Fashion is always moving three steps ahead of everyone, and while the rest of the world is still reeling from Paris Fashion Week, the fashion industry has moved on. It is goodbye Paris Fashion Week, hello Haute Couture Week.

Chanel

In the perpetual glamour game that is haute couture, it is easy to lose track of the people behind the scenes that make it possible – and Karl Lagerfeld pays tribute to the Maisons’s employees by inviting them on stage. Crafted by the seamstresses themselves, the looks were defined by a sleek and pure silhouette, where structured beveled and angular-cut shoulders, ¾ length sleeves and wide-cut trousers made a case for subtle androgyny amidst the sensual hourglass figures. In typical Chanel fashion, the devil’s in the details: intricate stitching, braids plaited with tulle and tweed, and a mishmash of embroidered stones, matte sequins, beads and feathers add that touch of polished mystic.

Elie Saab

It is mommy and me with our favorite Disney-esque designer. True to the Elie Saab aesthetic, gauzy off-shoulder gowns were embroidered with feathers and jewels in an innocent palette of nude and dark midnight blues. Gold accents highlighted the enchantment that underline the looks, while the recurring bird motifs and city skyline embroidery act as a reminder that this is indeed a modern tale the couturier is spinning.

Margiela

Witching hour has arrived. Congruent to Margiela’s codes of eccentricity, oversized jackets were worn upside down on the torso (who would have thought of that?), Napoleonic hats matched festival-style thigh-length Wellington boots, and metallic silver mini dresses trailed capes behind them. Throw a devil-may-care mix of accesories in the form of delicate chokers and extended woollen mittens to barnacle headdresses and leather clog-style shoes, and we pretty much have a historical characters-meet-future possibilities kind of Margiela story.

Iris van Herpen

Five words: what a work of art. 3D dresses painted in hues of nudes, blacks and metallics were the order of the day. It is all very surreal; delicate netting spirals out of slip dresses, while gnarly horn-like motifs adorn structured hips. In further reiteration of the collection’s ethereal quality, suspended platform heels made the models appear to be levitating.

Dior

Monochrome is the catchphrase for Dior. Voluminous but sharp silhouettes took center stage, while puffball sleeves, billowing skirts and frothy trains offered an air of escapism. Juxtaposition is a huge part of the collection, with ruffled ponchos paired with skinny cigarette pants, and structured oversized blazers with sheer tulle skirts. Throw flat lace-up sandals into the formula, and the result is very Dior – feminine, elegant with that classic understated sophistication.

Alexandre Vauthier

The model army has invaded, again. Headed by a squad of star models (think Bella Hadid and Jourdan Dunn), the looks were an ode to the army, with crop-legged jumpsuits, mesh dresses, tailored jackets and suited coats in splashes of black, khaki green and white. Belts with eyelets broke the confines of their regular role, and were crafted into dresses and skirts.