French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent has been a timelessly classic choice of the well-dressed for decades, so when it hosted an evening runway presentation at Paris Fashion Week on March 1, it was no surprise to see a series of slender cocktail gowns delivered from a catwalk overlooked by the Eiffel Tower itself. Long-legged models strode across a pale pink carpet in sleek, full-length dresses and wrapped in sharp-shouldered tuxedos and oversized faux fur coats as electronic music by French DJ Sebastian played. In his show notes, creative director Anthony Vaccarello cited the style of 20th century anti-fascist poet Nancy Cunard, known to favour chunky jewellery and masculine silhouettes. Did Valentino just kick off a new, more diverse era in fashion? Echoing her look, some outfits were accessorised with stacks of large bracelets or prominent earrings while long coats and low-waisted jackets were worn with the collars turned up. Soft fabric flowers pinned to dresses and jackets added a touch of romance to the sombre palette of mostly black with touches of ivory and light brown. The Kering-owned label closed the second day of shows at Paris Fashion Week, which runs until March 8 and caps a month of key fashion events in New York, London and Milan. Stella McCartney’s psychedelic, eco-conscious Paris Fashion Week show At the end of the show, Vaccarello dipped into the crowd to embrace guests in the front row, including fashion icon Betty Catroux and actress Catherine Deneuve. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .