The haute couture collections, which take place twice a year, are associated with a myriad of words: sophisticated, elegant, opulent. “Sexy” isn’t necessarily one of them. This is what makes Alexandre Vauthier’s couture offering so consistently compelling. As a man who cut his teeth working for Jean Paul Gaultier and the late great Thierry Mugler, Vauthier has turned his namesake label into a go-to for women looking to marry Parisian refinement with unapologetic sex appeal. At Fall/Winter 2022-23, he nailed that brief once more. “I wanted something stronger and sexier, because the last collection was a little bit romantic,” he told WWD backstage after the show.

When the war in Ukraine broke out, Giambattista Valli changed the overall feeling of his show. “When I started doing the collection, it was like, ‘Covid is going to be over and we’re lucky enough to be back in Paris.’ But after the last 12 days, it’s evolved,” he said backstage before the show. Wanting to convey a sensitivity, but also a sense of hope for the future, he changed his soundtrack to an emotive Max Richter piece and styled his models’ hair and make-up to evoke a sense of rebirth. “Botticelli. A new beauty is coming out,” he said. “It’s the birth of a new generation.”