PARIS :  The Paris couture shows were on Wednesday a “royal affair” with Elie Saab’s crown jewel-inspired collection while Frank Sorbier’s courtly models looked as if they had stepped out of a Holbein painting. Saab’s shimmering regal gowns came in emerald green, sapphire blue and blood-red like “rubies plucked from a crown”. Frank Sorbier meanwhile looked to the middle ages after becoming fascinated by portraits of the era.  Models paraded at a stately pace through the formal gardens of the Swiss embassy in lace veils, richly embroidered silk jackets and high neck dresses with trains.