kimono-type sleeves only halved to serve a dual purpose as hidden little bags. The black stones from a flea market find, a bracelet from 1900, dotted a dress.

At Maison Martin Margiela, exaggerated angular shoulders were in counterpoint to narrow, tapered legs, as one garment melded into another to the point of disappearing -- leggings into a skirt -- for a trompe l'oeil.

This extended to the complete veiling of boots and shoes.

John Galliano for Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dai Fujiwara's first collection for Issey Miyake and Vivienne Westwood present their ready-to-wear visions for next autumn here on Tuesday. - AFP/st