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Although new names at Dior and Chanel sparked major attention during the ongoing Paris fashion week, it was the first show from the fashion house that utterly dominated the press coverage. The presentation featured a surprise appearance: the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, making her initial European outing in a three-year period.

During the Saturday evening in the French capital, the spectacle of Chanel, Dior – and even Lauren Sanchez – paled in comparison with the dramatic effect of the Balenciaga presentation.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex brought an extra layer of star power to the fashion event.

Before this development, the general mood surrounding Pierpaolo Piccioli’s debut had been rather peaceful. The fashion house is a highly respected name, and the creative force is globally acclaimed as a world-leading designer. Moreover, he is beloved for his reputation as the kindest personality in the business. The general expectation was that extravagant catwalk stunts had departed the brand's identity with the exit of provocateur designer Demna to another luxury house. However, even the nicest guys spring a few shocks, and the appearance of royalty significantly amplified the level of hoopla.

He views himself as an master builder, building forms that do not contact the body.

Interestingly, the main idea of the collection's guiding philosophy, as he detailed it backstage, was women's liberation. His starting point was Cristóbal Balenciaga’s 1957 sack dress, a silhouette that maintains distance from the body, not highlighting nor restricting a natural body shape. The designer explained that this style was a radical expression of a shifting zeitgeist that was shifting away from the 1950s conservatism towards the more free-spirited era. “It was about female empowerment. It released women from the weight of clothes that sit on their body and define them by their shape. This design allowed women to exist unencumbered.”

Balenciaga’s most iconic silhouettes were featured in the presentation, such as this enveloping coat.

Clothes that hold their form are fundamental to the the brand's ethos. Piccioli compared this approach to design to being an architect: creating structures that avoid direct interaction with the body, while always thinking about the people who will occupy these creations. The original designer was fascinated by the physique and with fabric, and with a third element – the space in between.”

The opening look was a fresh take of the loose-fitting garment, elongated to an floor-grazing length, paired with opera gloves – but also with distinctive eyewear that acted as a clear homage to the futuristic edge of the brand's recent past.

Piccioli, who at fifty-eight sports ornamental accessories and projects an calm, bohemian vibe, does not view seeing design as a personal rivalry. He states that it is better for creatives to respect each other’s talents. He mentioned that he was aiming for a “reconciliation” between the traditional craftsmanship of the fashion label, and its more contemporary urban phase. Balenciaga’s most iconic silhouettes were prominently featured in the show: a ‘cocoon’ coat, this time in a vibrant poison green, and a trapeze dress in a powerful violet tone.

The phenomenon of French-girl chic has become a highly profitable trend. The American designer is an American man, but he speaks this fashion language fluently. Rider collaborated closely with a fashion icon during her time leading the brand, and then spent six years elevating the American brand into a beacon of wearable style. Currently leading Céline, he is introducing the democratic approach of Polo to French fashion. He presented trench coats, straw baskets, and silk scarves used as accents – all the classic elements of Parisian elegance – presented in cheerful tones, with an positive transatlantic vibe. This is not an exclusive label, or a brand that wants to exclude people,” he commented post-presentation. The goal is for everyone feels desirable in Celine. When you wear this brand, you may not have the most outrageous item, but you have the perfect garment, and you have the self-assurance to wear it.”