'Avatar' meets jungle Mariachis at Gaultier show

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Parisian designer Jean-Paul Gaultier showed his haute couture collection on Wednesday, with extravagant ball gowns competing in a melange of styles and hints of the Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar".

Mexican Mariachi singers, exotic foliage and warrior women all came together in a collection that displayed Gaultier's love of exuberance and spectacle -- a passion most memorably expressed in his tour costume designs for pop star Madonna.

A white gown with a billowing tulle skirt was covered in rust-and-green jungle leaves, and paired with a wide-brimmed mariachi hat in a matching pattern.

"These are jungle dresses, as if they were made from natural elements, with a slightly feline elegance," the designer said after the show.

"It's a bit 'Avatar' with little dreadlocks, then there's a bit of an Indian side, Mexico with its masculine Mariachis and conquistadors and palm-leaf dresses," he added.

"Avatar", which stars Sigourney Weaver in a tribe of 3-metre tall blue aliens, has surpassed "Titanic" as the highest-grossing movie worldwide. Box office takings total USD1.859 billion so far

French actress Arielle Dombasle brought some local movie glamour to the show, performing on the catwalk in a flesh-coloured dress covered in tattoo-like red embroidery, a voluminous red headdress perched on her blonde hair.