Walk this way

Intern meltdowns over front row fracas, tears backstage, grown men on the Metro in heels and capes, countless selfies, A-listers galore and a gaggle of almost interchangeable Kardashians with a surly Kanye West (and baby North) in tow. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we've survived another season of fashion weeks.

After hopping between New York, London and Milan, overseeing a cover shoot in Cumbria, England (see page 44), and then flying to Paris, I can safely say this fashion pilgrimage was much more than just a flurry of models, fabrics and famous faces. Hunting down the next big name (reality television star, model and Kardashian clan member Kendall Jenner made her fashion week debut this season), indentifying trends and witnessing the most innovative designs for next spring proved inspiring, and thirsty, work. It would be unfair not to decompress with a glass of champagne, or five, now that it's done.

But it wasn't all serious. When those fashion folk let loose they can really appreciate the power of satire, even when - shock, horror - it's aimed at them. So when Jean Paul Gaultier's show-to-end-all-shows at the Grand Rex Theatre, in Paris, poked fun at (and paid homage to) the industry's most influential editors (such as Suzy Menkes and Franca Sozzani), the usually stoic audience wooped and cheered.

It was a fitting swan song for the French style icon, who will be ending his ready-to-wear range after this season, to focus on couture. Being Gaultier, this epic performance came in the format of a camp beauty pageant, which saw models of all shapes and sizes - aged from their teens to their 60s - celebrating the end of an era.

As Orson Welles once said, "Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a damn."