Off on a semester abroad, SSLA contributor, USC undergrad and former Vogue intern Jeremy Allen muses about eco-chic at Paris Fashion Week.

With the printemps-été pret-a-porter shows beginning today, Paris has a pronounced spring in its step, but that’s not the only reason why the City of Lights is suddenly seeing green.

From October 1-4, the couture capital of the world will somehow squeeze a few more eager créateurs onto its already overcrowded banks for its sixth-annual Ethical Fashion Show. Featuring 100 designers committed to eco-friendly precepts, this event is yet another manifestation of the burgeoning bio-trend changing the face of Paris consumerism after L.A. (and, by extension, the rest of the U.S.) went gaga over all things “green.” Beneath the sculpted ceilings of Paris’ oldest department store, Le Tapis Rouge, designers will display their work before the public and a panel of judges, who will wrap up the weekend by crowning the show’s most “ethical” designer (contestants are judged on criteria such as use of eco-friendly fibers, humane working conditions, and promotion of local craftsmen).

It’s anyone’s guess as to who this year’s winner will be, but keep your oeils peeled on such standouts as charming French contemporary brand By Mutation (their empire-waisted black baby-doll dress with a gathered hem would look smashing on long Parisian gams) or French jeweler La Tonkinoise (their recycled charm necklaces are the perfect mélange of whimsy and wearability).

If, perchance, you’ve had enough of wholesome, homegrown designs for one day, glitz and ritzy glamour will be gushing from runways across town at such perennial Fashion Week showstoppers as Balenciaga, Dries van Noten, and Nina Ricci. —Jeremy Allen

Ethical Fashion Show, Oct. 1-4, Tapis Rouge, 67, rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin.

Photos: By Mutation dress, La Tonkinoise charm necklace.