Rick Owens’ return to Palais de Tokyo was marked by his beloved otherworldly signatures like gauzy gowns, oversized visors, leather jackets with arched, padded shoulders, and thigh-high platform boots, but he also made room for surprises. Think voluminous tulle ballgowns fit for a princess, and sheer trapeze tops (or mini babydoll dresses, depending on how you’d wear it) that came in—wait for it—Barbiecore pink. “I wanted confection, I wanted froth,” the designer told WWD. He definitely made us (and perhaps Cher) want it too.

This season, Maria Grazia Chiuri once again tied her Italian roots to Dior’s French heritage by looking to Catherine de’ Medici for inspiration. The Italian-born noblewoman ruled as the queen of France in the 16th century, and during her reign she popularised fashions like corsets and stiff hoop skirts known as farthingales. Chiuri reimagined the latter for dramatic, Lolita-style little black dresses that Dior’s younger shoppers might wear to a party (a subdued version of the look was seen on Blackpink’s Jisoo on the front row). There were also Victoriana-meets-cottagecore ensembles featuring the hoop skirt layered with sheer, sweeping lace in white or gold—a new incarnation of Chiuri’s signature Dior silhouette.

Read more: Blackpink’s Jisoo and Cha Eun-Woo Channel Parisian Chic at the Dior SS23 Show

Following his collection of slouchy suit jackets, sweeping skirts and soft faux fur coats last season, Anthony Vacarello takes on a harder edge for SS23. Now, power shoulders, clingy dresses and leather jackets (and coats!) rule supreme in Saint Laurent’s world. The most compelling silhouette of all was the capuche dresses; the draped and hooded designs nodded not only to the the brand founder’s creations from the ‘80s, but also to the kaftan-inspired (and often Halston-designed) costumes worn by the American dancer Martha Graham, Vacarello’s muse for the season.

Dries Van Noten may have opened his latest collection with all-black ensembles, but he soon reminded everyone why he remains fashion’s king of prints with a line-up of diaphanous floral blouses, skirts, pants and dresses. These joyful designs offered more than a riot of colour, which the Belgian designer has always had a good eye for; they also played with texture, featuring pleats, folds and ruffles that brought the blooms to life.

Olivier Rousteing may have brought out pop icon Cher at the end of Balmain’s SS23 fashion show, but that wasn’t the only trick he had up his sleeve. With climate change on his mind, the designer decided to work with sustainable and natural materials. Thus, his wicker couture looks were born: sculptural, otherworldly dresses crafted from the stiff, woven material were unveiled on the runway, showing us that there is more to wicker than basket bags.

Smart, simple, and sophisticated: of course Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have managed to create a summer wardrobe that encompasses all three qualities. Their serene showcase in Paris proposed that women wear boxy blazers, cut along the sleeves for your arms to slip out, or down the back to allow for a breeze to pass through. The oversized jackets were paired with crisp shirts and tailored shorts that were really glorified boxers. For footwear, the Olsen twins relaxed the rules even more, styling models in sneakers and even slippers. It may not be what you had expected to wear next season—as compared to the exquisite crochet dresses that also came down the runway—but it’s certainly one of the most compelling looks that we saw at Paris Fashion Week.

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