Sweltering fashionistas taste ocean breeze in Paris

PARIS - Hot and sticky fashionistas drooled over the menswear line sent out by Louis Vuitton in Paris on Thursday, a marine-themed look that sent a cool breeze wafting through the sweltering French capital.

Models present creations by US designer Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton (AFP, Pierre Verdy)

With Paris suddenly labouring under a flash spell of humid heat -- after weeks of drear and chill -- the fashion pack visibly strained to stay stylish as they criss-crossed the capital for the second of five days of menswear shows.

All the more at Vuitton where the oceanic freshness of the look was a world away from the groaning heat inside the packed venue.

The brand's menswear designer Kim Jones took his cue from "that classic cliche of fashion" -- the nautical theme -- revisiting the genre in a succession of looks that swept from sporty yachtsman to explorer, surfer to fisherman.

Waxed yellow raincoats were reworked as roomy hooded jackets, or as an outsized weekend bag, while a navy bodywarmer pulled off the unlikely trick of looking both sexy and exactly like a lifejacket.

Body-hugging T-shirt and shorts combos were a direct nod to a surfer's wetsuit, with stripes of fluo set against navy, while warning-light fluo flashes also cropped up on technical jacket-and-bermuda suits with bulky rucksacks.

A fishing net-inspired series worked a rugged patchwork fabric into blue jackets, shirts and bermuda shorts -- with the sea also in small details like a silver and rope rigging pins, mother-of-pearl flag charms or an anchor earring.