Both Loewe and Balmain embraced bow-mania this season. While the current trend emphasises frilly, lacy and romantic bows á la Little Bo Peep, these fashion houses chose to modernise this design element by going down the “more is more” route. 

Loewe’s models wore crushed velvet ballet flats with oversized bows, while Balmain opted for exaggerated and structured bows on blouses and skirts in satin and vinyl.

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Previously seen mostly on our grannies’ cardigans, brooches have made a comeback in recent years. At Paris Fashion Week, Louis Vuitton reminded us how these playful pieces, in sentimental or funky shapes can add flair to your looks. 

The fashion house showed a multitude of brooches shaped like musical instruments throughout their French girl-meets-Phantom of the Opera inspired collection. And while a brooch is best showcased pinned on the chest, its typical placement, the Louis Vuitton show also saw the accessory used unconventionally and practically. For example, on a scarf wrapped casually around the next to add a touch of glamour and to keep it in place.

Although statement earrings never go out of style, Italian brand Schiaparelli and French Spanish label Paco Rabanne still went the extra mile to dazzle with enormous accessories in gold and silver at their respective shows. 

Schiaparelli, home of the extravagant, married glamour with eccentricity in the form of golden oysters, keyholes, lips and even ears with earrings. Paco Rabanne remained true to its retro-futuristic design codes from the 1960s, with mismatched dangling earrings shaped like atoms and discs in silver tones. 

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Your phone is an accessory you’re already rocking on the daily. French maison Courreges incorporated smartphones into its opening looks, and had models walking while looking down and scrolling in an all-too-familiar manner, with the blue-light glow of the screen illuminating their faces. It not only effectively used an everyday accessory we all possess as part of its lighting design, it provided commentary on our addiction to technology.  

In a departure from the familiar, French brand Coperni brought robotics company Boston Dynamics’ robot dog to its finale, reminding us the future is hot on our heels. Following the standout spray-on dress moment featuring Bella Hadid at their spring-summer 2023 show, Coperni continued with its flair for dramatics—model Rianne van Rompaey interacted with the incredibly nimble robot, which pulled off her coat with its “mouth” to reveal a dress underneath. 

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