So what’s Paris Fashion Week 2022 got in store for us this fall and winter season? Check out our list of highlights from one of the biggest fashion events.

Maria Grazia Chiuri is adamant about building all her collections upon the classic Dior silhouette. This time, she does it by harnessing the power of futurism. Dune, of course, was a prominent influence. The classic cinched embroidered dresses were updated with leather corsets with prominent topstitching – something on the border of sci-fi and sportswear. The all-new range of accessories also included bulky padded gloves that evoked the imagery of motorsport athletes, along with tiny glasses in white acetate frames.

Skin exposure is one of those themes that can get very kitsch very quick. Not the case with Hermès. Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski blended class with sexiness, while also avoiding any literal references to all things equestrian. There were bodysuits, engineered with vertical sheer panels, low-cut blouses with ruffled collars and masterful leather overalls fitted to the body. Apart from the sensual skin-bearing looks, the autumn 2022 collection a plethora of knits, some of which included cut-outs at the shoulders and necks.

For autumn 2022, Olivier Rousteing put his models in body armour – quite literally – a direct reference to the Creative Director’s stance on opposing the war in Ukraine. Rousteing’s showmanship remains unmatched; he devised a spectacular collection in three parts, where warriors in metal, denim and leather strutted the runway amidst tribal dance performances. The presentation seemed like a logical extension of Balmain’s spring 2022 show, this time, with metal transforming from chains to plates that decorated the models’ muscles. Corsets were another prominent element in the range – the newly-beloved design staple took a motorsport-inspired form and adopted padded elements.

Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Valentino autumn 2022 was one of the most memorable shows during the sixth day of Paris fashion week. The designer used a metaphorical highlighter to turn the collection and, with it, the set, neon-pink. Pink was an interesting choice, given Valentino’s intimate relationship with red. The collection, however, was still magnificent. A staggering 81 looks of both womenswear and menswear ranged from majestic gowns with inverted sweetheart necklines and floor-sweeping coats to more casual (but not less pink) streetwear ensembles.

The anticipation for JW Anderson’s autumn 2022 show for LOEWE started with reporters receiving bizarre invitations written on pieces of latex shoved into tin cans. The interesting invitations couldn’t prepare anybody for the scale of Bizarro Anderson had devised this season. The collection itself dived headfirst into surrealism. Among the first few looks to walk the runway was a trapeze dress with a car (!) embedded into it under the hem. Latex – naturally – was in the spotlight, as a material of choice for mini dressed and bustiers of sleeveless

90s Belgian elegance saturated the atmosphere at Anthony Vaccarello’s Autumn 2022 show for Saint Laurent. The collection marked yet another triumph in the young designer’s career. Sleek silhouettes, with floor-sweeping skirts peeking out from under heavy coats and croc jackets, read like an homage to European royalty. Gathered-at-the-waist ‘corset’ dresses and velvet sets coloured the range with a dash of nonchalant coolness, while the top-heavy suits and the magnificent faux furs helped it maintain a sense of regality with a subtle nod to the European aristocracy in the last minutes of its heyday.

Compared to previous seasons, Matthew William’s fall 2022 collection for Givenchy seemed streamlined and straightforward. The show fits into the classic street-to-evening narrative, starting with a range of graphic tees over leather gloves, making way for heavy outerwear, where coats and layers were either merged or layered on top of each other and finally closing with a couple of cocktail looks. The component present in almost every look was tiers: they were on the tees, mini dresses, coats and jackets, tying the sportswear-influenced and glamorous phases of the collection together.

Even though Twitter was filled with images of a certain makeup-and-shapewear mogul, wrapped in Balenciaga-branded tape, this author will resist a temptation to offer their hot take on the subject and will focus on the collection instead. Demna Gvasalia orchestrated what could only be described as a theatre production: Balenciaga girls and boys walked through an artificial snowstorm (hi McQueen Winter 1999) in sunglasses. The range featured a healthy balance of dramatic outerwear and sleek bodysuits, including the notorious yellow tape piece.

Hero & Featured image credit: Dior / This story first appeared on Prestige Online Hong Kong and was compiled from Paris Fashion Week Autumn 2022 Day 1 recap, Day 2 recap, Day 3 recap, Day 4 recap, Day 5 recap and Day 6 recap. 

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