Paris: Courrèges and The Row

On a Wednesday of gridlock in central Paris, two contrasting collections, Courrèges and The Row, stood out for the certainty of their visions, both impeccably staged in radically different locations.

Courrèges: uplifting fashion

The key to the latest excellent collection for Nicolas Di Felice's Courrèges house was simple: the act of throwing a few meters of fabric around a torso, albeit in an upward gesture.

The result was a thoroughly modern fashion: a slender, sculptural and dramatic collection that earned him a thunderous ovation on Wednesday morning inside the Carreau du Temple.

With the help of brilliant staging, an immaculate white square rose above the wrought iron beams of the 19th-century market. As his center rose and fell three meters to the rhythm of a slow beat on the soundtrack.

Di Felice began with bright trench-style dresses that rose into the air forming raised collars. Everything hung impeccably. He cut bold coats with huge rising lapels in the house's classic plastic-covered jersey. Dressed with great skill, many looks suggested a rising whirlpool.

For evening, she created a series of slim cocktails in semi-sheer silks and technical fabrics, each meticulously finished with small individual feathers. Light, unexpected and very new, like this collection.

Although his most telling gesture was the placement of pockets at the front or around the hips of many coat dresses, sheaths and trousers, imparting an unexpected pose to many models.

His front row gave him a standing ovation at the end: Juliette Binoche, François-Henri Pinault (CEO of Kering and patron of Courrèges), Brooklyn Beckham, rapper Rich the Kid, Tina Kunakey, Valentina Zenere, Omar Ayuso and the Korean girl. group ITZY, who literally arrived with an entourage of 25 hangers-on.

“In search of a chill”Di Felice explained, referring to the search for thrills.

“Like André (Courrèges, the founder of the house), I work by draping the torso. “He wanted the feeling of a human touch, something that would calm and envelop,” he continued after being surrounded by stars and fans.

Juliette hugs Nicolas tightly, repeating the word “Perfect, perfect, perfect.” Rich the Kid called him a genius; Pinault posed for photographs; Emily Ratajowki hugged him like a brother and ITZY brought the designer a gift, which the paparazzi insisted they keep out of the shot of him.

The Row: Hitchcock in the First District

A Hitchcockian moment in Parisian fashion, with a jazz trumpet soundtrack and icy heroines parading through an elegant mansion in The Row's latest collection.

With shag rugs, mid-century furnishings, and the location (the Hotel Castanier, built in the mid-1750s by a banker known at the time as France's richest bachelor), the setting couldn't have been more appropriate for The Row.

Since The Row was founded in 2006, its designers Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have been known as the queens of relaxed luxury, which is what this collection was. That said, since arriving in France, The Row has gradually developed a much more opulent and sculptural style. Sometimes, they take up elements seen by other foreign creators who have exhibited in Paris (from Issey Miyake to Albert Elbaz), but on their own terms.

This season they used premium fabrics (double-face cashmere, silky gabardine, perfectly tailored pleats) to create exaggerated shapes that never overwhelm. It's a tricky balance, but they always manage to achieve it.

They opened with a funnel-neck trench coat that managed to have an A-line yet cocoon shape. Large cashmere coats wrapped them even further with lapels and collars that wrapped around the entire upper torso. His men's double-breasted coats reached to the ankles and bent the models' shoulders. They showed off a nude vest with a perfectly sculpted charcoal pleated skirt that would have made Brancusi smile.

Done on a mix of models, including veterans Erin O'Connor, Eva Herzigova and Kristen McMenamy, this was a very sophisticated fashion statement.

With ideal staging and location and a reminder that the Olsen sisters, without using a single logo or monogram, have managed to create a very distinctive and instantly recognizable style for The Row. At least that's to the educated eye. No wonder they seem so comfortable showing up in Paris.