Yves Saint Laurent

Stars such as Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Matt Dillon and Salma Hayek huddled together in front of 10 giant white palm trees as the Eiffel Tower sparkled at the stroke of 8 pm.

Below the trees was a giant expanse of water.

Models in luxury snake boots and sparkling disco heels suddenly appeared and – forgoing the dry catwalk strip – darted sideward to walk straight across the water.

It triggered gasps from spectators, including a tardy Lindsay Lohan.

But behold, the models didn’t sink. Instead, they merely sloshed and splashed.

Designer Anthony Vaccarello was applauded for an impressive biblicalstyle trompe l’oeil feature for the 15-minute show that created the illusion of a sea despite the water measuring only 2 centimeters (less than an inch) in depth.

One American fashion editor duly commented that designers are “ruining a lot of perfectly good shoes with these water effects this season.”

The palm trees, the water and structured swimsuits seemed to point to Malibu or Saint Tropez.

Python boots, silver open-shirts, leather chap-like shorts and hats with chin toggles seemed to lead the eye to the US Midwest.

Then, menswear tuxedos, boyish silhouettes, glam rock boots and silk multicolored jabot collars evoked the excesses of Studio 54 in its 1970s heyday when Yves Saint Laurent was a guest.

This was what Vaccarello described as a collection with “different personalities.”

“It’s a silhouette created by a variety of pieces, inspired by different eras and timeless icons. Eclecticism is freedom,” Vaccarello said.

But like the water that splashed in every direction on the runway, this display splashed around its references and was ultimately hard to pin down.

The more eye-catching designs – like a plunging V-neck blue and red minidress – though nothing new, are likely to continue the it-brand’s buoyant sales.