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Coinciding with Taylor Swift, designer Sarah Burton entered her Showgirl era. In her second collection as the creative director of Givenchy, Burton amplified the drama with collars embellished with shimmering stones across the collarbone area, opulent peach-toned feather accents, a pocket-rocket cocktail dress in bold crimson leather, and Naomi Campbell in a formal tuxedo coat draped over a minimalist lace-adorned bra.

Forging a Unique Path

Burton has been at Givenchy under a year, but the longtime associate of Alexander McQueen has already established a new identity for the house and for herself. Givenchy, the legendary domain of Audrey Hepburn and the classic LBD, has an immaculate bloodline of glamour that runs from Paris to Hollywood, but it is a modest entity as a business. Earlier creative directors had primarily focused on casual styles and functional metal embellishments, but Burton is bringing back the glamour.

"I wanted it to be provocative and alluring and to show skin," Burton said after the show. "In efforts to empower women, we often adopt male-inspired styles, but I wanted to explore women's emotional depth, and the process of adorning and revealing."

Subtle seduction was evident, too, in an evening shirt in butter soft white leather. "Each woman is unique," Burton commented. "Occasionally during casting, a model puts on an outfit and I can just tell that she is uncomfortable in high heels. Therefore, I adjust the outfit."

Red Carpet Revival

Givenchy is re-establishing itself in red carpet dressing. Burton has outfitted actor Timothée Chalamet in a pale yellow formal suit at the Oscars, and model Kaia Gerber in a vintage-feel ballerina gown of black lace at the Venice Film Festival.

Schiaparelli’s Artistic Comeback

Schiaparelli, the avant-garde design house, has been resurgent under designer Daniel Roseberry from America. The following year, the Victoria and Albert Museum will host the first major British Schiaparelli exhibition, looking at the work of Elsa Schiaparelli and the brand she created.

"Acquiring Schiaparelli is not about buying, it becomes a collection," Roseberry remarked post-presentation.

Those who don Schiaparelli need no showcase to tell them that these clothes are art. Connection with the art world is positive for revenue – garments carry art gallery price tags, with outerwear priced from approximately £5,000. And income, as well as visibility, is increasing. The setting for the event was the Pompidou Centre in Paris, another reminder of how deeply this fashion house is connected to the arts.

Revisiting Iconic Collaborations

Roseberry revisited one of the most renowned partnerships of Elsa with artist Salvador Dalí, the 1938 dress named "Tears" which will appear in the V&A display. "This was about returning to the origins of the brand," he noted.

The torn effects in the original were painted on, but for the modern iteration Roseberry cut into the silk crepe itself. In each version, the rips are eerily suggestive of skinned skin.

Eerie Details and Playful Threat

A hint of danger exists at the Schiaparelli brand – The founder called her mannequins, with their angular shoulders and tailored waists, as her plaything troops – as well as a joyful appreciation for humor. Buttons in the form of fingernails and golden noses hanging as ear accessories are the iconic symbolism of the label. The highlight of this presentation: faux fur made from paintbrushes.

Avant-garde themes emerge across modern style. Cracked-egg heels – walking on eggshells, understand? – were a sellout at the brand Loewe. Dali-esque wonky clocks have appeared on stage at the house of Moschino. But Schiaparelli dominates this domain, and Roseberry presides over it.

"Designs by Schiaparelli feature an extreme drama which sucks the air out of the room," he stated. A scarlet ensemble was cut with a triangular piece of skin-colored netting that was positioned approximately where a pair of knickers should, in a captivating deception of bare skin. The tension between wearability and theatre is all part of the show.

American Creatives in the French Capital

A carousel of creative director launches has brought two darlings of New York to Paris. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have moved on from their Proenza Schouler label they established in 2002 to lead Loewe, the Spanish leather goods brand that evolved into a $1.5 billion powerhouse under the direction of Jonathan Anderson before his transition to Dior.

The US designers appeared thrilled to be in the City of Light. Bold colors inspired by Ellsworth Kelly brought a cheerful pop art vibe to the cultured artistic knowledge for which Loewe is currently known. Vivid yellow slip-ons shook their tassels like Josephine Baker’s skirt; a red peplum jacket had the confident glossy contours of a tomato sauce container. And a cocktail dress masquerading as a just-out-of-the-shower towel wrap, soft like a clean towel, captured the sweet spot where innovative design intersects with stylish enjoyment.