Balmain: the talk of the town

The day kicked off with Balenciaga, whose ultra-feminine models looked groomed in tulip silk skirts that were draped over the hips and gathered at the waist Photograph: Karl Prouse/Catwalking/Getty Images

This strange boxy design with tassels by Lie Sang Bong made us want to shout 'gee up!' Photograph: Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/WireImage.com

Another of Li Sang Bong's designs reminded us of The Mothman Prophecies Photograph: Thibault Camus/AP

This creation was more along the lines of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds Photograph: Lucas Dolega/EPA

Japanese designer Hiroko Koshino was rocking her homeland ... Photograph: Michel Euler/AP

Especially when it came to these obi Photograph: Ian Langsdon/EPA

We've seen a lot of half-length gloves over fashion weeks. Here Irish designer Sharon Wauchob teamed them with bronze ruched dresses Photograph: Francoise Guillot/AFP/Getty Images

We were all looking forward to the Balmain show, and we weren't disappointed Photograph: MAXPPP/TG/EPA

We saw Decarnin's signature shoulders again, and we wondered if these self-ventilating trousers would make a similar impact on the fashion pack Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex Features

And, of course, there were the prerequisite glitzy sequinned dresses Photograph: MAXPPP/TG/EPA

Bruno Pieters' collection was very, erm ... rectangular Photograph: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters

Rick Owens' show was odd to say the least. There were white fur headbands that looked like bad wigs. Then there were the boots which sagged around the leg yet were tight over the knee - it was hard to know where the trouser ended and the boot began Photograph: Eric Ryan/Getty Images

Up close and personal with Rick Owen's bizarre headbands Photograph: Christophe Ena/AP

Gareth Pugh sat front row with his strangely mesmerising friend, who seemed unimpressed by proceedings Photograph: Eric Ryan/Getty Images

At Lutz, we weren't sure that this skirt would keep out winter chills Photograph: Ian Langsdon/EPA

The Nina Ricci show seemed normal at first glance. Then you looked closer at the hats ... Photograph: MAXPPP/TG/EPA

... and the shoes. Designer Olivier Theyskens was risking the kind of falls we saw on the Prada catwalk last season Photograph: Jacky Naegelen/Reuters

Although the shoes at AF Vandevorst weren't quite as high, they were much more hoof-like Photograph: Thibault Camus/AP

On top, the collection was all a bit 'Flintstones meets Night of the Living Dead' for us. We just hope we don't run into these models after dark ... Photograph: Pierre Verdy/AFP/Getty Images