Minimalism gets frivolous at Akris

PARIS (AP) — It was minimalism dressed up by a touch of futility.

Akris, the Swiss house that churns out chic, no-frills business separates as reliably as a Swiss timepiece, riddled its plain-front coats and clean-lined sheath dresses with zippers that served no apparent purpose beyond the purely decorative.

Like roads to nowhere, they wound around the minimalist gowns and snaked over the shoulder of the fetching wool tank dresses, ending abruptly at the small of the models' backs.

Zippers have come into their own in recent seasons, emerging from …