Fashion month has finally come to an end, some would say designers saved the best for last at Paris Fashion Week. Despite cold and stormy weather, brands refused to let anything rain on their parade (err… runway?). Instead, they shined light on the city throughout the 10-day event. 

The city of lights hosted shows from typical heavy-hitting players like Dior, Valentino, and Chanel, as well as indie labels such as Botter and Coperni, who undoubtedly made the most prominent statement during the week. The Paris calendar also welcomed Victoria Beckham, who presented her namesake brand’s Spring-Summer 2023 collection with an IRL runway.

Other highlights included Issey Miyake where creative director Satoshi Kondo presented the first collection following the late founder and his mentor’s death in August. Stella McCartney debuted a collaboration with Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara. And Squid Game star Hoyeon Jung returned to her runway roots at Louis Vuitton.

Ahead, check out GRAZIA USA’s favorite runway looks from Paris Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2023.

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton exaggerated fashion to the max (quite literally) by hosting the show at a grand venue at the Louvre and featuring XL zippers, buckles, buttons, and pockets on the garments. Creative director Nicolas Ghesquière also went bold with the model casting by tapping Squid Game Star Hoyeon Jung to open the show.

Miu Miu

Miu Miu’s ultra mini skirt moment is here to stay. The viral skirt that captivated the fashion crowd last season got an upgrade for SS23 with a more versatile iteration. Several mini skirts (and some in a midi form) were presented on the runway, featuring utilitarian tool belts with giant cargo pockets.

Chanel

Although creative director Virginie Viard stayed true to the signatures of the house, including tweed blazers, stunning gowns, and its distinctive color palette, this season boosted classic Chanel silhouettes in sheer fabrications with gold embellishments. (Perhaps we’re seeing face of the brand Kristen Stewart’s influence?)

Thom Browne

At this point we expect nothing less than a spectacle at a Thom Browne runway show. There were viral moments, like when POSE’s MJ Rodriguez twirled around in a giant pink car, but the designer didn’t let the gimmicks subdue the collection itself. Punk undertones fused with Browne’s obsession with glamour took centerstage. The standout was a larger-than-life regencycore red ruffle gown paired with a baroque robe modeled by Gwendoline Christie. 

Sacai

Founder Chitose Abe presented a collection made for a myriad of occasions, from the office to an elegant dinner and everything in between. Strong silhouettes and exquisite tailoring redefine the meaning of everyday wear for the modern-day woman.

Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney lucked out with the timing of her SS23 show, which was outdoors on one of the few days it wasn’t raining during PFW. The collection fused fashion and art, including a collaboration with Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, featuring his iconic “Change The History” phrase on a sweater.

Givenchy

Matthew M. Williams combined the American city uniform with Parisian flare for a collection that boasted denim, tweed, and leather all woven in a harmonious package. The Canadian tuxedo got the Givenchy treatment in an oversized jacket with a subtle logo print and a matching midi denim skirt.

Valentino

The color pink wasn’t the star of Valentino this season — unless you were taking a peek at the A-listers in the front row. On the runway, however, creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli made a case for logo-mania with structured gowns, capes, and footwear covered in the brand’s iconic emblem. The distinctive “V” logo even covered the models’ faces, bringing a show-stopping factor to the runway.

Hermès

Womenswear creative director Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski presented a collection filled with utilitarian designs and natural earth tones fit for an urbanite’s retreat in the desert. The set design featured dunes to evoke an upscale hike further bringing her vision to life.

Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood

Yet another designer inspired by the renaissance era. For SS23, designer Andreas Kronthaler gave the brand’s punk aesthetic a glam twist. Patent leather dresses and ’80s-style jackets were sculpted to resemble armor paired with either chain-embellished booties or dazzling rhinestone boots fit for a modern-day woman warrior.

