The Creative Director Champions Women's Liberation with Fluid Runway Show.

While fresh talent at Dior and Chanel created significant buzz during the current Paris fashion week, it was the inaugural presentation from Balenciaga that utterly dominated the public's attention. The show featured a unexpected guest: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, making her return to the European scene in a trio of years.

On Saturday night in the French capital, the spectacle of Dior, Chanel – plus the notable attendee – could not compete with the overwhelming presence of the Balenciaga presentation.

The Duchess brought immense glamour and excitement to the fashion event.

Until that moment, the prevailing sentiment surrounding Piccioli's inaugural collection had been relatively serene. Balenciaga is a time-honored label, and Piccioli is universally praised as a world-leading designer. Moreover, he is beloved for his status as the nicest man in fashion. Many assumed that provocative runway antics had left the brand's identity with the departure of the edgy designer Demna to a competing brand. Yet, occasionally the kindest people pull off unexpected moves, and the presence of a duchess dramatically heightened the media frenzy.

The designer considers himself an master builder, crafting shapes that avoid direct contact with the human form.

Interestingly, the core concept of what he called his manifesto, as he detailed it behind the scenes, was women's liberation. His primary reference was the revolutionary 1957 design by Balenciaga, a outline that sits proud of the body, neither amplifying nor constricting a natural body shape. The designer explained that this style was a radical expression of a changing spirit of the times that was beginning to move from the 1950s conservatism towards the progressive 1960s. The idea centered on progress for women. It liberated women from the burden of garments that rest heavily on the physique and define them by their shape. That garment allowed women to move freely.”

Balenciaga’s most iconic silhouettes were included in the presentation, such as this structured outerwear.

Clothes that hold their form are fundamental to the identity of Balenciaga. Piccioli compared this design methodology to being an structural designer: creating structures that avoid direct interaction with the body, while continuously keeping in mind the individuals who will wear and move in them. The original designer was fascinated by the body and with fabric, and with a third element – the gap separating them.”

Leading the presentation was a modern reinterpretation of the iconic dress, elongated to an floor-grazing length, paired with long gloves – but also with wraparound bug-eye sunglasses that functioned as a clear homage to the apocalypse-chic of the brand's recent past.

Piccioli, who at fifty-eight adorns himself with ornamental accessories and projects an air of hippie-ish serenity, is not interested in seeing the industry as a competitive fight. He states that it is more admirable for creatives to acknowledge each other’s abilities. Piccioli expressed that he was seeking a “reconciliation” between the couture roots of the brand, and its more contemporary urban phase. The brand's legendary shapes were included in the show: a voluminous outerwear piece, this time in a striking shade, and a flared dress in a powerful violet tone.

The phenomenon of Parisian style has become a modern money-spinner. This creative talent is an designer from the US, but he masters this style code. The designer had a professional relationship with a fashion icon during her period as creative director, and then worked for several years building the American brand into a beacon of wearable style. Currently leading Céline, he is bringing the welcoming philosophy of American style to Parisian style. So there were timeless coats, woven bags, and elegant scarves draped on handbags – the signature details of the local style – presented in sunny colors, with an positive transatlantic vibe. “Céline isn’t a mean brand, or a brand that wants to exclude people,” Rider stated after the show. The goal is for everyone feels desirable in the brand. By choosing these pieces, you may not have the strangest thing, but you have the perfect garment, and you have the self-assurance to wear it.”