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Simultaneously with the pop star Taylor Swift, designer Sarah Burton stepped into her Showgirl phase. During her second presentation as the creative director of Givenchy, Burton heightened the intensity with collars adorned with sparkling rhinestones across the collarbone area, opulent peach-toned feather accents, a pocket-rocket cocktail dress in lipstick red leather, and supermodel Naomi Campbell in a formal tuxedo coat draped over a scant lace-trimmed bra.

Establishing a Fresh Direction

Burton's role at Givenchy under a year, but Alexander McQueen’s long-term right-hand woman has swiftly crafted a new identity for the brand and for herself. Givenchy, the legendary domain of the actress Audrey Hepburn and the classic LBD, has a flawless lineage of elegance that extends from the French capital to Tinseltown, but it is a modest entity as a business. Previous designers at the house had largely embraced streetwear and utility-coded metallic accents, but Burton is reviving the glamour.

"The goal was to create something erotic and sensual and to show skin," Burton said after the show. "In efforts to empower women, we often turn to masculine elements, but I wanted to look at female emotional intelligence, and the process of adorning and revealing."

Concealed appeal was also present, too, in a formal shirt in smooth white leather. "Each woman is unique," Burton stated. "Sometimes when I’m casting, a model tries on a garment and it becomes clear that she prefers not to wear heels. Therefore, I adjust the outfit."

Reclaiming the Red Carpet

Givenchy is rebuilding its presence in celebrity event attire. Burton has dressed actor Timothée Chalamet in a pale yellow formal suit at the Academy Awards, and model Kaia Gerber in a retro-inspired ballet dress of ebony lace at the cinematic event in Venice.

Schiaparelli’s Artistic Comeback

The fashion house Schiaparelli, the avant-garde design house, has been resurgent under the American designer Daniel Roseberry. The following year, the V&A will host the inaugural UK Schiaparelli showcase, exploring the work of designer Elsa Schiaparelli and the house she founded.

"Acquiring Schiaparelli is not about buying, you collect Schiaparelli," Roseberry said after the show.

Clients of Schiaparelli don’t need an exhibition to tell them that these clothes are art. Art-adjacency is beneficial for business – clothes come with gallery prices, with outerwear priced from approximately £5,000. And revenue, as well as visibility, is increasing. The setting for the event was the Centre Pompidou in the French capital, a further indication of how close this house sits with art.

Returning to Historic Partnerships

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

The shredded details in the initial design were carefully rendered, but for the updated version Roseberry tore into the crepe silk itself. In both, the tears are chillingly evocative of stripped tissue.

Eerie Details and Playful Threat

A touch of threat is present at Schiaparelli – Elsa described her mannequins, with their sharp shoulders and cinched waists, as her plaything troops – as well as a cheerful embrace of wit. Buttons in the form of fingernails and metallic nose ornaments as earrings are the visual grammar of the brand. The highlight of this presentation: fake fur crafted from paintbrushes.

Surrealist elements appear throughout contemporary fashion. Cracked-egg heels – treading carefully, get it? – were extremely popular at the brand Loewe. Dalí-inspired melting clocks have graced the runway at the house of Moschino. But Schiaparelli owns this territory, and Roseberry oversees it.

"Schiaparelli clothes have a heightened theatricality which captivates everyone present," he stated. A red gown was sliced with a triangular panel of nude-hued fabric that sat roughly where underwear would typically be, in a captivating deception of nudity. The tension between wearability and theatre is all part of the show.

New York Designers in Paris

A merry-go-round of designer debuts 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 created in 2002 to lead Loewe, the Spanish leather house that evolved into a $1.5bn (£1.1bn) alpha name under the tenure of Jonathan Anderson before he moved to Dior.

The American creatives seemed ecstatic 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. Bright yellow loafers dangled their tassels like the hem of Josephine Baker; a red peplum jacket had the proud shiny curves of a ketchup bottle. And a party gown imitating a recently used bath sheet, soft like a clean towel, achieved the ideal blend where smart creation blends with sartorial amusement.