Paris Fashion Week blog

Detail: Miu Miu

Louis Vuitton

Bias cut dresses with strong shoulders and drop waists were worn with Western-style boots in textured metallics and the cobalt blue that popped up on lace, leather and latex throughout the show.

There was a subtle '80s influence throughout, from elegant shoulder caps on sheer dresses and tops and loose round neck jumpers worn with slim-fitting trousers to the updated Joan Jett look of black leather skirt and fiery logo vest.

Of course all eyes were on the accessories, with creative director Nicolas Ghesquière teasing the most talked about piece the night before the show - an iPhone case in the shape of the famous LV monogrammed Petite Malle.

More: Michelle Williams leads A-list guests at Louis Vuitton

Detail: Louis Vuitton

Detail: Louis Vuitton

Detail: Louis Vuitton

The tease...

Beauty look at Louis Vuitton

Kenzo

Kenzo's Studio 54-inspired collection offered daywear with a hint of high-maintenance disco - and a bold red beauty look to match. Materials were shiny and rigid, with oversize and sculptural silhouettes. A latex-look boilersuit, sequin slip dress and mini cape with iridescent sequins and frayed edges featured among the most outrageous yet wearable pieces.

Detail: Kenzo

Beauty look at Kenzo

Watch: Kenzo

Chanel

Karl Lagerfeld looked to the beauty of technology for Chanel's spring offering, turning the Grand Palais into a stark white "Data Centre" filled with colourful criss-cross wires. The first two models to open the show wore classic Chanel suits with futuristic helmets that were part Daft Punk, part stig from Top Gear.

Sheer, flowing dresses were digitally printed with electric flashes of colour, while the fashion house's signature boucle came with colourful cable-fastner-esque velcro attachments and were accessorised with laptops in silver pouches.

Sideways baseball caps, oversize jackets and bling fingerless leather gloves tied up with colourful bands lent a youthful edge to the show. This season's big trend for ruffles came through in a cropped white jumper that resembled ribbon piping on a cake - or perhaps the pattern of data waves - and a boucle bomber with frothy white ruffles for sleeves.

While Dolce & Gabbana filled its front row with social media stars, Chanel placed its nod to technology into the designs and stuck to celebrity guests including Lily Rose Depp, Usher and Courtney Love.

Front row stars at Paris Fashion Week head for Chanel

Chanel

Detail: Chanel

Detail: Chanel

Detail: Chanel

Detail: Chanel

Watch: Chanel

Alexander McQueen

Phenomenal Fair Isle knits, plaids and painted leather, inspired by the landscape of the Shetland Isles at Alexander McQueen.

The floral footwear trend we've seen this season appeared on tough metal-toe capped boots, following on from the delicate flowers that were painted onto white boots at Giambattista Valli earlier in the day.

Detail: Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen 

Beauty look at Alexander McQueen

Sonia Rykiel

"I was looking for a lifestyle that was linked not to image but to the politics of the moment, a more androgynous, modem way of moving, an everyday sensuality that was better suited to the life women led." - Sonia Rykiel

The show was a bright, powerful tribute to its eponymous founder, who died last month aged 86. Models had Rykiel's distinctive look; wild, wavy red hair and skinny jumpers - some in her signature stripes and the rest spelling out “Rykiel Forever.”

Detail: Sonia Rykiel

Sonia Rykiel

Hermes

See-through heels, tasselled pouches and mini boxy briefcases were the stand-out accessories at Hermes:

Hermes

Giambattista Valli

Ticking off three big spring summer trends - ruffles, stripes and mesh - with easy elegance.

Detail: Giambattista Valli

Stella McCartney

Monday morning often fails to inspire the joy within, but Stella McCartney lifted the mood in Paris with a totally endearing on-runway dance party to play out her show...

Models dance in the Stella McCartney finale...

Salma Hayek videoed the whole thing

(Spot Anna Wintour breaking into a grin as models jump past her).

Stella McCartney

The collection was a beautiful, feminine take on menswear, deploying corsetry and tailored cotton to amazing effect. 

Garments were made from eco-friendly materials, including organic wovens in washed cotton muslin and an alternative suede. The spring/summer boilersuit trend that first popped up at DKNY  in New York appeared in a sporty blue style with red graphic print.

