Highlights from the autumn/winter 2023 shows

Donatella Versace was inspired by the energy, glamour and power of Hollywood for autumn/winter 2023 – so much so that she moved her show from Milan to Los Angeles, showing away from the traditional fashion week schedule and hosting a standalone (and extremely star-studded) catwalk spectacle the same week as the Oscars. Models including Gigi Hadid, Naomi Campbell and Emily Ratajkowski took to the al fresco runway at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, while the likes of Anne Hathaway, Pamela Anderson and Miley Cyrus watched from the front row.

Donatella took classic Golden Age glamour and infused it with a contemporary aesthetic, with a focus on "the understanding and appreciation of the body that we have always had in our heart at Versace". There was an emphasis on the hourglass, with silhouettes inspired by vintage '90s Versace collections – corseted gowns, draped dresses and sharp tailoring – styled with opera gloves, sky-high stilettos and a ton of attitude.

Trend takeaways: hourglass silhouettes and power dressing

It was the final show of Paris Fashion Week, and Miuccia Prada made sure to go out with a bang. The designer presented a predictably fun collection, one which was complete with a trio of colourful, bejewelled knickers, one pair worn by actor Emma Corrin, who closed the show.

The bedazzled underwear was paired with polo-neck cashmere knits, tights and heels, and will no doubt be the next cult Miu Miu purchase (following on from those mini skirts, which a few seasons on are still being discussed). There was also plenty of mismatched layering, and some geek-chic cardigans, tailoring and polka dots, but with a twist – much of it was sheer or styled with oversized hoodies or knitted knickers.

Trend takeaways: Sparkly knickers and sheer midi skirts

The final day of Paris Fashion Week always calls for a beautiful Chanel show – and this one was all about the camellia, a flower that has served as a point of inspiration for the house for many years (it is said to have been Coco's favourite). A giant installation of the flower was erected in the middle of the catwalk, while the clothes were filled with floral details, as well as lots of lace, mismatched tweed, vinyl, feathers, pearls and chunky boots.

"The camellia is more than a theme, it’s an eternal code of the house. I find it reassuring and familiar, I like its softness and its strength," said creative director Virginie Viard.

Trend takeaways: Layering and lace

When deciding what to do with his latest collection for Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière considered the enigma and endless fascination surrounding the question: ‘What is French style?’ But, this wasn’t necessarily a question that he wanted to answer with the collection. Instead, he wanted to explore its many avenues and possibilities, and leave others to draw their own conclusions.

“I’m deliberately leaving the question open,” he told press backstage after the show. “Now that we’ve started travelling again, it is a question that often comes up abroad. It’s still a very present fantasy. French fashion is informed by many cultures. In fact, that is what makes it so special and exemplary.”

Ghesquière explored these many influences on French style, presenting a collection which he described as “classicism with a twist” – nodding to the tradition and the rich history that informs French fashion, but with a little wink. Read more here.

Trend takeaways: Skinny waist belts and lots of layering

After the uproar that was caused by two of the house's campaigns late last year, creative director Demna used this collection, and this fashion show, to start a new chapter at Balenciaga, one which he says is entirely about the clothes.

The comeback show was staged in a minimalistic space to further this message – he wants to step away from the performative nature of fashion and focus on the craft, forgoing the celebrity-filled front rows and extremely over-the-top show settings that we have seen from him in the past (which have featured models trudging through mud, water and even walking through a fake blizzard). In the collection, it was a pared-back version of his aesthetic. He presented tailoring, strong-shouldered dresses and glitzy gowns, and there was not a logo in sight.

Trend takeaways: Puffy shoulders and floor-skimming coats

Andreas Kronthaler presented an emotional tribute to his late wife with a collection that was entirely inspired by her life's work, and Westwood's granddaughter, Cora Corré, closed the show, dressed in a bridal look.

In his show notes, Kronthaler addressed Westwood: "In everything we will show, I thought of you and where you came from, from the North of England. The 'masturbation skirt', do you remember? From a long time ago. How much we laughed when we made it. I worked on it again. The petticoat skirts which were your absolute favourite. I've made some for you, all different, they're gorgeous, so pretty, so girly, so woman, so really woman. I used some of our antique fabrics that we collected together to give them a new life, I hope you don't mind. You once said to me that you can take everything away, iust leave me my platform shoes because one can't do without them. Maybe the most important thing you ever taught me was to put the woman on a pedestal."

Trend takeaways: Platform boots and corsetry

It was a much-awaited debut for Harris Reed at Nina Ricci, who focused on colour, silhouette and inclusivity in his first collection for the storied fashion house.

“As a queer kid growing up in Arizona, French fashion was my escape. Nina Ricci felt like my idealisation of Paris: it had a dreamlike romanticism, with a deep respect for femininity, but it ultimately felt light-hearted and accessible to every kind of woman. For my inaugural collection for Nina Ricci, I wanted to nod to the maison’s extraordinary history and at the same time to reinterpret those feminine codes for a modern consumer in a poetic, humorous and fluid way. I like to dress individuals who want to have fun in clothes that have meaning and purpose. I’m so excited to usher in a daring new era at Nina Ricci that I hope will be more inclusive and exciting than ever before."

Trend takeaway: Colourful tulle