Sunday's shows at Paris Fashion Week were nothing if not varied, from the continuing exploration of minimalism at Celine to a Mexican-rockabilly explosion of flowers and embellishment at Kenzo - yet some distinct trends did emerge.
Most notably, the flat-tailored round-necked minimalist frock coat was found in its most pared-back form at Celine, where Phoebe Philo's consistently sharp tailoring was used to develop the simple, luxurious and edgy shapes for which she is now so well known.
At the end of the day's shows, Antonio Marras took this same silhouette, which has appeared in so many shows across the fashion weeks but is uncharacteristic for Kenzo, and applied the house treatment: a floral brocade accented with sequinning and beading.
His Frida Kahlo-inspired collection saw a combination of strong, masculine, almost rockabilly tailoring and vivid florals, in a dark, somewhat sinister palette of khaki and burgundy. The cropped jackets, with elbow-length sleeves, were also highly embellished - a touch of the toreador here - but these stiff, bead-encrusted pieces were contrasted by the more traditional Kenzo patchworks of flowers, paisley and stripes in feminine chiffons and silks. Long dresses, with sunray pleats rippling from empire lines, were extremely pretty, and another look that has appeared a number of times this week, as at Martin Grant and Lefranc Ferrant.
Tartan and check wools, another popular look this season, came in kilted form, as well as on wide-legged trouser suits. Marras knows his detail-loving market and catered to it, but the harder Day of the Dead edge this year was a welcome diversion from his so-pretty aesthetic.
Elsewhere on Sunday there was a great deal of scrutiny on the more promising figures of fashion, including Christophe Lemaire, whose debut collection for Hermès was presented yesterday, and Haider Ackermann, one of the most-mentioned names in front-row chatter about a possible successor to John Galliano at Dior.
Lemaire's collection was a largely successful appropriation of the luxury and sporting heritage of the brand - the latter made explicit with one model carrying a bow and arrow, and another a live, unhooded falcon. The falcon may have gone bareheaded (accompanied by the brave Brazilian model Daiane Conterato) but the models wore leather caps that helped create the 1930s sporting feel, as did a classic palette of racing green, stone, tan, sky blue and burnt terracotta, and plenty of buttery leather, as trousers, coats and boots.
Ackermann also made wide use of the soft leathers that have become a trademark for him, but left his more avant-garde tendencies at the door, offering a sophisticated collection of coats, wraps and jackets that were swathed over the models, as well as silks both fluid and crisp in dresses and trousers. The colours ranged from his customary black and putty to rich, glossy teal, aubergine and pale, glistening gold. It is certainly not a collection that will put those rumours to rest.
And as for the subject of the scandal? John Galliano's eponymous line was shown yesterday in a mansion on the Avenue Foch at a presentation attended by Sidney Toledano, president of both Dior and John Galliano.
Like the Dior collection, it was a rather sad reminder of why the designer had been so loved for so long, continuing his long-running affair with the decadent 1920s opera coats, delicate dresses and sugar-sweet colours.
