Call girl lingerie quickens pulses at Paris couture

A one-time call-girl got the Paris fashion pack hot under the collar with a delectably naughty lingerie line unveiled on the sidelines of the haute couture shows.

Zahia Dehar made global headlines in 2010 when it emerged the French-Algerian was offered up for sex with the footballer Franck Ribery and co-players as a birthday "gift", aged just 16, prompting a vice probe into the French squad.

Former escort Zahia Dehar has reinvented herself as a lingerie couturiere (AFP, Kenzo Tribouillard)

Now aged 20, the young woman has reinvented herself as a lingerie couturiere, winning high-profile support from Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld who shot the official pictures for her first collection unveiled in Paris in January.

For her second line, showcased Monday night, gorgeous models stepped out of a giant US-style refrigerator, their bodies adorned - barely - with crystals, minute G-strings, tiny tassels and wisps of lace on the nipple by way of bras.

Playful notes abounded, like a raspberry-coloured bikini with little twists at each side of the knickers, as if inciting the onlooker to release the candy from its packaging.

Another tableau saw the models step out of a cupcake, while a third had them sitting sweetly on school benches, rising to the sound of a church bell - in a nod to the couture custom of the bride which traditionally closes each show.

Finally, the cherry on the cake, the curvaceous, blonde Zahia herself stepped out in an infinitely-flattering second-skin dress, with white buttons running up its spine.

Backed by an Asian investment fund, Zahia is also branching into ready-to-wear with a string of pieces directly inspired by her first lingerie collection.