Sharjah24 - AFP: The stars came out for the opening night of Paris Fashion Week on Monday, which looked set for a return to pre-pandemic normality until the war in Ukraine forced organisers to strike a sombre tone.

"War has brutally hit Europe and plunged the Ukrainian people into fear and upheaval," said Ralph Toledano, president of France's Federation for Haute Couture and Fashion, in a statement on the first day of the women's autumn-winter collections.

He urged attendees in Paris to experience the shows "with solemnity, and in reflection of these dark hours".

The conflict will cast a pall over a fashion week that was back in full pomp, with only 13 of the 95 fashion houses on the official roster staying fully online.

Opening night struck another bittersweet note with the final collection by Off-White founder Virgil Abloh, who died from cancer in November at 41.

But the show was a dazzling affair, with celebrities including a heavily pregnant Rihanna in attendance, and a striking effort to position Off-White in fashion history.

That was partly done with the models, who included megastars of today such as Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner alongside veteran supermodels Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford.

And it was partly in the clothes, which pulled in ideas from across recent decades -- from glamorous polkadot cocktail dresses to huge shaggy bodysuits -- all reimagined with the brand's trademark street swagger.