Kylie in front row for Chanel show

Kylie Minogue was the star guest at Chanel's haute couture show and what else would she choose to wear but the sweetest Chanel dress with a silver beaded collar?

The Australian singer, 38, who is making her comeback in the public eye as she recovers from treatment for breast cancer, was in the front row in the brilliant white circus-style pavilion in the middle of the Bois de Boulogne.

It was sunglasses all round - Chanel ones of course - for the front row which also included Sir Elton John and Martha Stewart.

Turning things on their head as usual, Karl Lagerfeld, 68, sat the audience in the centre of the tent looking out onto a vivid white, circular catwalk.

Just in case anyone's heels caused a mark on the spotless stage as they climbed to get to their seats, Lagerfeld had employed cleaners equipped with sponges and sprays to keep things looking pristine.

Striding around the runway to the strains of Spellbound by Siouxsie and the Banshees in thigh-high boots with jewelled heels, the supermodel cast paraded Lagerfeld's short new skirt length, ultra-embellished tweed coats and shift dresses in a mainly dark black and midnight blue colour palette, lit up with the occasional lipstick red or iridescent gold .

As well as focusing on the leg - with extra long boots, often in denim, acting as updated leggings - Lagerfeld put new emphasis on shoulders with bronze sequins, a fluff of fur or tweed pom-poms tracing a line on many designs.

The beading, embroidery and lavish jewel work on many of the simply cut dresses was not the only dazzling part of the show.

The harsh light proved too much for many models, with Jacquetta Wheeler in particular trying not to squint at the photographers through teary eyes. Thank goodness for waterproof mascara.

As the models came out for the finale, stepping out through sliding doors that lined the outside of the cleverly constructed venue, the audience went into a spin - literally - as the banked seating started to revolve.