The Best Looks Straight Off the Paris Runways

There's sporty and there's sport-adjacent, and the argument stands to be made that Lacoste is in the latter camp. With DNA firmly rooted on the court, the brand perpetually toys with athletic shapes and fabrications while remaining free from any sort of pressure to be true-blue sportswear. This season was no different, with Louise Trotter experimenting with jerseys and wide-pleated skirts that could see some action—or not. Varsity sweaters and polos might technically be athletic, but they've also earned standing as sartorial statements on their own. Layered, assembled, or matched in clay-court fashion, each piece is ready for however you play the game. —Leah Melby Clinton

Alber Elbaz was a joybomb of a person. He believed in the power of feeling pretty, and the strength of a favorite dress—not just for some women, but for all. You saw it in his Lanvin x H&M collection of 2010, and later with AZ Factory, which Elbaz launched in January to “develop solutions for women in our times.” After the designer tragically passed from Covid-19 in April, his team created 25 looks that fully fulfilled his mission. The clothes blended Elbaz’s frothy fantasy pieces with black leggings and big jewelry—the ultimate expression of Zoom Glam, and a useful solution indeed to the daily meh of WFH style. And if we’re lucky enough to venture out on the town? There were gowns for that, too. There were looks by fashion giants worldwide that fêted Elbaz's legacy, and—in the case of Rosie Assoulin, Ralph Lauren, and Saint Laurent—his signature bowtie and spectacles. The title of the show was Love Brings Love, and yes, Monsieur Elbaz did just that. I’m not crying, you’re cr—fine, we’re all crying. And we should be. —Faran Krentcil

Vuitton called this collection, “an invitation to le grand bal of time.” Tonight, the show notes claim, “time is of no consequence.” While certainly a storied brand in the luggage business for generations, LV does not have the extensive clothing archives other big name Parisian houses have. So when Nicolas Ghesquière takes a trip back through the ages it is through his own particular lens. And there are nods to other eras—oversized ’80s tux jackets, flowing hippie dresses that might have made Stevie Nicks swoon in the ’70s. But then there are sparkling party dresses with interesting skirting that seems to jut out from the model's body that feel if not so right now, then perhaps futuristic. There are also hits of denim and polka dots in a stark black and white palette— but don’t get it twisted. This isn’t a serious matter, these are clothes with a joyful disposition. It’s about “a vibrant flow of style. The night will be all the more beautiful,” the notes continue. And so it is. —Kerry Pieri