Lucy Liu causes a spectacle in a giant 'marshmallow' cloak

She may have been dressed like a giant marshmallow, but Lucy Liu's look was far from sweet.

The actress caused a spectacle at a Valentino fashion show in Paris last night when she arrived in an oversized candy-pink buff ball coat looking more ridiculous than red carpet fabulous.

Fashion disaster: Lucy Liu, at a fashion show in Paris last night, turned heads for the wrong reasons in a puff-ball cloak

The candy-coloured wrap proved an unfortunate distraction from her otherwise elegant outfit, which included a figure-hugging purple frock and silver stilettos.

Lucy now plays one of the lead characters Cashmere Mafia, a series widely expected to fill the gap left by Sex and the City.

She stars a no-nonsense publisher in her first regular TV role since 2002, where she played fiery Ling Woo on Ally McBeal.

Experimental: the actress says she has been inspired to be adventurous with fashion by stylist Patricia Field

The 39-year-old's experimental approach to fashion appears to have been inspired by Cashmere Mafia's costume designer Patricia Field, who was responsible Carrie Bradshaw's quirky ensembles.

Lucy said in a recent interview: "The other day my character was wearing a gold lamé striped dress with a coffee-hued belt, black leggings and green earrings."

Mixing and matching, she says, "is contagious."

Cashmere Mafia is expected to be picked up by Channel Four later this year.

Distraction: the candy-inspired trimming overpowered an otherwise elegant outfit