A marriage of old and new worlds on Paris catwalks

Christian Lacroix made a return to fashion with a one-off collection for the house of Schiaparelli that paid homage to the Italian designer.

The rebirth of Schiaparelli, juxtaposed with the extraordinarily modern vision shown by Raf Simons at Christian Dior, perfectly reflected the old world versus new world order that defined the autumn couture collections on show in Paris last week.

Established houses wanted to be perceived as modern while newer ones wanted to prove their historical credentials.

The message of tradition versus modernity was eloquently expressed at Chanel, where its old-world tweeds were swept aside halfway through the show and replaced with kinetic, linear-printed gowns with metallic finishes inspired by the skyline of Singapore, where Karl Lagerfeld recently presented Chanel's resort collection.

The house owned by Coco Chanel's bitter rival, Elsa Schiaparelli, returns to the catwalk next January. One of the most fêted couture houses of the 1920s and '30s, it was acquired by the Tod's Group seven years ago and its new designer will be announced in October.

Meanwhile, Lacroix created 18 looks that capture the quintessence of Schiaparelli's style, mixed with a bit of his own.