Those expecting the theatrics of last season might have been slightly dampened to see that Lady Gaga wasn't there in the flesh but instead opened the show in a Inez and Vinoodh-directed film where the message was "Don't fuck with Mugler. Welcome to Paris" with crystals capping her two front teeth that made for a mesmerising screen effect. The show then opened a clear cut intention to showcase clothes rather than gimmick.  For a start, it was properly lit this time so we could actually see what was going down the runway.  Thin neoprene cocooned and curved around the body with cut-outs strategically placed on the hips, shoulders and wherever designer Sébastien Peigné saw fit.

The colour mainly stuck to a skintone beige that meant you never knew where skin started and dress/bodysuit/skirt began. Peigné cited people hiding themselves in the desert and Georgia O'Keeffe as inspirations when thinking of the shapes that slinked around on the models which explains the muted beige save for a passage of black where leather  trousers dripped and frayed at the ankles and were paired with rustily knits and peaked shoulder frock coats. A sleek vision therefore purveyed at Mugler and it will be interesting to see how this progresses given Peigné's background in fabric experimentation at Balenciaga combined with Nicola Formichetti's overall vision.    

Dazed Digital: There was definitely more of an emphasis on the clothes this time round.
Sébastien Peigné: The thing with the last collection, it was seen in the darkness, you didn't see the work of the tailoring and the details.  At Balenciaga, it was all about the structure and new fabrics. We did do that last season but it was just shrouded in darkness and so this season, it's more clear/ With the direction of the last show, it was more fun to reference iconic Mugler pieces and now it's the proper beginning.

DD: Where do you see the future of Mugler heading towards?
Sébastien Peigné: At the moment, we're trying things out. We want to work with the best fabrics, the best tailors and really create a new vision for Mugler.

DD: The show was quite a change-up from the last time round.
Nicola Formichetti: We had more time and we wanted to show that we can actually make clothes. We sold really well last season. The concept of the show was about something fun for the kids.  This time, it was all about the clothes. We didn't want to go into the archives too much and so we decided to do something with what we remember and so we abstracted that.  

DD: The silhouettes were quite complex with those cut-outs that flowed on the body.
Nicola Formichetti: It was almost like a demi-couture and quite complicated work. We were free, no obligations and we didn't have to prove anything. We were remembering the 90s - Margiela, Jean Colona - that sort of French/Belgian deconstructed vibe combined with what I remember from my early 20s, mixed with Mugler's sensibility. 

Photos by Matthieu Bredon-Huger