PARIS – On an ordinary Parisian market street on an ordinary rainy fall day, Stella McCartney’s high-octane show on Monday was anything but.

Guests gasped as the drizzle ceased, the clouds parted, and the sun emerged moments before the show — a heavenly metaphor, perhaps, for McCartney’s optimistic and nature-inspired display.

Meanwhile, inside the storied grounds of Les Invalides with its golden dome, Balenciaga’s guests had to present a golden ring—instead of an invitation—to enter the show. Snaking corridors led to a dark atrium with a lavish 100-meter polished, inlayed wooden billiard table. The front row, including U.S. Vogue Editor Anna Wintour, sat on ornate chairs around that table, creating an intimate and up-close experience.

Here are some highlights of spring-summer 2025 ready-to-wear shows in Paris, including Balenciaga:

Balenciaga proves creativity is the new luxury

The show opened with lingerie, accessorized with surreally pointed shoes and shades, setting an intimate tone against a backdrop of blues music. Interestingly, instead of undressing, the collection gradually added layers. A loose, ruched 70s dress at the front featured kinky strapping at the back, highlighting a key theme of the collection — dualities. This subtle play on contrasts, something Demna frequently toys with, emphasized the tension between the polished and the raw.

As the show progressed, jeans with constricting webbing almost held the legs together, adding a sense of constraint that played with notions of freedom and restriction. Truncated puffer jackets gave the looks an edgy, fashion-forward vibe, while moments of irreverence emerged through giant gold and metallic sneakers that looked almost clown-like, springing as the models walked. A cap, worn low and decorated with spikes resembling a wolf’s teeth, further amplified Balenciaga’s punk undercurrent.

Torn chap jeans that looked like they could have been customized from a thrift store made their appearance on the luxury runway — a striking commentary on Demna’s unwavering belief that true luxury isn’t about opulence or exclusivity, but about reimagining the ordinary. The contrast was clear: Mundane items, such as a men’s striped T-shirt, were juxtaposed with dazzling diamond earrings. It was Demna’s anti-luxury, bottom-up approach in full force, dismantling the traditional top-down view of high fashion and asserting that authenticity, ingenuity, and subversion are the new symbols of luxury.

There were also moments of unexpected poetry — a black leather coat, loosely tied around the waist, exposing the model’s naked shoulders. These pieces went beyond garments; they were statements on vulnerability and imperfection, two of Balenciaga’s core themes. The imperfect beauty, the spontaneous and seemingly haphazard creations, spoke to Demna’s love of the coexistence of perfection and imperfection.

The uber-cool, eclectic collection was cohesive only in its madness, unpredictability, and humor. It was an unabashed celebration of creativity as the ultimate luxury — a bold reminder that, in a world overwhelmed by content, true originality is the rarest and most valuable commodity of all.