Givenchy A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women’s

Scene setting: The Parisian label’s show set was given a stark cinematic sweep. Guests entered the set up at Longchamp Racecourse, which was swathed in a seductive red light and dry ice, and as they made their way through the graphic corridors of the space towards the runway, tuxedo-clad waiters were on hand to serve champagne cocktails from drinks trolleys. The mood was old world, elegant, with a touch of something cinematically subversive.

Mood board: Clare Waight Keller was inspired by the heroines of French art house cinema, and her subversive silver screen sirens sported sharp tailoring, check mackintoshes and varsity striped dresses for day and pagoda shoulder capes, tinselled pleated gowns and frothy feathered skirts for evening. Keller opted for a mod colour scheme of red, black and white, and the graphic shapes and collaged fabrics in her offering were inspired by Portuguese performance artist Helena Almeida.

Finishing touches: High octane glamour came in chubby fur stoles that swathed the body and bags festooned with graphic foulard silks. Keller’s heroine will need a hat to conceal her identity — and for A/W 2020 she introduced couture’s huge ombrelle in a more daytime soft felt.