
Hermès: Pierre Hardy has been busy. Fresh from unveiling his colour blocked designs for the Parisian maison’s debut lipstick collection ‘Rouge Hermès’, the designer also showcased his latest footwear designs for the brand (he has been creating shoe designs for the house since 1990). For A/W 2020, he unveiled sleek sneakers with ‘H’ logo soles, metallic ankle boots with sculptural hardware heels and chunky Oxford shoes with stacked soles and sporty ankle straps. Hermès has you sorted from your face to your feet.

Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood: ‘I was trying to expel the evil spirits which are around’, said Andreas Kronthaler backstage of his 9th show for Vivienne Westwood. Well, at this point we could certainly do with some evil spirit expelling, and the Austrian designer delivered with a collection exploring liberally the almost endless possibilities of the bleu de travail, the traditional French workwear garment, and, in contrast, referencing the Belle Epoque with an array of corsets and delicately draped gowns. There were some frivolous accessories in the shape of magpie-worthy crystal-studded pumps and boots, as well as revolutionary elements (a humongous headpiece made entirely of bleu-blanc-rouge ‘cocardes’, as well as necklaces made of chili peppers and garlic). The collection remained subtle, though, with the most overtly political commentary in charge of the live music provided by German singer Susanne Oberbeck, aka No Bra. The show was closed by Bella Hadid sporting a puffy-sleeved lace bride gown, a dagger attached to her belt, under the supervision of Dame Vivienne Westwood, who sat front row wearing one of the collection’s dresses, a lilac number printed with a lightning motif, but got up enthusiastically to kiss Hadid during the finale, proving energy is still very much running high in her brand.

Atlein: Antonin Tron is defining a new era of timeless dressing through his collections filled with true classics that manage to nevertheless look edgy and modern enough to have gathered a consistent, mostly millennial, client base. His latest collection delved deeper into that edginess, playing with a bit of a nineties revival through gorgeously draped silk slip dresses, lace details (first time the French designer has worked with the material), python prints in beige, peacock green and oceanic blue hues, and quilted coats offering a hint of preppiness. But if Tron’s stylish forays into the past are bound to appeal to his fans, so will be their manufacturing process: a devoted climate activist — He is part of the Parisian chapter of Extinction Rebellion — the designer is always looking for new ways to keep his collection as sustainable as possible, ensuring production is kept in traditional French factories and rescuing textiles from Italian mills. This time, he revealed, 50 per-cent of the collection was the result of an upcycling process. Then again, Tron sees his collections as a challenge to be surpassed as much as a creative endeavour. The show was accompanied by a video created by Argentinian artist Tomás Saraceno exploring the idea of an air travel operated by heat and wind instead of fuel. A climate emergency exploration, yes; but one that delved more into the realm of possibility than the anxiety inducing. We could definitely use some of that at this moment. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans

Nanushka: Drawing inspiration from society’s bourgeois sobriety in the 70s and the stick-it-to-the-man mindset of 90s grunge, Nanushka presented a motley collection in Paris this season. In the terracotta-toned venue, two narrow platforms took centre stage as models weaved through understated totem poles wearing turtlenecks, cardigans, and quarter-zip sweaters layered over the brand’s signature dresses and fluted skirts. Killing two birds with one stone, the label presented womenswear mixed with menswear - which explored elongated silhouettes and soft suiting in shades of bottle green, espresso and clay. All in all, Nanushka’s nomadic notion had us longing for an adventure.

Thom Browne: There was something apocalyptic to this fashion week Sunday: under heavy rain, wind and coronavirus concerns, a day that started with Kanye West’s famous Service and went on to fully explore the effects of a climate change armageddon at a Balenciaga show held between a digital stormy sky and a flooded runway reached its peak at Thom Browne a couple of hours later. Misleadingly, the set at his usual Beaux-Arts venue looked like a winter wonderland. Artificial snow (made out of paper) covering trees didn’t give away the real theme of the show: Noah’s ark. A terrifying prospect given the last few hours/days and the real-time deluge outside. But Browne’s fairy tale-infused imagination directed the narrative towards something more lighthearted and magical. This was the designer’s first-ever co-ed show, and couples made their appearance on the runway side by side, holding hands (and an array of incredibly cute animal-shaped bags). It was nearly impossible to tell the boys apart from the girls, but that was the whole point. Skirts, blazers and ties are gender-neutral at Thom Browne; exquisite tailoring is all that matters. And this was couture-worthy tailoring: coats were made out of patchworked wools, Prince of Wales, check and pinstripe motifs, sometimes cut with animal shapes, blazers were deconstructed and repurposed into halter tops, houndstooth overcoats sprinkled with sequins reproducing the motifs, and raw-edged herringbone inserted in a suit. The final look were matching sequin bolero jackets complete with a snake, worn over organza shirts and pencil skirts, walking across the catwalk to roaring applause from the crowd, proof that, once in a while, going a little easy on apocalypse goes a long way. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans

Ottolinger: Cosima Gadient and Christa Bösch have found their sweet spot. The german duo behind Ottolinger know perfectly well how to mix the right dosages of desirability, timelessness and innovation to create an irresistible cocktail, and this season was no exception. In their hands, old-school intarsia knitwear became transgressive, patchworked duffle coats a statement and tie dyed two-piece suits a must. Once again, the duo proved they cut a mean bodycon dress while making it look more arty than sexy in the process (renaissance painting digital prints helped) and that their treatment of denim is unique (this time it was ruched and coated in gold paint). But new pieces including burned — literally — silk suits and a finale with a punk version of an off-the-shoulder organza princess dress proved Gadient and Bösch still have a lot in store. Photography: Lorris Dumont