In spite of its distinctly French location, this week fashion wild child Jean Paul Gaultier successfully managed to make Paris Couture Fashion Week feel more like a hot and spicy fiesta than a predictably rainy afternoon in Europe. Never one to disappoint, Gaultier stunned his audience with a fabulous collection inspired by all aspects of Mexican culture and heritage, from the obvious iconic silhouettes of sombreros through to pre-Spanish Mexican society - certainly a lot to fit into one collection!

Gaultier opened his show with an homage to the outfits worn by traditional Mexican Mariachi bands and the models were clad in sharp tailored jackets, waistcoats and oversized sombreros that had everyone thinking they might whip out the maracas at any moment. Not happy to settle at this, however, as the collection continued there was a distinct shift from the Mariachi to the Mayan. Clean tailored lines were replaced by palm leaves and fringes clearly influenced by the ancient civilisations of Central America.

Whether or not you love the clothes (let's face it, they are not the kind of thing any of us are going to be wearing to the local supermarket, are they?), you cannot help but love the fact that Jean Paul has really had some fun with this collection. In a time when recession and war - amongst other things - can make the world seem so ugly, there is most certainly a place for fashion that can put a smile on our faces and distract us with thoughts of sunny beaches and tequila cocktails for an hour or two! Olé!