The recently concluded Paris Fashion Week has been a lesson in how to reinvent the classics.

Chemena Kamali, in her sparkling debut showcase at Chloe, for instance, reimagined the 1970s bohemian girl. The result: Models were seen in oversized sunnies, thigh-high boots and romantic chiffon capelets. Hermès, meanwhile, asserted its penchant for horses and motorbikes by proposing a closet of leather jackets, pencil skirts and riding boots. Virginie Viard at Chanel, on the other hand, penned a love letter to Deauville with a collection that cemented the house’s historic links with the scenic town in France.

From the Chanel show presented on 5 March
(AFP)

Anthony Vaccarello celebrated transparency, something that has been central to Saint Laurent’s DNA, with a line of bodycon and diaphanous ensembles.

Here are some other key trends that emerged at the Fall Winter 2024-25 edition of the Paris Fashion Week:

Sheer dressing

From the Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2024-2025 ready-to-wear collection show on 27 February
(Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Vaccarello sent out a panoply of sheer bandeau tops and pencil skirts in hues of tan, iris, green, maroon, nude and midnight blue accessorised with lucite bangles and earrings. A marabou jacket carried as a clutch was an interesting counterpoint to the overall look-at-me vibe.

In the show notes, Vaccarello said, “Close-fitting silk dresses, resembling sheer undergarments, simultaneously reveal and shroud the woman wearing them, like hyper-graphic X-rays. Transparency is re-read, minimizing the distance between garment and skin so the two effectively meld and fabric evaporates like mist.”

Similar sheer dressing was also visible at Courreges, Valentino, Mugler, Chloe, Gauchere and Nina Ricci.

Archival redux

German designer Chemena Kamali after presenting her debut show for Chloe on 29 February
(AFP)

At Chloe, Kamali went back to the glorious Karl Lagerfeld era (especially between 1977 and 1979) and indulged in a vibrant interplay of lace and semi-sheer fabrics. There was also a subtle throwback to the platform sandals of the Phoebe Philo period.

At Schiaparelli, Daniel Rosenbery paid a tribute to house founder Elsa by showcasing ready to wear garments, including variations of blazers, trousers and dresses, that carried the founder’s beloved iconographies like the measuring tape and keyhole. The collection also included the brand’s signature cowboy boots and measuring tape sandals.

Turtlenecks are still hot

The protectionist winter dressing seen at Milan Fashion Week earlier this year spilled into the Paris calendar as well, with designers like Dries Van Noten, Undercover, Acne Studios, Gauchere, Casablanca, Victoria Beckham and Hermes proposing chic turtlenecks in luxurious, cozy knits and zipper details.

The X factor

Trust Rick Owens to always make the jaded fashion set rethink and reexamine clothing and life in general. For his Paris collection, the designer had aliens and spaceships on the moodbard. Hence came in exaggerated puffers, hooded robes, leather tunics and shaggy outerwear—all clothes that can easily fit in a stylish sci-fi film.

Rei Kawakubo at Comme des Garcon, too, played with exaggerated silhouettes, extrapolating leather to fashion ball gowns, flared trousers and pannier-style skirts. Yohji Yamamoto’s presented an all-noir line-up, comprising coats, dresses, and suits—all bringing to mind Cubist sculptures.