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Simultaneously with Taylor Swift, Sarah Burton entered her Showgirl era. During her second presentation as the creative director of Givenchy, Burton heightened the intensity with collars embellished with shimmering stones over collarbones, luscious peach maribou feathers, a pocket-rocket cocktail dress in bold crimson leather, and Naomi Campbell in a tuxedo jacket worn open over a minimalist lace-adorned bra.

Establishing a Fresh Direction

Burton has been at Givenchy less than a year, but Alexander McQueen’s long-term right-hand woman has swiftly crafted a unique persona for the fashion house and for herself. The Givenchy fashion house, the spiritual home of the actress Audrey Hepburn and the little black dress, has an immaculate bloodline of glamour that extends from the French capital to Tinseltown, but it is a smaller player as a business. Previous designers at the house had largely embraced urban fashion and practical metallic details, but Burton is reintroducing the sophistication.

"My intention was for it to be seductive and intimate and to show skin," Burton said following the presentation. "To strengthen women, we often adopt male-inspired styles, but I wanted to examine female emotional intelligence, and dressing and undressing."

There was covered-up allure, too, in an evening shirt in smooth white leather. "Every woman is different," Burton said. "At times when selecting models, a model tries on a garment and I can just tell that she prefers not to wear heels. Thus, I modify the ensemble."

Reclaiming the Red Carpet

Givenchy is reaffirming its position in high-profile occasion wear. Burton has dressed Timothée Chalamet in a butter yellow tuxedo at the Oscars, and Kaia Gerber in a retro-inspired ballet dress of black lace at the cinematic event in Venice.

The Revival of Schiaparelli

The brand Schiaparelli, the avant-garde design house, has been resurgent under the American designer Daniel Roseberry. In the coming year, the V&A Museum will host the premier British exhibition on Schiaparelli, exploring the work of designer Elsa Schiaparelli and the house she founded.

"Schiaparelli is not merely purchased, you collect pieces from Schiaparelli," Roseberry remarked after the show.

Clients of Schiaparelli don’t need an exhibition to tell them that these garments are artistic. Connection with the art world is beneficial for business – clothes come with gallery prices, with blazers beginning around £5,000. And income, as well as reputation, is on the up. The setting for the event was the Pompidou Centre in the French capital, another reminder of how deeply this fashion house is connected to the arts.

Echoing Past Artistic Alliances

Roseberry reexamined one of Elsa’s most famous collaborations with surrealist master Dalí, the 1938 dress named "Tears" which is set to feature in the V&A exhibition. "This centered around returning to the origins of the house," he said.

The “rips” in the original were artistically applied, but for the modern iteration Roseberry tore into the crepe silk itself. In both, the tears are chillingly evocative of skinned skin.

Eerie Details and Playful Threat

A touch of threat is present at Schiaparelli – The founder called her mannequins, with their sharp shoulders and cinched waists, as her miniature army – as well as a joyful appreciation for humor. Fingernail-inspired fasteners and metallic nose ornaments as earrings are the iconic symbolism of the label. The standout feature of this event: fake fur crafted from paintbrushes.

Surrealist elements appear throughout contemporary fashion. Eggshell-inspired heels – navigating delicately, get it? – were highly sought-after at the brand Loewe. Dali-esque wonky clocks have graced the runway at Moschino. But Schiaparelli owns this territory, and Roseberry presides over it.

"Schiaparelli clothes have an intense spectacle which dominates the space," he expressed. A scarlet ensemble was cut with a triangular panel of nude-hued fabric that rested around the area underwear would typically be, in a startling illusion of nakedness. The interplay of functionality and spectacle is all part of the show.

New York Designers in Paris

A whirlwind of new designer introductions has brought two darlings of New York to the French fashion world. Designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have moved on from their Proenza Schouler label they established in 2002 to helm Loewe, the Spanish leather house that evolved into a $1.5 billion powerhouse under the tenure of Jonathan Anderson before his transition to Dior.

The Americans looked delighted to be in the City of Light. Ellsworth Kelly brights brought a joyful pop art sensibility to the sophisticated art intelligence for which Loewe has become recognized. Bright yellow loafers swayed their tassels like Josephine Baker’s skirt; a scarlet fitted 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, fluffy as a freshly laundered bath sheet, found the perfect balance where clever design meets fashion fun.