What can you think of that couldn't possibly be chic? A plastic woven checked laundry bag maybe. Wrong. Phoebe Philo riffed on the idea in her latest Céline collection and it couldn't look chicer. Checks have been a key trend this week in Paris and these were the best of the lot – as was the collection in its entirety. Despite there still being three full days of shows left, it's hard to imagine anything could top this collection. Beautifully cut coats, soft-textured fabrics that invite stroking, a slight flare to the hem of knee-length skirts and a lone pair of cropped grey wool trousers underlined the feminine feel Photograph: PR
'A celebration of women and femininity,' said the press release and a 'Future Feminism' note was on every seat hand written by musician Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons – who performed three songs live, including You are my Sister. The collection was more romantic than previous Givenchy outings but retained the toughness Riccardo Tisci is famed for with masculine black leather biker jackets and oversized jumpers worn over sheer tiered gypsy skirts in prints of moody blooms or embellished with dark sequins. The house's hero item – the sweatshirt – made several appearances, including a cute Bambi intercut with a distorted image of a woman and cinched with a bungee-cord belt Photograph: PR
The highlights at Loewe were the intricate intarsia leather coat and tops that showed off designer Stuart Vevers's talent with hide, worn with slashed-to-the-thigh wrap pencil skirts that revealed a flash of suspender when the models walked. A jewel -encrusted shearling jumper (also teamed with a leather skirt – a key look for this winter) also stood out, as did the finale of cream shaggy shearling coats that screamed luxury and dry-clean-only Photograph: Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho
The venue for the Kenzo show was La Samaritaine, the magnificent Art Deco department store that has been closed since 2005. Now owned by LVMH, La Samaritaine is about to be renovated to become a luxury mall and hotel. Many of the attending crowd were decked out in the Kenzo Paris tiger motif sweatshirt and while le tigre was absent from this collection, an evil eye motif appeared as part of a repeat paisley pattern, on shirting and leather pieces and, of course, on the ubiquitous sweatshirt – a waiting list is probably already in place Photograph: Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/WireImage
The glam-squad dream-team – Val Garland and Sam McKnight – transformed the models at Vivienne Westwood into medieval maidens with whited-out faces, eye sockets in a vivid hue and grubby cheeks. The hair was braided with strips of plastic in two long plaits. Manicure maestro Marian Newman provided turquoise talons Photograph: Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho
The Parisian Chloé girl took a trip to London for winter 2013, conjuring up the notion of a rebellious boarding school pupil spending a night out in the capital, bare-legged in the cold and getting the night bus home. Her wardrobe for this adventure fused together Chloé classics – frills and blouses with pared-down tweedy British cool – and included cape coats, prim lace-up shoe boots, pinafore dresses, book bags and a flounce of polka-dot tulle Photograph: Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/WireImage
This collection is a collaboration between Acne studios and artist Katerina Jebb. 'We wanted to explore fashion from a different angle, decontextualise it and make history visible.' Jebb scanned historical garments from the archive of La Musee Galliera (the Paris fashion museum) and created photomontage artworks that formed the basis of the collection's prints Photograph: PR
Masculine tailoring in city gent pinstripes in Stella's signature oversized cut was the main theme, while a grey knitted tracksuit and felt riding caps lent a sporty feel. In the eveningwear section, a strapless theme emerged; a washed silk dress gathered mid-calf and ending at the ankle looked tricky to wear, but the fitted lapel cocktail dress in silk cloquet jacquard is sure to be a hit. A welcome burst of colour came with a vivid violet coat. Fellow environmental campaigners Bono and Ali Hewson sat in the front row with Hollywood stars Nicole Richie and Jessica Alba Photograph: Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/WireImage
