Much of Paris fashion week took place digitally but the headliners, including Dior and Louis Vuitton, returned to the catwalk with impressive productions

Helen Seamons

Louis Vuitton

The eighth and final collection for Louis Vuitton by Virgil Abloh, who died in November, was loaded with meaning. Set to a score composed by Tyler, the Creator, and performed by the Chineke! Orchestra, the Louis Dreamhouse set nodded to previous collections with tapestry and brocade outerwear and tailoring that depicted the Gustave Courbetpainting The Painter’s Studio. There were skirts for men, floral motifs and a magnificent white kite wing finale. Abloh changed fashion and his legacy will be far reaching. His motto: ‘you can do it too.’

Photograph: Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images

Y/Project

Held in a cavernous loading bay hub for delivery freight coming into central Paris, Glenn Martens’ latest Y/Project show was one of the standout collections of the week with a guest turn on the catwalk by fellow Belgian designer Olivier Theyskens.House codes like shearling, twisted seams and peeling layers were dialled up to the max. Colourful trompe l’oeil naked bodycon tops were reinvented from the Jean Paul Gaultier archive, where later this week Martens will unveil his haute couture collection as a one-season-only guest designer at the house.

Dior

Models strolled over and in front of a life size set of the Pont Alexandre III bridge, wearing shades reminiscent of Paris with crystal embellished bombers, shawls and collar details bringing to mind the sparkling Eiffel Tower. Dior celebrates its 75th anniversary this year and Kim Jones’s collection paid tribute to its founder and heritage with lily of the valley embroideries (Christian Dior’s favourite flower), roses and leopard print. A collaboration with Birkenstock kept things firmly in the present.

Photograph: JM Haedrich/SIPA/REX/Shutterstock

Dries Van Noten

Presented as a film that blurred gender lines to a soundtrack of Dream Baby Dream by Suicide, with an androgynous young couple kissing in the opening scene, the show notes name-checked rebel glam muses Bowie, Marc Bolan and Kurt Cobain. The mood and the clothes were celebratory – fluffy hats, lurex, floral prints, velvet. ‘It’s all about having fun again, touching, kissing people all those things we were missing,’ said Van Noten.

Photograph: Casper Sejersen/pr

Rick Owens

Models strode around Palais de Tokyo in vertiginous heels under manically flickering lights for the collection titled ‘Strobe’. Some wore artist Dan Flavin-like lightbulb helmets, inspired by ancient Egyptian crowns, that doubled as free-standing lamps. Coats and jackets kept the exaggerated shoulders that, said Owens, ‘I started doing as a parody of menswear but ended up enjoying wearing... an excuse to take up more space around me’. Hoods came fully zipped as masked life has made a faceless face the norm.

Photograph: Peter White/Getty Images

Wales Bonner

Called ‘Togetherness’Grace Wales Bonner’s collection was inspired by avant-garde jazz trumpeterDon Cherryand his wife, artist Moki Cherry (Neneh Cherry’s mother). Based in rural Sweden during the 1970s, the Cherrys travelled widely hosting musical performances for which Moki made hand-made tapestries and wall hangings, echoes of which were seen in crochet mirrored dresses. Tailoring and denim were constructed with handwoven cottons made in Burkina Faso. Bonner’s popular collab with Adidas also continues.

Bianca Saunders

Having shown previously in a presentation format in London, British designerBianca Saunderstook to Paris for her catwalk debut. Her designs are informed by movement – how garments twist, crease and wrap across the male form. Chartreuse leather tailoring sat alongside warped print ensembles that showcased her cutting skills. She says: ‘I want the collection to be timeless – it could be now, it could be the past, it could be the future. I want everyone to see a part of themselves in it.’

Loewe

What will we wear in the metaverse? Is the future headed down the plughole?Jonathan Andersonpresented a stream of archetypes of men’s dressing - underpants, coats, jeans, jumpers – featuring LED light up elements – a reference to our always glowing phone screens – and metal plughole embellishments. Selfie T-shirts and trompe l’oeil torso print tops referenced our self-image obsession with heart-shaped balaclavas riffing on Instagram story filters.

Paul Smith

Inspiration atPaul Smithcame via Arthouse film directorsWim Wenders, David Lynch andWong Kar-wai. A bold zigzag jumper and shirt brought to mind the flooring at Black Lodge in Lynch’sTwin Peaks, while photo prints, a signature of the brand, evoked vintage movie posters. Traditional check and sharp monochromatic tailoring punctuated the collection with references to David Bowie’sThe Man Who Fell to Earthwardrobe.

Kenzo

AW22 sees the debut ofNigoas artistic director, the first Japanese designer to front the house since its founderKenzo Takada. In 1970, the year Nigo was born, Takada presented his inaugural fashion show in theGalerie Vivienneto the backdrop of his new shop, Jungle Jap, so events came full circle with the staging of this show. The star studded frow includedPharrell Williamsand Kanye West. Japanese workwear and kimono motifs featured throughout, mixed with vibrant intarsia knitwear and playful elements such as the brand’s tiger logo appearing on ties and belt buckles.

Homme Plisse Issey Miyake

Satoshi Kondo took tents as the starting point for the A Work of Arc collection. The slow-mo video perfectly captured the cut of the pieces, presenting them as both clothing and sculptures. The Frame coat (far right) is part of a padded outwear series that uses stitched channels in its construction to recreate the framework of a tent. The patterns mimic lamp light shone through a tent canvas.

Hermes

The Mobilier National’s collection of tapestries provided a backdrop alongside digital screens showing blown up sections of the tapestries, creating a moving fresco that became like a Monet or Turner sky the more abstract the projection became. This idea of old alongside new formed the basis of the collection with ‘dandies’ mentioned as Véronique Nichanian’s inspiration. What does a dandy in 2022 wear? Twin sets, high neck silk shirts and lots of expensive leather. And go ahead with that summer bucket hat purchase – the trend continues here for winter.

Photograph: Dham Srifuengfung/pr