4 of the most talked-about trends at Paris Fashion Week 2023

France's annual fashion frenzy has wrapped up, as Paris Fashion Week came to a close after showcasing designers' latest collections, from menswear to haute couture. 

Paris Fashion Week dates back to 1973 when the "Battle of Versailles Fashion Show" debuted, which British Vogue reports was a complete game-changer for the industry. Ever since then, PFW has featured some of the biggest brands in the world, Vogue France writes.

This year's event ran from Jan. 17-22, leading straight into Paris' Haute Couture Week and a coming few weeks before the highly-anticipated New York Fashion Week from Feb. 10-15. 

Here are four of the most talked-about trends on this year's PFW and Haute Couture Week runways:

Pleats on pleats

The Issey Miyake show incorporated geometric shapes and the label's signature pleats across designs. "Geometric shapes, with a strong focus on triangles, was the starting point and the impetus for this season's Homme Plissé Issey Miyake collection‚ showing the many iterations of how triangles and other angular elements can be twisted and manipulated into complex silhouettes and patterns," CNN writes. 

In the first four looks shared by Vogue Runway, the show included jackets with layered sleeves shaped triangularly to give more definition, appearing as though there are two parts to the one-piece jacket. Additionally, there was a performance where dancers displayed the functionality of the clothing, bringing it to life. The brand is known for its use of pleats, and this collection was no different, using a combination of pleats and creases "to create a coat of origami origins," as Hypebeast wrote.

Super chunky shoes 

These boots were made for … walking? At least that's what the models did as they showed off Rick Owens' latest menswear collection. The shoemaker is no rookie when it comes to creating an ultra-unique array of shoes, from high-top Geth Army-style boots to platform EDFU sneakers.

The new collection was full of "reduced architectural shapes with a whiff of sleazy seventies pseudo-mysticism," Footwear News writes. The designer responsible for creating "grilled platforms" has now "channeled orthopedic glam," as CNN describes, by making a boot with thick padding and leather buckles — resembling something we'd see on someone with a broken foot. 

Dior-loving celebs

"Dior mania descended on Paris Fashion Week menswear," The Washington Post says, describing the show that was held on Jan. 20. The haute couture brand most known for its elegant and "upholstered" designs once only catered to women, until 2001 when the "Dior Homme" menswear collection came about, InStyle Magazine notes.

This year's Dior menswear show paid homage to Yves Saint Laurent, the Post notes, adding that it was inspired by decades-earlier designs that were unveiled in 1958 by Saint Laurent, in his first collection for Christian Dior. Kim Jones, the brand's artistic director, incorporated unbuttoned baggy suits that were gender-neutral, "mirroring" YSL's debut which included pieces that were "in favor of more fluid shapes." There were plenty of celebrity guests, including David Beckham, Naomi Campbell, and BTS members J-Hope and Jimin. The show also featured actors Gwendoline Christie and actor Robert Pattinson, who may have stolen the show with his gender-bending look: a navy tweed skirt and boots, E! Entertainment reports. 

Eye-catching avant-garde features

One of the most talked about shows was the Schiaparelli Haute Couture exhibit. The runway designs that Fashionista describes as "whimsical, elegant and macabre" grabbed everyone's attention and renewed debate about animals in fashion.

Designer Daniel Roseberry did some exploring with his creative direction, showcasing pieces that featured hand-crafted "faux taxidermy." Kylie Jenner attended the show wearing a custom-made gown featuring a dramatic lion's head made from sculpted foam and faux fur, People says, and model Irina Shayk later walked the runway in a similar gown. Supermodel Naomi Campbell also ripped the runway in a wolf-head ensemble, while Doja Cat appeared in head-to-toe red Swarovski crystals.

The collection sparked a conversation about the ethics of featuring animals on the runway, with some arguing the collection glamorizes trophy hunting. However, Fashionista suggests it "forced any viewer to revel in the Schiaparelli team's mind-blowing craftsmanship and encouraged a reflection on the duality of beauty and death."