Paris Fashion Week: girls will be boys

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The biggest show of the day started at 8.45pm at the L'ecole Nationale Superiuer des Beaux Arts with guests nibbling finger sandwiches and sipping on glasses of Perrier Jouet. Alber Elbaz turned to masculine structured 80s shoulders, 'Le Smoking' jacket references as well as Japanese inspired shapes in dark hues, then in bolts of bright satin Lanvin colours. Not your typical uber feminine Lanvin, but still beautifully turned out. Another standing ovation for Elbaz, and on the star studded front row, the designer's many ardent fans cheered this rather new aesthetic on.

Carven: Cool and collected defines the Carven girl

Guillaume Henry is again showing off his forte for clothing for a cool young generation at the French fashion house. Remember him bringing Alexa Chung over to the brand's Hong Kong party? Old English style sketch prints that are usually seen on upholstery and curtains in period dramas were translated into beautiful dresses. Undulating hemlines on skirts worked very well and the shiny PVC caramel pieces complimented the shots of reddish coral. Vibrant and fresh, just like the young creative director. Murmurs of approval all round.

Manish Arora: Indian summers
Arora goes back to his roots by taking reference from his home country's vast "constellation of artisan traditions" but also references animals like tigers, gazelles and elephants in his prints. Woven silk brocade from Varanasi, cotton, light pastel silks and georgette all featured intricate fine gold embroideries. This was a collection focused mostly on craftsmanship but shapes were not very fashion forward.

Ann Demeulemeester: Minimal gothic takes a lighter turn

Floaty sheer fabrics showed off movement on the long, lithe models' bodies. This season was more minimal in shape and tailoring but the effect rather dreamy (in that dark gothic way) especially with the long Medieval sleeves that reached right to the floor.