Edie Campbell for Stella McCartney

Front row at Stella McCartney:

More: Gigi Hadid, Lara Stone and Kim Kardashian hit the frows and parties on Sunday at Paris Fashion Week

Givenchy

Geodes hung from giant chains around the models' necks and were replicated in bright prints on slips at Givenchy on Sunday night. The Tibetan mandala motifs Riccardo Tisci used in his autumn/winter 16 collection appeared as colourful motifs on black tank dresses. 

Kendall Jenner for Givenchy

Beauty look at Givenchy

Wet-look hair and deep side partings:

Watch: Givenchy

John Galliano

An undone look with a shipwrecked vibe at John Galiano, where Bill Gaytten presented naval stripes, sheer ruffle dresses and tea stain nude blazers, light summer coats and slouchy trousers with a cowboy look.

Bags were heavy on the hardware...

Valentino

Sunday was a day of extremes for spring/summer bags, with the supersize Moroccan pouffe and blanket bag styles on show first thing at Balenciaga, shrinking to tiny cosmetic cases on gold cross body chains at Valentino.

With Pierpaolo Piccioli's former design partner Maria Grazia Chiuri now heading up Dior, this was Piccoli's first solo outing and it did not disappoint. An A-list line-up dressed in Valentino watched a characteristically romantic offering for the jetset woman.

There were deep red mesh dresses embellished with flowers, faded fuschia jacquard jackets, and entire looks covered in intricate prints of tiny planes, cityscapes or tropical scenes.

Valentino

Valentino

More: Jessica Alba, Lily Collins and Diane Kruger are front row stars at the Valentino show

Celine

The two-tone trousers at Haider Ackermann were eclipsed in their daring by the mismatching boots and shoes on show at Celine.

Celine's white dresses featured swirling lace over the breasts or splodges of ultramarine blue as part of Yves Klein prints - the latter being a treat with the most badass shades we've seen all season.

Celine

Balenciaga

Fetishistic latex boots, oversize shoulders and enormous bags made for striking silhouettes at Balenciaga where super-fan Kim Kardashian and Salma Hayek sat on the front row.

Balenciaga

Vivienne Westwood

Andreas Kronthaler maintained Westwood's jaw-dropping creativity with gigantic dresses inspired by the Mediterranean, but the wearable looks, while not as theatrical, were simply gorgeous. There were punk-led ruffle minis dresses, oversize tartan jackets and ripped pastel knits, as well as the distinctive, NSFW "naked" dress.

Some of the pieces were shoppable straight off the runway.

Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood

Elie Saab

It may have been light outside, but Elie Saab's afternoon show transported us into a starry nighttime disco, complete with purple glitter runway.

The collection, entitled Standing on Stardust, evoked "the golden age of disco in a new era of easy glamour," with star motifs smattered across dresses, T-shirts, caps, cuffs and belt buckles. 

Detail: Elie Saab

Detail: Elie Saab 

Mugler

David Koma gave us silver sequins on sexy, sporty dresses at Mugler, with curved lines embedded through the collection - appearing as collarbone peepholes, waistline silhouettes and winding through slim fit trousers.

Mugler

Detail: Mugler

Watch:

Haider Ackermann

Vivid bursts of colour and glorious metallic tones lit up the runway at Haider Ackermann's Birds of Paradise on Acid show. Two-tone trousers and red splattered jackets worn with bright white basics were stunning alone - and works of art set off with the models' super-spiked hair.

Haider Ackermann

Detail: Haider Ackermann

Detail: Haider Ackermann

Detail: Haider Ackermann

Front row at Haider Ackermann

Watch:

Junya Watanabe

An ode to punk at Junya Watanabe, where Paris' love affair with volume showed up with a spiky edge. The beauty look was hard-edged, angry and high-impact.

Yohji Yamamoto 

Cruella de Vil vibes and a painterly beauty look at Yohji Yamamoto.

Beauty: Yohji Yamamoto

Emanuel Ungaro 

Rock star flower bombs took over the runway at Emanuel Ungaro as Fausto Puglisi riffed off '80s ruffles, trains and one-shoulder looks. Floral prints came with attitude and even black outfits evoked blousy blooms with airy oversize sleeves and cocooning ruffle collars. Oh, and the boots...

Emanuel Ungaro

Christian Dior

Feminism and fencing were themes at Christian Dior's hugely significant show - the debut collection of its first ever female creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri.

Her work was met with applause. A T-shirt proclaiming "We should all be feminists" was taken from a viral TedX talk by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, (Beyonce sampled it in Flawless) with the writer sat on the front row as guest of honour among A-list Hollywood attendees including Dior muses Natalie Portman, Rihanna and Jennifer Lawrence. It was a memorable takeaway to mark the significance of Chiuri's new position.

Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Moss, Rihanna, Natalie Portman: see what the stars are wearing to Paris Fashion Week

Long tulle skirts sparkled with embellishments underneath long sleeved grey wool jumpers, delicate corset tops or those lived-in looking T-shirts. Logos printed on bra straps and waistbands added a youthful, sporty touch and along with the feminist tee are likely to be heavily replicated on the high street. Ruth Bell opened the show in a white one-sleeve padded fencing jacket with a red heart badge - a playful take on combative theme that was repeated in full jackets and vests worn over white shirts. 

Detail: *That* T-shirt at Christian Dior

Detail: Christian Dior

Backstage at Christian Dior

Detail: Christian Dior

Hair: Christian Dior

Maria Grazia Chiuri

Watch:

Chalayan

High volume, high-tech, high stacked heels at Chalayan...

Read more: Chalayan's SS17 show features high-tech accessories designed to help manage anxiety 

Detail: Chalayan

Don't buy any new shoes before you see these runway trends

Issey Miyake

Simple cuts and exquisite craftsmanship at Issey Miyake, where Yoshiyuki Miyamae presented his abstract take on nature, along with a geometric beauty look - with small white circles painted in a contouring curve on the models' faces, while longer hair was scraped back and knotted into sharp, flat-ended ponytails.

Beauty: Issey Miyake

Hair: Issey Miyake

Loewe

Just look at that hardware...

The back-off bag

Off White

Kanye's taste-maker Virgil Abloh presents the earth-shaking intarsia knit jumper we'll be framing our summer wardrobe around:

Off White

Front row at Off White 

Isabel Marant

Gigi Hadid has just announced yet another design collaboration - this time it's footwear. Following the it-model's debut clothing line for Tommy Hilfiger spring/summer '17 she's set to design a pair of boots for one her faves Stuart Weitzman, according to Footwear News. But in the meantime the model has been busy showing off Isabel Marant's bound-to-be-iconic ruffle stilettos.

They were part of a collection that's equal parts chic and wearable with a low-key, grown-up take on in-your-face trends, including the designer's favoured boilersuit. The padded mac with cinched in waist, as worn by Hadid, is a true investment piece.

Detail: Isabel Marant

Rick Owens

Rich tones of purple, copper and marigold yellow spelled the end of Owens' signature neutral palette on Thursday night. Models walked swathed in elaborately draped dresses like voluminous clouds.

Balmain

Kim Kardashian was the muse (of course) and watched from the front row as her future wardrobe of high-octane boob-celebrating warrior dresses swept down the runway at Balmain. The models' slicked back hair and glowing cheekbones, on a jet black backdrop decorated with tropical plants, was ideal for Olivier Rousteing's new "softer" collection.

While the skin-tight, structural shoulders and signature embellishment have moved on, the collection was no less sexy than previous outings - just a little more relaxed. There were loose, long, shimmering metallic gowns, mesh overlays and embroidered rainbow-edged capes. Imaginative flashes of flesh came through intricately cut bralettes and double-split skirts.

Detail: Balmain

Detail: Balmain

Front and centre at Balmain 

Read more: Kim Kardashian was assaulted at Paris Fashion Week and we're in danger of becoming desensitised

Carven

Purple PVC, psychedelic prints and orange and brown colour combinations came down the runway at Carven, where hints of the 1950' '60s and '70s were presented with a modern, youthful flair. Hemlines were loose and asymmetric and logo tops, jumpers and tanks were preppy, not shouty.

Carven 

Chloe

A statement of "urban innocence"  that "embraces movement and light," Chloe's spring/summer '17 offering swept down the runway as if in slow motion. The most romantic looks came from gloriously light plissé covered in graphic prints, softly cut shift dresses with giant shoulder bows, ruffled babydoll dresses and an abundance of floral lace.

There were bright patchworks of flowers, sumptuous suede and a hint of the naval theme we've been seeing across Fashion Week. 

Accessories were covetable mini half-moon satchels with massive brass door knocker-style handles and key charm necklaces.

Chloe

Chloe

Chloe

Detail: Chloe

Detail: Chloe

Detail: Chloe

Watch:

Beauty writer Shannon Peter's PFW essentials:

Fenty x Puma 

Rihanna has presented her new collection for the sports label - inspired by "Marie Antoinette at the gym.” Find out more and see the looks here.

Vionnet

A summer rainbow cape appeared as an alternative beach cover-up amid the gowns at Vionnet, fuelling summer holiday dreams:

Rochas

Tulle, ruffles, pleats, velvet and chintzy florals had a messed-up '50s feel at Rochas, where models wore clunky satin-topped wooden platform sandals, nylon over-the-elbow gloves and mussed up wavy hair with rockabilly fringes.

Dries Van Noten

Floral arrangements suspended in blocks of ice surrounded the runway at Dries Van Noten, ensuring stunning images of the collection as models appeared to walk through prisms:

Casual elegance and tactile fabrics summed up the collection, with black, yellow and gold looks making maximum impact.

Backstage at Dries Van Noten

There were more chunky, comfy sandals showing up on the spring/summer '17 runway, with Dries Van Noten offering an elegant touch in the shape of powder blue suede soles, silky bows and a round sculptural heel. A pair of mustard yellow suede platforms were covered toe to heel in tassels.

Detail: Dries Van Noten 

All the models wore their hair swept away from their faces and had a striking sweep of brown shade running across their eyes and the bridges of their noses, stopping as it reached the hairline. The effect was made all the more striking when worn with the delicate birdcage veils that covered the face and were tied at the back of the head.

Beauty look: Dries Van Noten

More: Don't buy any new shoes before you see these runway trends  

Lanvin

Another debut for a major fashion house, as Bouchra Jarrar presented her first show for Lanvin on Wednesday after the shock departure of its long-running creative director Alber Elbaz. The collection was split between traditionally masculine and feminine themes and dominated by sheer and satin materials and Jarrar's signature pared-back tailoring.

Nineties influences included longline blouses and waistcoats, blazers in black jacquard or white satin worn with oversize flower brooches and pocket chains, and vertical stripes on shirts and loose trousers.

Huge feather collars appeared on boucle jackets and waistcoats, while sheer, flowing maxi dresses were covered with giant floral prints.

The Lanvin Supers

Detail: Lanvin

The setting for Lanvin

Maison Margiela

Sporty cyborgs with glitter make-up hit the runway at Maison Margiela. The alt-fashion house, under the direction of John Galliano, mixed earth-toned tartan with bright orange PVC, presented deconstructed beige macs as inside-out dresses and sent models down the runway in metallic sporty sandals.

Maison Margiela

Detail: Maison Margiela

Pat McGrath's glittery beauty look at Maison Margiela

Saint Laurent

A few weeks ago, ahead of his debut as creative director for Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello posted an Instagram picture of the late Parisian punk icon Edwige Belmore in her heyday. It was a few weeks before the first anniversary of her death and may have been both tribute and indicator of the vibe for his first outing for Saint Laurent - a rebellious, sexy collection made for big nights out; to be worn with attitude.

Paloma Picasso, the original YSL muse, was his official inspiration for the show, and this was evident in the black tops and dresses, sexed-up with deep cut sweetheart necklines, leg o'mutton sleeves and Binx Walton's breast-exposing strapless dress that echoed Helmut Newton's famous photograph of Picasso.

The '80s look was turbo charged with exaggerated one shoulder looks in sheer and velvet leopard print, and sharp toed shoes with brash "YSL" logos for the heels or, pencil thin stilettos worn with low-denier tights dotted with a diamante YSL logo. Those sweetheart plunges also came in tops, worn with slouchy faded blue jeans for a less high-maintenance look and soft black leather featured heavily throughout. 

The one-earring and shoulder-brushing tassels we saw in Milan were both on show at Saint Laurent, with Vaccarello reviving YSL's earlier use of tassels in bright reds and blues to add a touch of feminine flounce to the hard-edged silhouettes.

Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent

Detail: Saint Laurent

Jacquemus

The power shoulder we saw at Jil Sander was back in Paris at Jacquemus, while the floppy, eye-obscuring straw hats we became familiar with in Milan came flat and wide-brimmed. The collection was inspired by the Santons of Provence.

What we're wearing to the shows