Paris Fashion Week kicks off!

Get the lowdown on what to look out for during Paris Fashion Week spring/summer 2013

With New York, London and Milan Fashion Week done for another season, it's left to the style capital of the world, Paris, to round things off once more for the spring/summer 2013 show schedule in what is set to be one of the most exciting fashion weeks the city has ever seen.

While the big hitting fashion houses put the finishing touches to their new designs, the shows officially kicked off yesterday with a clutch of up-and-coming designers – think Cedric Charlier and Anthony Vaccarello – showing their latest collections.

As for today, while Damir Doma, Guy Laroche and Alexis Mabille get things going this morning, the Dries Van Noten show, scheduled for 3pm, is the hot ticket of the day, to be followed by the dark edgy glamour of Gareth Pugh and Mugler later on.

Tomorrow sees French power players Lanvin and Balmain show their spring/summer 2013 ranges, but all eyes will be on the first show of the morning, Balenciaga, with Kristen Stewart, who is the face of the label's Florabotanica fragrance, expected to take a place on the front row in what will be only her third public appearance since the news of her affair with Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders broke.

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For Friday, read Christian Dior. Raf Simons will be the designer name on everyone's lips on day four of PFW, as he shows his first ready-to-wear collection for the label at the chapel at Paris' Invalides after a critically acclaimed debut for the couture line in July.

Viktor & Rolf, Vivienne Westwood, Celine and Givenchy will all show over the weekend, but the most eagerly-anticipated show of the season takes place on Monday evening at 8pm, when Hedi Slimane will make his runway debut for the rebranded Saint Laurent.

The French designer and photographer, who previously led the label's menswear division in the late '90s before moving on to design at Dior Homme, will show his first ever womenswear range for the label, which is understood to be held at the Grand Palais with a whole host of new model faces rumoured to be walking exclusively at the show.

If that wasn't enough excitement for one week, the penultimate day in Paris will see Chanel's always-headline-grabbing show, as well as finding out what Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli at Valentino, and Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen have up their sleeves.

Louis Vuitton, which has wowed in recent seasons with carousel and steam train set designs, will show on the final day, along with Miu Miu and Elie Saab. We can hardly contain our excitement!

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