Coperni

One simply can’t mention Coperni’s SS23 show without talking about the iconic finale with Bella Hadid. It called to mind the Shalom Harlow moment at the Alexander McQueen SS99 show where the model wore a voluminous strapless white dress and was spray painted by robots. Fast forward 24 years later, and Bella Hadid got a white dress sprayed painted on her body at the end of the show. After about five minutes, she walked the runway in it.

Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham’s SS23 show marked the designer’s first time in Paris. The collection followed Beckham’s own personal style and the current aesthetic she boasts in her everyday life. Classic and timeless silhouettes took form in soft hues of blue and red, while other looks showed off Beckham-approved color blocking and suiting.

Giambattista Valli

Giambattista Valli continued to prove why Paris is called the city of love. The collection was filled with soft, muted pink, blue, and green tones. A standout was a lace dress embroidered with pink knit flowers and leaves framed in black trimming.

Issey Miyake

For his SS23 collection, creative director Satoshi Kondo paid homage to the label’s late founder, who passed away in August. Kondo continued Miyake’s tradition of starting off the collection by telling a story. The garments followed tropes Kondo learned from Miyake while giving them an innovative twist. In a few looks, fabrics were folded and then partially hand-pleated in a circular shape. The design featured a series of circular pleats inspired by life cycles and rebirth.

Loewe

J.W. Anderson continued the natural progression of his last few collections with SS23. Surrealist and natural motifs such as balloons, grass, and flowers came back in new iterations. Anthuriums proved to be the pièce de résistance of the collection, with subtle inclusions on the shoulder to an enlarge version covering the bust of a dress.

Off-White

Ib Kamara debuted his first collection since taking the creative helm of Off-White. Kamara frequently collaborated with Virgil Abloh, making him the perfect next in line to continue the brand’s message. The show boosted maximalism and several garments came in cobalt blue, which may take over as this season’s new “Valentino Pink.”

Rick Owens

Rick Owens gothcore aesthetic prevailed in his SS23 collection. His signature gladiator-esque thigh-high boots debuted in new colorways with pink leather and fur, further leaning into the designer’s kink influence.

Ludovic de Saint Sernin

Ludovic de Saint Sernin continued to make garments that aren’t defined by gender but are made for everyone. Babydoll dresses paraded down the runway on both male and female models, styled in different ways to show the versatility of his designs.

Balmain

Olivier Rousteing fully dived into the renaissance era for the SS23 collection. This season, he focused on sustainability with a couture dress created using a single fabric woven from threads from recycled bottles in collaboration with Evian. There was also a regal print that popped up on gowns, tops, pants, and bags featuring Renaissance paintings.

Acne Studios

Acne Studios featured youthful nostalgic princess colors on mature silhouettes. The lightweight materials wrapped around models in an effortless yet timeless display of elegant fashion.

Rochas

Rochas was all about elevated and exaggerated ruffles. Various looks that paraded the runway featured ruffles in some form on the sleeves, hem, and neckline.

Cecilie Bahnsen

Cecilie Bahnsen was more than just about parading dainty pastel dresses down the runway this season. The collection introduced two new silhouettes as well as two new colorways: denim and a bold metallic silver floral. The collection also introduced a footwear collaboration with ASICS with styles embellished with flowers.

Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello is all about empowering women in his coveted collections for the label. So it made sense to see looks reminiscent of iconic model and singer Grace Jones, with signature tight-fitting hooded ensembles parade down the runway at Place de Trocadero. Naturally the looks were paired with oversized trench coats, a signature of Vaccarello.

Dior

For Dior’s Spring-Summer 2023 show located at the Tuileries garden, Grazia Chiuri once again put her craftsmanship to the test. She continued to champion women and feminism through her designs and paid tribute to French and Italian noblewoman Catherine de Medici this season. She also infused her love for Paris with a standout print of a map of the capital from the house’s archives.

Botter

Botter pulled from current issues for inspiration for its collections. Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh paid homage to Mother Earth and the ocean in a collection that merged luxury fashion with sporty influences.