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Simultaneously with Taylor Swift, designer Sarah Burton entered her Showgirl era. During her second presentation as Givenchy designer, Burton turned up the volume with collars dripping rhinestones across the collarbone area, opulent peach-toned feather accents, a pocket-rocket cocktail dress in lipstick red leather, and Naomi Campbell in a formal tuxedo coat worn open over a barely-there lace trim bra.

Establishing a Fresh Direction

Burton's tenure at Givenchy less than a year, but the longtime associate of Alexander McQueen has already established a new identity for the house and for herself. The Givenchy fashion house, the spiritual home of Audrey Hepburn and the timeless black dress, has a pristine heritage of sophistication that runs from Paris to Hollywood, but it is a smaller player as a business. Previous designers at the house had primarily focused on urban fashion and functional metal embellishments, but Burton is reviving the sophistication.

"The goal was to create something provocative and alluring and to show skin," Burton said following the presentation. "When we want to empower women, we often turn to masculine elements, but I wanted to explore female emotional intelligence, and dressing and undressing."

There was covered-up allure, too, in a formal shirt in supple white leather. "Every woman is different," Burton commented. "Occasionally during casting, a model dons a look and I immediately sense that she is uncomfortable in high heels. Thus, I modify the ensemble."

Return to Glamorous Events

Givenchy is rebuilding its presence in red carpet dressing. Burton has dressed actor Timothée Chalamet in a soft yellow tuxedo at the Academy Awards, and Kaia Gerber in a classic ballerina-style gown of ebony lace at the Venice Film Festival.

Schiaparelli’s Surreal Resurgence

The fashion house Schiaparelli, the avant-garde design house, has been experiencing a revival under the US-born creative director Daniel Roseberry. Next year, the V&A will host the first major British Schiaparelli exhibition, examining the work of Elsa Schiaparelli and the brand she created.

"Acquiring Schiaparelli is not about buying, you collect Schiaparelli," Roseberry declared post-presentation.

Women who wear Schiaparelli need no showcase to tell them that these garments are artistic. Art-adjacency is positive for revenue – apparel is priced like fine art, with jackets starting at about £5,000. And profits, as well as reputation, is increasing. The setting for the event was the Centre Pompidou in Paris, a further indication of how close this house sits with art.

Revisiting Iconic Collaborations

Roseberry revisited one of the most renowned partnerships of Elsa with Salvador Dalí, the 1938 dress named "Tears" which is set to feature in the V&A exhibition. "This focused on going back to the roots of the fashion house," he noted.

The torn effects in the original were artistically applied, but for the modern iteration Roseberry tore into the silk crepe itself. In each version, the rips are eerily suggestive of flayed flesh.

Eerie Details and Playful Threat

There is an edge of menace at the Schiaparelli house – Elsa described her mannequins, with their sharp shoulders and nipped-in waists, as her miniature army – as well as a gleeful delight in a joke. Nail-shaped buttons and gold noses dangling as earrings are the visual grammar of the house. The punchline of this show: fake fur crafted from paintbrushes.

Surrealist elements appear throughout contemporary fashion. Cracked-egg heels – navigating delicately, geddit? – were extremely popular at the fashion house Loewe. Dalí-inspired melting clocks have graced the runway at the house of Moschino. But Schiaparelli dominates this domain, and Roseberry oversees it.

"Garments from Schiaparelli possess an extreme drama which dominates the space," he expressed. A scarlet ensemble was cut with a triangular panel of flesh-toned mesh that sat roughly where a pair of knickers should, in a head-swivelling illusion of nudity. The interplay of functionality and spectacle is integral to the presentation.

US Talents Take on Paris

A whirlwind of new designer introductions has brought two darlings of New York to the French fashion world. Designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have left behind their Proenza Schouler label they established in 2002 to helm Loewe, the Spanish leather house that evolved into a $1.5 billion powerhouse under the direction of Jonathan Anderson before his departure to Dior.

The US designers appeared thrilled to be in Paris. Bold colors inspired by Ellsworth Kelly brought a cheerful pop art vibe to the cultured artistic knowledge for which Loewe is currently known. Bright yellow loafers shook their tassels like the fringe of Baker's costume; a red peplum jacket had the confident glossy contours of a condiment vessel. And an evening dress disguised as a recently used bath sheet, plush as a newly washed cloth, captured the sweet spot where smart creation blends with sartorial amusement.