Vivienne in Paris: child’s play

Paris Fashion Week is feted for boasting the world's oldest fashion names but the spotlight on Monday fell on a couple of newcomers -- Phoebe and Euan, aged 7.

The pair, from a primary school in England, were enlisted by Vivienne Westwood, the grand dame of British fashion, along with 34 of their classmates to paint bugs, plants and snakes all over her collection.

The theme? Ecological crisis.

"It was just brilliant, and she was very nice and helpful," said Euan Bonser about working with Westwood who erupted to fame in the 1970s fomenting the punk movement and dressing the Sex Pistols.

Phoebe Ackroyd, seated beside him on the front row, also in her school uniform of green sweatshirt and grey trousers, said the experience of painting dots and dashes on dresses, jackets and a pith helmet left her wanting "to be a model".

Monday's collection, titled "Chaos Point", brought a vision of a group of freedom fighters trying to avert the planet from ecological disaster and included one model on stilts "distinguish the characters and their clothes," Westwood said.

Phoebe and Euan found their way to the front row of the world's premier fashion event because of their teacher, Madeline Bell, 25, who had her class write to Westwood after she taught them about the designer in a lesson on "Great Artists".

Vivienne design in Paris last monday