PARIS — Le tout New York was present at the Sophia Kokosalaki show yesterday. And the designer’s spring collection justified the buzz. Though the first few looks suggested a wild ride on the color wheel, the neon green and oranges gave way to wearable whites, silver, and buttery yellow.

The collection was long on strapless party dresses, but these shapes and silhouettes went far beyond the common version of such dresses. Hemlines were short, rarely straight. Staggered handkerchief hems kept the edges of skirts moving with unexpected swish. And a puffed balloon hem of one dress was made more sophisticated with a slim layer underneath.

Short shorts with balloon hems seemed entirely unflattering, but the rock-and-roll pants made up for it. High-waisted trousers shown with a halter top bared the midriff in a way that suggested poolside nightlife.

Among the most desirable of the lot was a dress cut in a modest shape from a most attention-getting color. This shiny purple number featured gathers on the front, short sleeves, a simple scoop at the neck, and a knee-length hem. A few similar dresses took the idea further — and higher at the hemline — in a silver fabric and long sleeves that bloused over at the wrist. In addition to the metallic fabrics, Ms. Kokosalaki showed a skirt in the non-mini variety made from a beautiful butter-yellow color paired with a soft white shirt.

The emphasis here was on fresh, modern dressing. Though certain details might suggest the 1970s, it was only in glancing; this collection had an appealing air of forward momentum and a certain kind of bounce.

At Akris, designer Albert Kriemler went linear this season.Vertical and horizontal lines were in abundance, giving the collection a slimming, flat look. “Flat” however, should not be taken negatively. Pants were shown with white, wide cummerbunds that made the hips and waist appear totally flat — which on these models is not hard, but it would work for the rest of us, too.

After many looks in white and gray, a series of dresses with squares of black fabric embroidered onto nude fabric looked sleek. The emphasis on lines — such as strips of black fabric on black or nude skirts — and the sheer nude panels of nearly invisible tulle at the chest (which made the dresses appear to have deep and wide V-necks) came from a most sexy inspiration: the Rudi Gernreich swimsuit, with its two thin straps forming a “V” as the “top.” That this exhibitionist suit could inspire a collection of such intense linearity and good taste is somewhat incredible. But a sketch provided in the show’s materials suggested Mr. Kriemler developed the aggressive take on line and body-conscious symmetry out of the Gernreich classic.

It would take a confident woman to wear some of the pieces with the décolletage that reaches the waist. But that was the designer’s intent with the panels of nude tulle. “Its a tromp l’oile nudity,” Mr. Kriemler said. “I used it both in the front and back.

“When I go to New York I go to the flea market on 29th Street and buy vintage. I’ve had this Grenreich swimsuit for 10 years.”

While today’s shows offered plenty to digest, talk was simmering about Tuesday night’s Christian Dior show. Rather than the bedazzling shows that John Galliano has put on in the past, this collection kept things safe for the ready-towear customer. “It signaled a break with the theatrics and showed a new restraint. It was very ladylike, really pulled back,” a journalist and author of “The Beautiful Fall: Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris,” Alicia Drake, said.

Suits in gray, white, and deep blue were shown with slim cutouts and monochromatic embroidery balanced against linear seaming. While some editors were disappointed with the customer-ready collection — to the point of refusing to be quoted on the subject — the editor of Time Style & Design magazine, Kate Betts, pointed to the designer’s underlying strength.

“What I liked about the show — however commercial it was, and it’s allowed to be commercial, it’s a huge brand — is that John Galliano cuts clothes better than anyone else,” she said. “You can really see how much he has influenced other people.”

As if in opposition to Dior, Givenchy showed an aggressively creative collection that ranged broadly. Detailing on dresses included large braided rope, a smattering of what looked like decorated black macaroni affixed to a shirts, and entire skirts of thick tubular nylon cords, some covered in long green plastic beads. At some of the models’s waists were giant belts made of interlocking flat plastic panels. In between all these details were dresses with more wearable detailing: long sleeves with Victorian cuffs and buttons, high necks on sheer button-up shirts, and a sheer shirt dress with panels of ribbed silk. Wearable, maybe. Photographable, definitely.