Versace attracts protesters, high-profile celebs

Appearing at a Versace Spring 2002 fashion show, from left: Chelsea Clinton, Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna

PARIS, France -- The Paris spring-summer fashion week got underway last weekend with a variety of designers display their wares, among them Donatella Versace, Carven and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

At Versace's haute couture show in Paris, attendees included desired guests -- Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, newly coiffed Chelsea Clinton and Rolling Stone Ron Wood, among others -- and some uninvited visitors: two demonstrators claiming allegiance to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

The PETA demonstrators jumped on the catwalk in mid-show before the stunned audience. Security guards rapidly tackled a brown-haired woman and removed her from the catwalk at the venue inside the vast Trocadero cultural center opposite the Eiffel Tower.

A well-dressed blonde woman managed to partially unroll a banner reading "Fur Kills" in front of photographers before being wrestled to the ground, a few yards from where Madonna sat.

The woman was escorted away as models, apparently oblivious to the incident, continued to strut down the narrow glass catwalk underlaid with flickering television screens.

Moments later, the mood was back to normal as Madonna and Paltrow exchanged jokes.

PETA frequently stages high-profile protests against the use of real fur by fashion designers.

Former Culture Club singer and DJ Boy George sympathised with the protesters. "I think it's a legitimate expression of emotion. I'm a vegetarian," he told Reuters after the show.

The incident provided a surreal start to the Paris spring-summer haute couture collections, thwarting predictions that the five-day season would be overshadowed by the retirement of the legendary French designer Yves Saint Laurent.

Versace's world could not be further removed from the classically refined universe of Saint Laurent.

Models with backcombed manes paraded in day-glo minis and glittering stilettos. Crochet made an unexpected comeback in the shape of skin-tight fringed dresses sprinkled with dazzling crystals. Outfits for daytime included a haphazard mix of holographic sequins, fluorescent satin piping and lace insets.

Ironically, none of the outfits featured fur, although Versace favors full-on mink in winter.

Reuters contributed to this report.