Hermès headlined Saturday’s (October 3) instalment of Paris Fashion Week with a cinematic, surrealist runway, but the lack of celebrities and patchy drizzle put a slight dampener on the usually high-octane event. Melania loves her Hermès so much it started a meme – so how many Birkins does she own? Like Milan before it , Paris is undertaking an unusual fashion season for spring/summer 2021. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the nine-day calendar is flitting between 16 ready-to-wear runway collections with masked guests in seated rows, 20 in-person presentations and several dozen completely digital shows streamed online with promotional videos. Prints of Greco-Roman goddess sculptures adorned columns at the Hermès show, with mirrors reflecting parts of their marble forms. The creative presentation referenced surrealists Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau, evoking a sense of magic, mystery and depth. How Burberry launched London Fashion Week with no front row Depth was indeed the key theme for minimalist designer Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski, but the magic and mystery were sometimes missing in the clothes. Shimmering metallic mesh came as an outer layer over pared-down undergarments in dark and muted hues. How much did Nita Ambani spend on her ultra-rare Hermès Himalaya Birkin? In one LWD (Little White Dress), the gold meshing resembled kinky chain mail and felt very 1990s. Elsewhere, the play on depth continued as the sides were scooped out of an ethnic-looking brown dress to expose the model’s skin. Will the luxury sector lead the economic rebound out of Covid-19? Digital Paris Couture Week: more democracy, far less drama It was, on the whole, a low-energy collection. Still, individual garments were high in sophistication, especially those with layered panelling, including one coat in old rose that had a chic rolled-up collar that riffed on aviation attire. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .