The Best Runway Looks at Paris Fashion Week Fall 2019

The Centre Pompidou, Paris' epicenter of modern and contemporary art, served as a primary source of inspiration for Nicolas Ghesquière this season, as did "Culture" more loosely, which he describes as "what we see, what we accept,
what we learn. What’s left to us..."

And rather than look to the oh-so-haute Louvre, the designer chose a more urban, modern, downtown approach. As his show notes began, "perceptions shift..." And shift they did, although Ghesquière's girl is still the tough, mini-skirt-wearing girl she has been for seasons.

For Fall 2019, the designer paired bold shoulders, ruffles, sparkles, and other fanciful elements with grungier street elements for a mix that feels resemblant of the streets. He also played with a piece of every bold tone for a reason—"Green is water, blue is air, yellow is electricity. Red is human."—but used them sporadically. For the most part, this is still the cool-kid Vuitton girl you've come to know and love; she's just expanding her horizons. —Carrie Goldberg

Television screens surrounded the Miu Miu runway, looping old school VHS imagery including such disparate themes as Mariah Carey, random nudes, cats, and blooming flowers. The whole look was very mid-‘90s MTV. The clothing vibed on that idea a bit but not too literally with a cool, young mix—camo and shearling jackets, some pop floral slim maxi skirts, layered leather mini skirts, and sheer puff sleeve mini dresses. A black velvet cape and anorak cape-jacket hybrids were standouts. At the end of the show, models walked to Dolly Patton’s rendition of "Stairway to Heaven," further proof that sometimes it’s the unexpected pairings that really soar. —Kerry Pieri

Karl Lagerfeld’s final collection for Chanel, designed before he passed away last month, walked at the Grand Palais today on a bed of faux snow, next to trees and charming chalet houses against a backdrop of snow capped mountains.

A moment of silence and a recording of the posthumous designer speaking before the collection walked served as tribute—but as a drawing of Coo Chanel and Karl Largerfeld sketched by the late designer at each seat read, “The Beat Goes On.”

Chanel is a joyous brand and this collection brought that joy,

après-ski style. The Chanel woman is a true traveler, who requires a wardrobe for each of her fabulous destinations, including the world's chicest mountaintops. Whether that be Gstaad, Aspen, or Hokkaido, she’s certainly covered in puffer jackets, black and white tweeds, white suiting, a furry snow cape, fair isle sweaters and snow boots, bien sur.

Penelope Cruz helped close the show in an ice queen-worthy mini dress before models walked to0 "We Could Be Heroes" by David Bowie, the same song which closed Karl's last show for Fendi in Milan. Karl will always be missed but he was most certainly still felt today. —Kerry Pieri

For Fall, Sarah Burton looked back to her hometown in Northern England for inspiration. In her show notes, the creative director revealed she brought her team to the countryside and mill towns in which she grew up, leading to a collection inspired by “the bolts of cloth we saw woven both by man and machine.”

The end result was a garden party of new sorts—one that traded in traditional floral print frocks for futuristic, couture-like roses that came to life in new form. There were 3-D florals that blossomed as the exaggerated shoulders of an ‘80s-inspired jacket and a series of belted pouf dresses. A range of metallic looks—from jewel-encrusted suiting to chain evening wear—leaned towards the futuristic, machine-driven aspect of the collection. All together, it was a stunning contrast of old meets new, delicate meets tough, and nature meets technology. —Lauren Alexis Fisher