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Coinciding with the pop star Taylor Swift, Sarah Burton embarked on her Showgirl period. During her second presentation as the creative director of Givenchy, Burton heightened the intensity with collars embellished with shimmering stones across the collarbone area, rich peach-colored maribou plumes, a pocket-rocket cocktail dress in lipstick red leather, and Naomi Campbell in a formal tuxedo coat draped over a scant lace-trimmed bra.

Forging a Unique Path

Burton's tenure at Givenchy under a year, but the longtime associate of Alexander McQueen has already established a distinctive character for the brand and for herself. The Givenchy label, the spiritual home of the actress Audrey Hepburn and the classic LBD, has a flawless lineage of elegance that extends from the French capital to Tinseltown, but it is a relative minnow as a business. Earlier creative directors had largely embraced streetwear and practical metallic details, but Burton is reviving the glamour.

"I wanted it to be provocative and alluring and to show skin," Burton said backstage. "To strengthen women, we often adopt male-inspired styles, but I wanted to examine women's emotional depth, and the act of dressing and undressing."

There was covered-up allure, too, in a formal shirt in supple white leather. "All women vary," Burton commented. "Sometimes when I’m casting, a model puts on an outfit and it becomes clear that she prefers not to wear heels. So I change the look."

Reclaiming the Red Carpet

Givenchy is reaffirming its position in red carpet dressing. Burton has dressed actor Timothée Chalamet in a soft yellow tuxedo at the Oscar ceremony, and model Kaia Gerber in a classic ballerina-style gown of ebony lace at the Venice film festival.

Schiaparelli’s Surreal Resurgence

The fashion house Schiaparelli, fashion’s house of surrealism, has been resurgent under the American designer Daniel Roseberry. Next year, the Victoria and Albert Museum will host the first major British Schiaparelli exhibition, examining the work of designer Elsa Schiaparelli and the house she founded.

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

Those who don Schiaparelli require no exhibition to tell them that these garments are artistic. Proximity to art is good for the bottom line – apparel is priced like fine art, with outerwear priced from approximately £5,000. And profits, as well as reputation, is on the up. The setting for the event was the Pompidou Centre in the French capital, another reminder of how close this house sits with art.

Echoing Past Artistic Alliances

Roseberry revisited one of Elsa’s most famous collaborations with artist Salvador Dalí, the 1938 “Tears” dress which will appear in the V&A display. "This focused on revisiting the foundation of the house," he noted.

The “rips” in the original were carefully rendered, but for the contemporary take Roseberry cut into the crepe silk itself. In both, the rips are eerily suggestive of flayed flesh.

Eerie Details and Playful Threat

There is an edge of menace at the Schiaparelli brand – The founder called her mannequins, with their angular shoulders and tailored waists, as her toy soldiers – as well as a joyful appreciation for humor. Buttons in the form of fingernails and metallic nose ornaments as earrings are the iconic symbolism of the brand. The punchline of this show: faux fur made from paintbrushes.

Surrealist elements appear all over current fashion. Eggshell-inspired heels – treading carefully, get it? – were extremely popular at Loewe. Dalí-inspired melting clocks have walked the catwalk at Moschino. But Schiaparelli owns this territory, and Roseberry oversees it.

"Designs by Schiaparelli feature an extreme drama which captivates everyone present," he stated. A crimson dress was sliced with a geometric insert of flesh-toned mesh that rested around the area a pair of knickers should, in a captivating deception of nudity. The interplay of functionality and spectacle is integral to the presentation.

American Creatives in the French Capital

A carousel of creative director launches has introduced two New York favorites to the Parisian scene. The duo Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have departed from the fashion house Proenza Schouler they established in 2002 to helm Loewe, the Spanish leather goods brand that grew into a $1.5bn (£1.1bn) alpha name under the tenure of Jonathan Anderson before he moved to Dior.

The US designers appeared thrilled to be in Paris, France. Vibrant Ellsworth Kelly hues brought a joyful pop art sensibility to the in-the-know art smarts for which Loewe has become recognized. Vivid yellow slip-ons dangled their tassels like the fringe of Baker's costume; a red peplum jacket had the proud shiny curves of a condiment vessel. And a party gown imitating a just-out-of-the-shower towel wrap, plush as a newly washed cloth, found the perfect balance where innovative design intersects with stylish enjoyment.