"I wanted the flowers to symbolise a rebirth of sorts after the pandemic," says designer Alexis Mabille of his blooming creations. The pieces from this collection all have hyperbolic floral embellishments from a translucent sequinned puff sleeve encasing bouquets on both arms to his sparkling jumpsuits with satin rose hoods. 

Fans of Balenciaga are still reeling over Demna Gvasalia's debut couture collection for the legendary house. We saw hints of what he was capable of as he began to close his last few ready-to-wear collections with eye-popping creations like velvet gowns in XXL crinoline skirts, but this season marked his first full-blown couture collection and he didn't disappoint. A gothic, feathered piece with in Gvasalia's sharp shouldered silhouette definitely turned heads. 

Another stunning debut was Chitose Abe for Jean Paul Gaultier and the combination of both designers' aesthetics felt at once natural and new. Abe, a devoted fan of Gaultier's didn't even need to reference his archives to create this collection, relying purely on her memories. The result was a magical mix of Gaultier's signature dash of whimsy with Abe's exaggerated construction. 

Maria Grazia Chiuri once again delivered goddess gowns to die for, showing her couture collection in a room wrapped in silk tapestry by French artist Eva Jospin. The finale number, a forest green tulled confection with an embroidered veil earned quite a few sighs from the audience. 

Ever pushing the boundaries of fashion, art and science, Iris Van Herpen chose to showcase her new collection entitled Earthrise by dressing the first female world-champion skydiver Domitille Kigerin an ethereal blue gown and having her dive towards earth in a breath-taking video. Her sculptural pieces made up of what looks like ombre scales, are actually made from recycled plastic, proving that sustainability indeed has a place in couture with just a bit of imagination. 

For his second couture collection, Kim Jones built on his first with even more intricate petal work and mosiac embroidery, dressing supermodels like Kate Moss and Amber Valletta in creations befitting of the Roman theatre where the film directed by Luca Guadagnino was set.