Here’s what’s happening at Paris Fashion Week

By Fiona Sinclair Scott, Leah Dolan, CNN

Paris (CNN) — Paris Fashion Week, the biggest arena for the industry’s battle of ideas, is in full swing. Rihanna’s here, maniacal crowds are lining up outside shows to screech and wave at their favorite stars and days of runway events big and small lie ahead.

If Monday’s opening day was defined by a series of thinky shows by emerging ingenues including the creative duo behind Matières Fécales, Swedish one-to-watch Ellen Hodakova Larsson, and LVMH prize-winner Julie Kegels, Tuesday was when big houses like Dior and Saint Laurent ramped things up with their high octane productions and masterful collections.

Cult brand Maison Margiela, the label behind the freaky looking tabi shoe, also staged its latest renegade runway show. Against a backdrop of wilting flowers that left a subtle funk in the air, designer Glenn Martens once again put forth ideas that challenged conventions of beautiful clothing. Models walked in toeless, knee-high boots in sculpted blazers and shirts that left the chest open and gaping, and floral prints clashed with the set behind them.

The inclined runway at Rick Owens, which begins at the top of the Palais de Tokyo and crosses over the fountain, always makes models look as if they are descending off the ramp of a spaceship that travelled here from another galaxy. That feeling was intensified on Thursday, as Owens sent down prismatic tentacle “dresses” where tulle trim was threaded onto elasticated cords that pinged around as models walked.

There’s a lot going on in the French capital this week. Follow our coverage as we zoom in and out on the little delights and big moments that grabbed our attention.

This story is ongoing and will be updated.

A fun shirt at Balenciaga

There was lots to like at Pierpaolo Piccoli’s latest Balenciaga show, including zingy acid color City Bags, oversized cummerbunds, capes and air-filled flowers arranged into neckbraces. The Italian courtier is now just over a year into his new job, and it goes without saying his vivid direction is a sharp departure from Demna’s often cynical and satirical version of the brand.

One piece that embodied the shift was an unassuming boxy shirt in a color not far from Piccoli’s Valentino pink. With upturned cuffs and a breast pocket, the rosé button-down looked like your standard office piece until the model pivoted right and revealed a built-in hood. The shirt-hoodie (shoodie?) was also something produced under Demna, albeit in much dingier colorways.

Fisherman’s friend coats at Chloé

This season Chemena Kamali was driven by her own personal obsession with her employer of three years, Chloé. In that time exploring the archives, a few pieces have rooted themselves in her mind — for example, the tailored 1972 ‘Noel’ suit, originally designed by Karl Lagerfeld, which on Thursday Kamali reworked and layered overtop frilly lingerie harnesses. Another “obsession” of hers was the 1950s rain macs, an inspiration for what became the collection’s clearest and most desirable offering: Pink, transparent and smoky gray vinyl macs with undulating Inverness capes that were worn over trench coats and froo-froo dresses. There were heavier duty rain slickers in scarlet red and classic yellow, too — each with their own super-sized sou’wester hat. Of course, models sauntered the runway in slingback pumps rather than rainboots.

In a sentimental mood at Schiaparelli

In the basement of the Louvre, Daniel Roseberry created a well-to-do jazz club with black velvet curtains, cream and black carpeted floors, chandeliers and lamp-lit bistro tables for guests. The perfect setting for a promenade of hot date night clothes.

Designers every season like to interrogate the idea of sex appeal. Roseberry’s perspective was less about shock than sensuality: from a men’s blazer worn backwards, nipped and tucked into a waist-skimming cocktail dress to corsets with exposed hip padding, and collared shirts with moulded breasts. The collection climaxed with shirts and jackets worn open with gold nipple pasties, and then re-dressed itself with high-collared tailored velvet jackets with beading embellishments. These more buttoned-up looks closed the show, and while these models were perhaps most covered were the sexiest — offering up intense eye contact with attendees as they walked past.

Risk, not provocation at Tom Ford

“I AM NOT INTERESTED IN PROVOCATION. I AM INTERESTED IN THE RISK OF BEING FREE,” read the end of show notes from Tom Ford designer Haider Ackerman. Tom Ford has always been a sexy brand and Ackerman seems determined to keep it that way, each season riffing on the idea of seductive clothing. In this new collection, the sexiness is quietly confident: sharp cutouts, the reveal of a thong and styling that might cause a stir on the streets.

A gilded goodbye at Saint Laurent?

The Saint Laurent show, staged under the dramatic glow of the Eiffel Tower, has long been a buzzy tentpole of Paris Fashion Week. But on Tuesday the energy of the event revved up further amid speculation that the show would be creative director Anthony Vaccarello’s last after ten years at the house. The almost all-gold collection certainly suggested a milestone moment. Alchemic looks rendered in many shades and textures of gold looked back at archetypes from Yves Saint Laurent’s heyday — Safari-style jackets, trenches and wrap skirts — while more modern silhouettes such as Vaccarello’s bouncy blouson jackets reminded those watching of his impact at the house. The runway event ended with a performance by Charlotte Gainsbourg and a standing ovation for Vaccarello who wrote in the show notes, “A light shines all the more brightly because we know it cannot be held. What passes sometimes leaves more light than what remain.”

Jonathan Anderson’s take on romance at Dior

Imagine a rich young thing throwing her fanciful clothes over the door of a bedroom armoire before falling into bed, makeup on, at the end of a day. These were the pieces that Dior’s Jonathan Anderson sent down the runway in the Jardin des Tuileries on Tuesday afternoon. Once again guests were seated around a circular pond under scorching heat, the misty water and breezy flounce of the clothes offering little physical respite from the realities of our surroundings, but managing for a moment to export us away mentally. Skirts, tops and what looked like earrings made of layers of circle-cut chiffon, and light as air sheer jacketing suggested Anderson was looking to define his version of romance, a mood the French house has long-conjured during its history. While his love story felt young and full of hope, it wasn’t naive — any prissyness was broken up with sharper elements like a series of python-effect metallic trousers and modern styling that left shirts loose and untucked and allowed checks and patterns to clash.

Power to the people at Matières Fécales

In a challenging economy brands aren’t much for taking big risks or causing upset, so Matières Fécales bold, statement-making show that saw models stomp down the runway with mannequins representing the wealthy elite slumped over their backs had no trouble gaining traction online, thanks also to the hype-inducing appearance of Rihanna who sat front row. Steven Raj Bhaskaran, who is partnered in life and work with Hannah Rose Dalton, wrote in show notes that the collection was focussing on empowering “those most vulnerable in the Ninety Nine Per Cent.”

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