Paris Fashion Week shimmers through final weekend

Paris Fashion Week danced through its final weekend in a flurry of sequins, lace and watering bucket hats -- but there were some more subdued moments, too.

Mugler kicked things off with a series of sporty, iridescent dresses in gunmetal greys and silvers that flashed down the runway. Elie Saab followed, having caught a case of disco fever for Spring/Summer 2017, debuting a gloriously sparkly feel-good collection comprising red carpet-friendly sequined gowns and metallic tuxedos. The Lebanese designer covered the pieces in pretty star motifs and teamed fluttering trains with sequin-adorned baseball caps to drive the point home. Another house embracing sequins and silky fabrics was Nina Ricci, who teamed glittery finishes with slouchy and relaxed lines and a plush color palette of golds and berry tones.

In the unconventional camp was Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood, whose vibrant and familiarly abstract show featured boxy structures such as overexaggerated bustier necklines and a frame draped with silk scarves. The menswear pieces were just as out there, featuring straw headgear that concealed watering cans worn as accessories.

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Céline designer Phoebe Philo took things down a notch or several, but her everyday, wearable pieces still showed a glimmer of an abstract twist, with oversized blazers taking mannish proportions to the extreme, worn with theatrical bell-bottomed trousers.

Things were more delicate over at John Galliano, where slip dresses in pastel-hued lace and chiffon formed the main basis of the collection. The house tapped into the trend for bralettes with pretty crop tops worn exposed and teamed with slouchy pants for a relaxed streetwear look. There was also a lightness of touch at Valentino, where designer Pierpaolo Piccioli made his first solo debut with a collection of lacy, medieval-inspired gowns and separates in sumptuous feminine colors. Meanwhile at Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci took a sensual, feminine approach to SS17, unveiling a color blocking approach to fitted dresses and tailored suits and adorning pieces with ruffle details and floral motifs.